Seven candidates are running to serve District 2 on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. The district covers most of North and Northeast Portland. This November, voters will use ranked choice voting to select candidates in the county commissioner race.
Bruce Broussard
Professional background: Bruce Broussard is a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. He and his wife now run a nonprofit called No Veterans Left Behind Oregon, Inc. Previously, he ran a talk show on KBOO radio and now hosts a video program via Open Signal called Oregon Voters Digest.
Broussard is a perennial candidate who’s mounted multiple political runs, including for the District 2 position on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in 2018, a bid for Portland mayor in 2020, a run for Multnomah County chair in 2022, and most recently, a campaign for Metro Council president in the May 2026 primary.
Political experience and civic engagement: Broussard has been politically active and civically engaged for decades. In the mid-1990s he served on Metro’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee, he’s previously served on Multnomah County’s Charter Review Board and has served on numerous citizen task forces.
Serena Cruz
Professional background: Serena Cruz, 59, has worked in government, nonprofits, and small business for 25 years. She’s lived in the district she’s running for for 30 years. She founded affordable housing development and construction firms, and served as the executive director of a health center’s advocacy arm, where she helped close Oregon’s vaccine equity gap for Latine, immigrant, and farmworker communities. And, she was Multnomah County’s Chief Operating officer from 2021 to 2024. “I will forever be proud that as a County Commissioner I got to move marriage equality forward,” Cruz said in response to the Mercury’s candidate questionnaire. She currently works at a consulting practice she founded called Adelante Impact, advising government and nonprofit leaders.
Political experience: As the first Latina and youngest woman elected, she’s already served in the Multnomah County commissioner position she’s now running for, from 1999 to 2006. The county has term limits, but don’t fret; Cruz is in the clear—the law limits service to two consecutive terms in a 12 year period. She was also on the founding advisory board for Emerge Oregon, which trains women to run for office, and served on the board for Lewis & Clark College, the Collins Foundation, the Governor’s Racial Justice Council, Health Equity, METRO Housing Bond Oversight Committee, and more.
Why she’s running: “Multnomah County stands at a pivotal turning point,” Cruz told the Mercury. “People here have lost confidence that local government can deliver on the basics, and they are right to demand better.” She said she wants to give her district a government that works, including getting vulnerable county residents into the shelter, treatment, health care, and housing that they need. Cruz responded to the Mercury’s question asking why she wanted a seat at the county pointed back to her family, saying her mom left a small village in Mexico for a bigger life in the United States. Her father grew up in the US, and served in the military. “I was raised by two people who believed in this country’s promises, and who watched the systems built on those promises fall short of them, again and again,” Cruz said. She wants to deliver results for everyone, especially those who are often overlooked.
Notable endorsements and donations: Cruz boasts a broad coalition of endorsements, including current county commissioner Megan Moyer, Metro President Juan Carlos González, and other elected leaders. She’s also endorsed by APANO Action Fund, Latino Network, Building Power for Communities of Color, NAYA Action Fund, The Street Trust, Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors, and the Portland Metro Chamber-aligned PAC United for Portland. She also has labor endorsements, largely from Northwest Oregon Labor Council members, as well as the Portland Association of Teachers, and more.
Herman Greene
Professional background: Herman Greene is a pastor at Abundant Life PDX and previously served on the Portland School Board. He also works as a development director and grants manager with Triple Threat Mentoring, an organization his wife founded in 2020 that focuses on youth mentoring, education, and violence prevention.
Greene is currently working as a part-time, contracted consultant for a consulting company run by his former PPS Board colleague, Gary Hollands. The consulting company was hired by Pracedo, the Texas-based company that landed a $61.5 million contract with PPS to oversee the school district’s construction projects. Greene and his former colleague were no longer on the school board at the time the Pracedo contract was awarded, but the arrangement raised alarms among current school board members.
“I was asked by the Hollands Group to come on board and help provide strategic community input on community engagement efforts,” Greene told the Mercury. “My role is as needed [to] assist in getting the right people to the table to discuss community needs, which as I understand it is an additional safeguard to help ensure that the projects stay on time for 2029 completion.”
Political experience and civic engagement: Greene previously served one term on the Portland Public Schools Board.
Why he’s running: Greene, 52, says he’s running because the county needs broader, more holistic solutions to real problems like homelessness and public safety.
