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Opinion
Posted inOpinion

Portland’s Ranked Choice Voting Was a Success (Despite What the Oregonian Claims)

The newspaper asserts that Ranked Choice Voting “cratered” voter engagement. That’s bullshit.
Avatar photo Wm. Steven Humphrey

Starting in January 2025, Portland will have the most diverse, and politically balanced City Council in the history of our city. Full stop. The reason why we’re able to celebrate this indisputable fact is thanks to charter reform and ranked choice voting, which allowed citizens from every demographic and Portland neighborhood the opportunity to serve […]

Posted inOpinion

Editorial: What’s at Stake in the Mayor’s Race

Portlanders worked hard for a better form of government. Without the right leader, we’ll be stuck in a rut of dysfunction.
Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

Portland is at a pivotal juncture. The city is poised to boost its tourism appeal by welcoming a new professional women’s basketball team and potentially a baseball stadium while simultaneously scrambling to build more housing and shelter space. All of this will happen with a brand new governing system and new elected leaders at the […]

Posted inElection Guide 2024

Updated (Again): Rene’s Receipts

A time line of the scandals, goof-ups, and power plays of mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez.
Avatar photo Wm. Steven Humphrey

Fall 2020 Rene Gonzalez forms ED300—a parent activist group designed to pressure lawmakers, state agencies, and public officials to send children back to school… during the height of the deadliest part of the pandemic, and long before COVID vaccines were available. Later ED300 would endorse Oregon school board candidates who held anti-trans/Islamist beliefs, were against […]

Posted inElection Guide 2024

Editorial: What’s at Stake in the Mayor’s Race

Portlanders worked hard for a better form of government. Without the right leader, we’ll be stuck in a rut of dysfunction.
Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

Portland is at a pivotal juncture. The city is poised to boost its tourism appeal by welcoming a new professional women’s basketball team and potentially a baseball stadium while simultaneously scrambling to build more housing and shelter space. All of this will happen with a brand new governing system and new elected leaders at the […]

Posted inElection Guide 2024

Street View: How Transportation is Shaping This Year’s Election

Many of this year’s City Council candidates can hold their own in wonky transportation spaces. Here’s how activists got in their ears, and what might come of it.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Despite claims about the political influence of Portland’s all-powerful “bike lobby,” transportation issues have not been a top city priority for some time. This is partially evident from the ignorant rhetoric out of the current Portland City Council, but it’s also clear just from taking a look around the city: Portland officials have long neglected […]

Posted inStreet View

STREET VIEW: Is the Central Eastside Good Now?

Okay, the area has always had its charms. But thanks to new bike infrastructure and a vision for the future, it’s getting a lot better.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

On a scorching Sunday at the end of July a couple years ago, I hopped on my bike and raced over to Portland’s Central Eastside, where a massive and revelrous gathering was taking place. I had been looking forward to the event for weeks, knowing it would be a real “who’s who” of Portland; a […]

Posted inStreet View

STREET VIEW: Let Portland’s E-Bike Revolution Begin

A plan to use PCEF money for electric bike rebates could be a game-changer for the city—if leaders are willing to listen.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Over the last few years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of witnessing dozens of people having their first experience on an electric bike. Even though the e-bike has become a standard in my personal transportation repertoire, I always get a rush of excitement when I watch someone else experience the electric pedal boost for the […]

Posted inStreet View

STREET VIEW: Biketown for Who?

Portland deserves a better bike share program.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

At the end of May, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced upcoming adjustments to Biketown, the city’s Nike-branded bike share program. The changes involve cuts to Biketown for All: the popular, critical component of the bike share system that has allowed thousands of low-income Portlanders to temporarily rent electric bikes, essentially free of charge.  […]

Posted inOpinion

Mercury Endorsements: Elect Shannon Singleton for Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, District 2!

Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

Singleton is among five candidates running to serve the rest of Susheela Jayapal’s unexpired term on the Board of Commissioners, which is up in 2026. That means voters will have to elect someone to this seat again in two years.  Singleton, whose background is rooted in social work (she has a masters degree in this […]

Posted inOpinion

Mercury Endorsement: Elect Susheela Jayapal for US Representative, 3rd District!

Jayapal will be a voice for forward movement—not murky centrist stagnation.
Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

The current US rep in the 3rd District, Earl Blumenauer, is Portland’s staple politician, having served in the role since 1996. And he’s going to be a tough act to follow—I mean, we named a bike and pedestrian bridge after the guy. But with Blumenauer retiring, a lot of local Democrats are vying for his […]

Posted inOpinion

Mercury Endorsement: Re-Elect Mike Schmidt for Multnomah County District Attorney

Don’t believe the conservative cynics who blame Schmidt for Portland’s problems.
Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

Since taking the reins at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in 2020, Mike Schmidt has faced a deluge of crises, and criticism.  Schmidt took office in August 2020 amid a global pandemic and nationwide racial justice reckoning that spurred prolonged protests in Portland. Those external factors, coupled with a nationwide rise in crime during […]

Posted inOpinion

STREET VIEW: Paying for the Pavement

Portland’s gas tax is a cheap price to pay for all the costs of driving a car.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

There’s been some anxious energy surrounding Portland’s 10-cent gas tax, which is on the ballot for renewal in the upcoming primary election. The tax funds the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Fixing Our Streets maintenance program, going toward street paving and safety projects like traffic signals, sidewalk installation and repair, and street lighting. And given […]

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