Last month, Jim Middaugh was camped out in his dining
room—which doubled as a command center—coordinating
volunteers who were fanned out across Portland, collecting $5
contributions and signatures for his bid for public campaign financing.
Defying expectations, Middaugh turned in 1,623 valid contributions in
just two weeks, following City Commissioner Erik Sten’s sudden
announcement that he was leaving office later this spring.
This month, Middaugh’s found a campaign office on NE Sandy, ordered
lawn signs, and is planning both a neighborhood canvass for March 1 and
a party at the Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub for March 2 “to talk
about how we’ll run a winning grassroots campaign.” Middaugh and his
opponents have little more than two months before voters start
receiving their ballots in the mail.
His main opponent Nick Fish had only $5,290 in the bank as we went
to press on February 26—compared to Middaugh’s expected $140,535
check from the city now that he’s qualified for public funds. However,
Fish has name recognition from two previous council runs.
Not so for Middaugh, who has spent most of his career working behind
the scenes in environmental organizations and government, segueing
between advocacy and public affairs. After picking up a journalism
degree from the University of Oregon, he worked for two
congressmen—Jim Weaver, then Peter DeFazio—before heading
to the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, DC, to be the press
director. Back in Oregon, Middaugh worked for groups like the Oregon
Natural Resources Council, and the Northwest Power and Conservation
Council.
Along the way, he met Sten at a house party for the commissioner’s
first campaign in 1996. “I wrote him a $100 check,” Middaugh says,
explaining that it was the biggest political contribution he’d “ever
written.” He helped Sten get elected, and eventually
landed in one
of Sten’s bureaus, as the city’s endangered species program manager.
These days, he’s Sten’s chief of staff.
It was Sten who urged him to run for the vacated seat. While
grabbing lunch one afternoon in mid-January, Middaugh mentioned that a
few people had “surprised” him by suggesting he run, even pledging
financial support. Sten agreed that he should go for it—adding,
“You’ve got to go voter-owned,” according to Middaugh. But he’d watched
other candidates take months to collect the required 1,000
contributions—and Middaugh had just over two weeks. “I was really
honored, but freaked out.”
After a weekend of calling people in his network, however—”We
know a lot of people,” Middaugh says of himself and his wife Anna,
citing their work on political campaigns, in their kids’ schools, and
in the community—he had enough pledges from people willing to
collect $5 contributions.
Middaugh hopes to pick up where Sten left off on his signature
issues of homelessness and affordable housing, while also focusing on
schools, the environment, and Portland’s livability.
On affordable housing, he’d like
to explore bringing “another
housing opportunity bond,” to the ballot. “Let’s make some
investments.”
And on the homelessness front, he supports Sten’s 10-year plan to
end homelessness, with its housing-first model. But going a step
further than Sten, Middaugh is outspoken on the criminalization of
homelessness, calling it “absolutely wrong and inappropriate.” He wants
to revisit the city’s camping and sit-lie ordinances, and thinks
private security downtown is unfairly targeting the homeless—a
stance that puts him out in front on the issue.
“I’m an organizer, rabble-rouser, activist type,” he says, adding
that he’s eager to employ his “what do I have to do today to get things
done” philosophy on the city council.