“I have spent years working in violence prevention, supporting young people, and standing with families impacted by gun violence and crisis. That work has taught me that too much of our response happens after people are already in crisis,” Greene tells the Mercury. “I believe we have to move upstream. Public safety must include prevention and accountability. Our homelessness response has to do more than provide a place to sleep overnight. We have to help people move toward stable housing while investing in eviction prevention and housing stability so fewer families become homeless in the first place.”
The candidate is focused heavily on housing placement and service coordination for county residents, including bolstering access to mental health, addiction recovery, and workforce services.
Notable endorsements and donations: Greene is endorsed by Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith, as well as State Rep. Travis Nelson and current Count Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, whom Greene served with on the PPS Board. He’s also received endorsement from other current and former school board members and a number of prominent community leaders. Greene has received campaign contributions from Portland City Councilors Dan Ryan and Loretta Smith, as well as his former school board colleague Patte Sullivan. Greene has also received a sizable contribution from Aisha Hollands, a former Portland Public Schools employee who is married to former PPS Board member Gary Hollands, whom Greene served alongside until 2025. He’s also received campaign support from Oregon State Rep. Travis Nelson and Portland Community College Board President Tiffani Penson, according to campaign finance filings.
Nathan Ong Norris
Professional background: Nathan Ong Norris, 32, lives in North Portland’s Kenton neighborhood. Ong Norris was born and raised in the Portland area and has lived here most of his life. He has a master’s degree in Emergency Management & Community Resilience from Portland State University. Ong Norris worked as a hazardous waste technician at Metro until he was laid off in June, and is currently freelancing as a master carpenter and theater tech director.
Political experience and civic engagement: This is Ong Norris’ first time running for office. He is a member of Portland Democratic Socialists of America, where he co-chairs the organization’s Resiliency Working Group, focused on crisis response. In that role, Ong Norris has championed an effort to regularly deliver drinking water to the Warm Springs Reservation, which has been experiencing a long-running water crisis. Ong Norris is also a labor union member and has organized efforts to help other Portland unions during labor strikes.
Why he’s running: Ong Norris says he’s running to ensure Multnomah County is able to “preserve, improve, and expand” its essential programs and services, including Preschool for All, libraries, emergency management, and more. He says he believes a functional local government should prioritize providing “life-giving things to everyone” (to quote the abolitionist and scholar Ruth Wilson Gilmore). “In my lifetime, both the Republican and Democratic parties have retreated from the idea that our government can and should deliver high-quality public goods, services, infrastructure, and systems,” Ong Norris says.
If elected, Ong Norris—who is running as a Democratic Socialist—wants to use his office to “provide the people of Oregon the opportunity to participate in a political project that raises people’s expectations of government by putting forward policies that provide clean water, clean air, fully funded libraries and public schools, excellent emergency response, health care, housing stability and more.”
Ong Norris is also running on a staunchly pro-climate platform, calling climate justice “the issue of our lifetimes” and vowing to be the “Climate Justice Commissioner.” Ong Norris says he would ensure the county’s Climate Justice Plan is fully implemented—“not just adopted and then shelved.” He also promises to hold “polluters and extractive industries” accountable.
Notable endorsements and donations: Ong Norris has been endorsed by organizations including the Portland DSA, Oregon Working Families Party, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Next Up Action Fund, and Basic Rights Oregon PAC. He has also secured union endorsements from the Portland Association of Teachers, and the faculty unions at Portland Community College and Portland State University. He has also been endorsed by the Portland City Council’s four DSA councilors (Angelita Morillo, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Mitch Green, and Sameer Kanal), along with Oregon State Rep. Farrah Chaichi.
Tony Robertson
Professional background: Born and raised in NE Portland, Robertson is currently employed as the Civil Rights Division Manager and Customer Service and Quality Assurance Manager at the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). In these roles he oversees the enforcement of laws protecting workers, renters, and families from discrimination. In the past, Robertson also worked for Portland Parks and Recreation, and also served as a housing manager at homelessness nonprofit JOIN, where he worked directly with landlords and people experiencing housing instability.
Political experience and civic engagement: While this is his first run for public office, Robertson has sat on BOLI committees that he says “shape how state agencies engage with communities, enforce worker protections, and build accountability into government processes.” Likewise, Robertson insists that his experience with JOIN has led him to build “partnerships between government agencies, landlords, and nonprofits” with an eye on alleviating the housing crisis. Robertson adds that his past “relationship building” experience makes him uniquely qualified for the commissioner role, and that he possesses a “firsthand understanding of housing, behavioral health, and civil rights that comes from actually doing the work… not just studying it.” Robertson also spent 20 years at Benson Polytechnic High School and Parkrose Youth Sports as a youth coach, and is an active member of the Urban League of Portland and Imagine Black, organizations working on behalf of Black Portlanders.
