A local union is distancing itself from Multnomah County chair candidate Julia Brim-Edwards after it previously voted to endorse her.
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 88 overwhelmingly voted to rescind its previous endorsement during an hours-long meeting Wednesday, October 21. That union represents over 4,000 county employees.
The move comes less than two weeks before the November 3 election, in which Brim-Edwards is facing off against Shannon Singleton and Sharon Meieran in the county’s first ranked choice election.
Emilie Azorr, a Local 88 member who spoke to the Mercury in her personal capacity, said the initial endorsement meeting in August had a low turnout, and the union’s local did not notify members that it would be voting on endorsements. Brim-Edwards passed through that endorsement in a 45-30 vote.
But on Wednesday, AFSCME Local 88 members voted 109-31 to rescind the endorsement due to concerns about the endorsement process, and recent news reports some said aligned with their experiences with Brim-Edwards.
“We really didn’t have much of an opportunity to share our concerns during the first meeting, and then when members heard about it, they were really upset to learn that our union had endorsed Julia Brim-Edwards,” Azorr said.
In the same meeting, the union also voted 80-18 to endorse Singleton for chair.
“It is really in line with what I’ve been talking about during the campaign, and what I’m hearing from other endorsers and working people,” Singleton told the Mercury Thursday. “They believe in my vision for the county and know that I’ll always have their back.”
AFSCME Local 88 President Jackie Tate confirmed the union’s change of heart in a statement to the Mercury.
“Last night at AFSCME Local 88’s membership meeting, members voted to rescind the local’s endorsement of Julia Brim-Edwards. At the same meeting, members voted to endorse Shannon Singleton for County Chair,” Tate said. “As a local union representing nearly 4,000 Multnomah County workers, our focus will always be on good jobs, providing quality public services and serving our Multnomah County community, especially our most vulnerable.”
As the county race heats up, some of Brim-Edwards’ former colleagues have raised concerns about her leadership, and one other organization has also rescinded its endorsement.
Earlier this month, Basic Rights Oregon’s political action committee also walked back its endorsement of Brim-Edwards, citing concerns about her track record while serving on the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education. According to BRO, former colleagues of hers claimed she raised concerns during private meetings about transgender athletes participating in youth sports.
“After reviewing the new information and reconsidering the endorsement, the PAC Board unanimously determined that Brim-Edwards does not embody the values Basic Rights Oregon PAC expects of candidates who carry its endorsement,” the organization wrote on October 6. The public statement indicated that Brim-Edwards “raised concerns that trans athletes might hurt scholarship opportunities for other kids, a false claim that mirrors language used by Trump and his allies. Brim-Edwards also encouraged PPS to consider stricter guidelines for trans athletes to participate in sports, contrary to state guidelines.”
Basic Rights Oregon did not cite the PPS board members who made the claims about Brim-Edwards, saying the organization agreed to keep their identities confidential.
Brim-Edwards has denied the claims, calling them a political attack from her opponents.
“I’m certainly disappointed with the decision especially since it appears to be based on anonymous discredited hearsay from local school board members’ ongoing false smear that they coordinated with Shannon Singleton’s campaign against me,” Brim-Edwards said.
Azorr said she was first motivated by personal experiences that concerned her about Brim-Edwards’ candidacy, but decided to act through her union after Basic Rights Oregon rescinded its endorsement. So, on October 17, she emailed the union cabinet saying she would motion to rescind the endorsement, and it made it onto Wednesday’s agenda.
Brim-Edwards defended her leadership track record and commitment to equity and civil rights.
“I have a lifetime commitment and record of supporting LGBTQ+ civil rights and marginalized communities and that is a commitment I will carry forward into the Chair’s role,” she said. “I’m proud to have broad and diverse support for my campaign for Chair focused on delivering the real change that working families need and deserve.”
Azorr said Brim-Edwards was deflecting blame, utilizing a famous Maya Angelou quote, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
“Commissioner Brim-Edwards has made her positions clear to our members through her refusal to support Trans youth, her defense of disgraced Senator Bob Packwood who sexually harassed more than 19 women, and her efforts to secure backing from anti-labor interest groups,” Azorr said. “She has shown us who she is and we believe her.”
Singleton said she was not in the rooms where endorsements were made or rescinded, but said she will always stand up for trans athletes, trans youth, and the trans community.
“I leave it to the organizations that went through their investigations on why they rescinded an endorsement,” Singleton said. “I trust them and their process and what they did.”
Billboards clash with AFSCME message
AFSCME’s decision to rescind its endorsement came long after the voters pamphlet was printed with the union’s endorsement listed under Brim-Edwards’ candidate statement. The rescinded endorsement may also run counter to the message displayed on recent political advertisements paid for by the Portland Metro Chamber’s political action committee, United for Portland Action Fund. One, which hangs near SE 6th and Burnside, advertises support of Brim-Edwards.
“The pro-labor progressive for Multnomah County Chair,” the billboard reads beside a photo of Brim-Edwards. The ad is paid for by a new PAC, Fix MultCo, which is entirely funded by United for Portland.
Azorr said the billboard campaign serves the interest of a powerful business lobby, rather than the public or the union staff who work at Multnomah County.
“Our members know that being a union member in the public sector is that we put public good over private profit,” Azorr said.
