So, seriously, Portland: Who’s your choice for county commissioner? Today I really want to know what it is you think a county commissioner should do. How should they behave? What should their priorities be?
- ILLUSTRATION BY SCRAPPERS
- COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES: STILL NOT COUNTY-ING THEIR CHICKENS
Yesterday’s poll, which one campaigner described to me as “bullshit, but bullshit that we’ve got to get in and roll around in,” took on 710 votes yesterday, with Karol Collymore emerging as a strong early leader, and then Tom Markgraf, Chuck Currie, Paul van Orden, and Gary Hansen catching up through the course of yesterday and overnight. This race is all about emerging from a tight field to grab voters’ attention. And it’s not too late to vote!
At some point, I’ll do the math and figure out if this is, in fact, a representative sample of the last election for this seat. Although in that race, there wasn’t a campaign staffer behind an IP wall (and I’m not saying there is) just repeatedly clicking on the same person, so there’s that:
WHO DO YOU THINK THE MERCURY SHOULD ENDORSE?
Yesterday’s post, which included a poll and links to interviews with all eight county candidates, has thrown up some fascinating issues in the comments—particularly questions of “entitlement,” and “public service.” I’m really glad we’re having a thorough discussion about this race. More after the jump.
Commenter Jess, for example, had this to say:
Karol Collymore released a statement on why she was running, “it seems like the logical next step.” Huh? Not very inspiring! Tom Markgraf is in love with the ridiculous big bridge project.
Then commenter Sally, said this:
The “ridiculous big bridge project”? What the . . .? How do YOU propose we get across the river to Washington? The old bridge is falling apart. What are we supposed to do? Pretend we’re in Venice and hop in a gondola?
Lots of plugs for Collymore, too, of which pdxdemocrat is representative:
She’s smart, progressive, caring, has been a huge asset to the N/NE district, AND she’s a snazzy dresser.
And Paul van Orden got a lot of favorable mentions too:
Vote for Paul van Orden!!! He is an extremely dedicated public servant. Paul has proved himself time and time again how much he cares for his community. He isn’t a career politician, he is a honest, hardworking, intelligent guy. He has my vote!
And drew comparisons to Collymore:
He has lived in the center of seat #2 for many years (as a homeowner) and has shown a long term willingness to stay and serve the community both through his employment with the city and his various community activities. This isn’t just a stepping stone or “the next logical step” in a political career (-cough-Kollymore-cough) for him. He wants to help the community and not just help himself up to the next level of a political career.
Chuck Currie got this shoutout from commenter Annette:
As a resident of east portland, I’m voting for Chuck Currie. East county is the poorest area of town and it has been repeatedly ignored by the city. It’s easy to think of your city as progressive and “weird” and hip when you never venture east of 82nd avenue, where Portland’s poorest are living. Chuck Currie recognizes the importance of helping the residents of this part of town.
Currie also drew comparisons to Collymore, “she’s just like every other twenty-something who moved to Portland from elsewhere,” from Bronch O’Humphrey:
I don’t live in that district, but Chuck Currie seems to be the best of the bunch. Karol says “it’s a logical next step,” but Chuck sees, from his 25 or so years fighting hunger and homelessness in this community, how he wants to use the office to actually accomplish things he’s been fighting for.
Then prouppity brought up this dynamic:
Funny how men are never told to cool their jets and wait it out when it comes to public service.
Young men who run for office are called visionaries or a breath of fresh air. Young (black) women are called uppity.
True. And then the commenters all discussed what it means to be new to Portland, compared to, say Tom Markgraf, who is a “Portlander’s Portlander,” according to commenter Roxanne, who says he’s been “living in the district nearly his entire life.”
Thanks for all your comments, people. Let’s keep discussing these ideas.
Well, I voted for everyone once, so the technology has a hole in it.
No, the Mercury blog readers aren’t representative of the community as a whole (your ad department has the demographics).
So I think in this short race the group is about evenly unknown, untested, unremarkable. Thanks to Matt, we know something about them. He might be the only person who has met them all.
All have been invited, but three of the eight have outlined their interest in mental health issues, a biggish subject at the County at
http://www.mentalhealthportland.org/?tag=e…
Gary Hansen was the only person interviewed who seemed to have been thinking about this for awhile. He mentioned several, specific ideas and he seemed to be the only person who understands that cigarette taxes place the burden of raising funds on our poorest and least mobile citizens.
It seems to me that only in America is having a wealth of experience seen as a bad thing. He has to deal with people saying he’s “entrenched”. But don’t we want someone who knows the ins and outs of the bureaucracy? Trust me, when I got hired on at the VA (huge, HUGE bureaucracy) it took me nearly a year to get acclimated. What form does what, who can you ask that will actually do something and who will just sit on the request for 6 months. If you can vote someone in who already knows the answers to those questions, why wouldn’t you?
Good question.
Wow, playing the sex AND race cards simultaneously this early in the campaign?! Incredible!
My “cool her jets” comment had absolutely nothing to do with her being black or a woman. I would actually reverse the remark to apply to Gary Hansen, who I think should find new ways to serve and allow others to run for a seat he had 8 years in.
Karol, to me, seems to be very ambitious (not a bad thing), but she seems to have very little perspective on WHY she actually wants to be in elected office. It’s not enough for it to be a “logical next step.” She should truly believe her experience, perspective and knowledge are the best-suited for THAT job in THAT time in THAT government agency.
By jumping at every opportunity to get appointed or elected, she’s losing my support time and again for not addressing why she is the best candidate for THAT job in THAT time at THAT level of government.
Fmr. city commissioner Charlie Hales left his seat in mid-term because he felt he was no longer being as effective as a city commissioner should be, and he thought he could make a bigger difference with a job as a planning exec at an engineering firm. He had helped bring streetcar to Portland, and he saw the opportunity to go make a living designing streetcar systems for other cities around the world.
That’s the sort of thing I mean when I mention “cooling your jets.” Charlie Hales knew exactly why he wanted that particular office (transportation commissioner), what he could bring to it and how he wanted to utilize it while in office. As soon as he no longer felt he was doing everything he could to serve Portland, he stepped aside to pursue another opportunity. Karol should continue the seemingly exemplary work she has been doing and wait for the office she can serve best, most effectively and that she is the best candidate for.
Until then, it’s all ego.
I predict this election to be far more interesting than anyone would have expected and Multnomah county will be the better for it.