Why he’s running: Roberts told the Mercury he is concerned with the city, county, and state’s “silo” mentality, noting that “a person in crisis doesn’t need four agencies that don’t talk to each other.” He feels he can help change that. “I have also seen what happens to communities when government doesn’t treat environmental neglect, housing instability, and mental health as the connected crises they are,” Roberts said, adding that he believes District 2 “deserves a Commissioner who has not only seen the challenges, but who has actually lived these issues from the inside.”
Notable endorsements and donations: Robertson has received endorsements from several local business owners and community leaders, including Ericka Warren.
Bri Williams
Professional background: Bri Williams was born and raised in Northeast Portland and says her family has deep roots in the city. Williams, 38, has a master’s degree in social work and now works for Multnomah County as a mental health consultant, partnering with Albina Head Start. She previously worked for Preschool For All.
Political experience and civic engagement: Williams served on Multnomah County’s Ryan White Planning Council, helping shape policies and funding priorities for people living with HIV/AIDS. She currently serves as co-chair of the Multnomah County Behavioral Health Department’s equity committee, and is a Precinct Committee Person for House District 44. Williams also holds an executive leadership position with the Democratic Party of Oregon’s Black Caucus.
Why she’s running: “I’ve always understood that the decisions made by the government shape whether families can thrive, whether neighborhoods receive investment, and whether people have access to opportunity,” Williams says. Public service has always been part of who I am. I come from a family that taught me that if you love your community, you fight for it.”
Williams wants to prioritize small business and workforce development opportunities, and focus on housing stability by preventing displacement and supporting renters. If elected, she also wants the county to invest more heavily in behavioral health services and says she’ll aim to bring accountable governance to county residents.
Williams says after Trump was elected again, she knew local leadership would matter more than ever. “I committed myself to political training, built relationships with advocates and organizers across the county, and prepared to step into this race because I believe Multnomah County needs leaders who are ready to protect our values and deliver results,” she tells the Mercury. “I’m running because I want to build a county where every resident regardless of race, ZIP code, or income has the opportunity to live a healthy, stable, and dignified life. This campaign isn’t about becoming a politician. It’s about honoring the legacy of the people who invested in me by investing in the future of Multnomah County.”
Notable endorsements: Williams is endorsed by Portland City Councilors Sameer Kanal, Jamie Dunphy, and Angelita Morillo, as well as Portland School Board members Michelle DePass and Rashelle Chase-Miller, along with a host of other notable community and civic leaders.
She’s also secured endorsements from labor unions like AFSCME Local 88 and SEIU Oregon, as well as Basic Rights Oregon, Next Up Action Fund, Working Families Party, East County Rising, Portland For All, APANO Action Fun, and more.
Nabil Zaghloul
Professional background: Zaghloul has worked for Multnomah County for over 32 years, according to his campaign website. He spent ten years in the Department of Community Justice managing parole, probation, and domestic violence caseloads; he later managed medical and behavior health programs in the Health Department. He’s currently the director of Multnomah County Social and Economic program Bienestar de la Familia, which provides behavioral health services, housing stability, workforce development and apprenticeships, and help for families going through hardship. He has a law degree with a specialization in public administration.
Political experience and civic engagement: He ran for City Council District 2 in 2024 but did not win. However, he tells the Mercury he’s involved in civic life beyond his job, including volunteering for shelters; he’s also completed mediation training, and speaks to Portland State students considering careers in public service.
Why he’s running: Zaghloul’s website lists homelessness, behavior health, and public safety as three of his top priorities.
“Multnomah County has tremendous strengths, but too often, government measures success by how much it spends or how many people it serves rather than whether people’s lives are actually improving. I want to help build a county government focused on prevention, addressing problems before they become crises, where every public investment delivers measurable results for the people we serve,” he told the Mercury.
Notable endorsements and donations: Zaghloul is endorsed by former Portland mayor and police chief Tom Potter, former Multnomah County commissioner and current chair candidate Sharon Meieran, former City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Oregon State Senator Kayse Jama, Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai, and Portland City Councilors Dan Ryan and Sameer Kanal.