My picks for a better Oregon

My picks for candidates on the Multnomah County ballot:

U.S. President
Barack Obama
You can read why I support Obama here and here

U.S. Senator
Steve Novick
You can read why I support Steve Novick here

U.S. Rep, Dist 1
David Wu

U.S. Rep, Dist 3*
Earl Blumenauer

U.S. Rep, Dist 5
I do not know enough about any candidates in this race

Secretary of State
Kate Brown
This was a hard race to choose a candidate for - I really liked both State Senators Kate Brown and Brad Avakian. Earlier this year, Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner resigned his seat for a position in DC, and Avakian was appointed to replace him. Now that Avakian is Labor Commissioner and will be running for election for that position, it made the decision a lot easier. I met State Senator Brown not too long after moving to Oregon, and I've long been a suppoter of hers. As someone who won her first race literally by a small number of votes (6), she really does understand the importance of every vote being counted. And her commitment to civic education is a huge plus for me - it's something that I've advocated for ever since I was a 6th grader attending school board meetings.

State Treasurer
Ben Westlund

Attorney General
John Kroger
You can read why I support John Kroger here

State Senator, 23rd Dist
Jackie Dingfelder
In my work with the county party, I've had the opportunity to work with Representative Dingfelder on multiple occasions. She is a strong advocate for the environment, education, and the community. Her professional and educational background in planning and environmental work makes her a great asset to the state senate. In 2006 when she was in a safe seat and didn't have to do any work, she was out knocking on doors, talking to constituents, hearing their issues, and letting them know what she was doing for them in Salem. She didn't have to do that, but she did it anyway. It didn't matter that it was cold, or that we kept having rain storms so bad that parts of Portland flooded, she was out pounding the pavement and talking to her constituents. We need more elected officials like that.

State Representative, 33rd Dist
Chris Garrett
This was a harder race to pick a candidate on, as I don't know either of the candidates personally. However, it was his experience in working in the legislature that really pushed it over the top for him. Many of his issues are the same as other Democrats, but I know that he already has much of the knowledge that he'll need on how to accomplish the things he's set out to do. I was also impressed by his professional background, including a Scales of Justice Award for helping low-income families keep their homes. As a person who lists poverty as a top issue, that really caught my eye.

State Representative, 42nd Dist
Due to multiple excellent candidates for this position, I am not making an endorsement.

State Representative, 45th Dist
Cyreena Boston
I've had the pleasure of working with Cyreena for a few years now on a variety of activist and community issues. Cyreena really understands the district, which has seen enormous changes over the past few years due to gentrification. Her ties to the community through her work with various organizations has helped her to build strong ties with a whole laundry list of constituent groups and organizations. She's caring and intelligent and could use her skills to make a lot more than $19,000 a year - but she would rather spend her time and energy fighting for her district and its residents.

State Representative, 49th Dist*
Nick Kahl
I've worked with Nick for a few years now on issues affecting east county. He really understands the problems we're facing in east county. He would be an excellent representative for the district that I call home. For too long, we've been represented by a Minnis who does very little for east county. We need someone who is going to go to Salem and fight for us - fight to bring up the quality of life in Rockwood, bring in money to fix our roads that are falling apart, and more instead of fighting to protect pharmaceutical companies and payday loan shops.

State Representative, 52nd Dist
Suzanne VanOrman
I was a supporter of VanOrman's when she ran for this seat two years ago. She did well against an incumbent who was one of "Minnis' girls" and has an excellent shot at winning this open seat in November. This is one of four chances in Multnomah County where we can add another Democrat to the state house.

County Commission, Dist 1
Deborah Kafoury
I think that Kafoury has the experience that is needed on this commission. Over the course of two years, we will have completely replaced our entire county commission. Also, her experience in the state legislature is a huge bonus for the county. We need someone who can help the county to get more support from the state to help tackle major issues like poverty, meth, identity theft, roads and bridges, etc.

County Commission, Dist 3
Rob Milesnick
Of all the candidates, Rob best understands that as a county commissioner, he is making decisions for the entire county and not just his district. He understands the problems that have been going on for some time between Multnomah County west of I-205 and Multnomah County east of I-205. Rob gets that the cities and the counties have to work together, be able to trust each other, etc. We have a very fractured county right now, and things are only going to get worse if something doesn't change. And I think Rob is part of the change that needs to happen in order for us to heal our county.

County Commission, Dist 4*
Carla Piluso
I think we need a strong representative for east county on the commission. We need someone who will be there every day fighting for east county, ensuring that we get the services we need, that the unincorporated areas aren't the first to be cut when budgets are short, making the county live up to the bargains it has made, etc. We also need someone with a law enforcement background on the commission. There has been talk of the commission taking a greater role in overseeing the sheriff's department and jails, and to do that you need the experience that Piluso provides. She has also been able to garner support from a wide selection of the community, including both Republicans and Democrats. You need that kind of support to represent an area like east county.

Portland mayor
Sam Adams
I made this decision because I believe that Sam is the only candidate qualified for the position of mayor. We may disagree on some issues, but I know that he has the qualifications to be the mayor and run a city of more than 500,000 people. The health of Portland as a city greatly affects east county, as when things get bad in Portland, people move our way. When crime, poverty, and homelessness problems are pushed away instead of being addressed, we see our rates skyrocket.

Portland Commissioner, Pos 1
Amanda Fritz
I believe that Amanda's ties and long-time activism in the community and the city's neighborhood associations is exactly what the council needs. There has been a deficit of that section of the population on the council for some time. For too long, the city has ignored the needs and positions of its neighborhoods, and it is going to take someone like Amanda to change that. And if that weren't enough, Amanda would also help diversify the council in another way, by changing it from an all boys' club.

Portland Commissioner, Pos 2
Nick Fish
I was a supporter of Nick's when he ran for the council previously. As someone who has been through the process of trying to find affordable, safe, and livable housing in Multnomah County, I understand that we need a strong advocate for true affordable housing in the area. When affordable housing isn't available in Portland, we see huge jumps in our population in east county, and our schools and cities are already stuggling. I also think the council would do well to have someone who has a deep understanding in treating employees fairly, labor laws, etc. The city of Portland is a very large employer, has regular interactions with the unions, etc. Nick's experience in that area brings a lot to the council, especially when the commissioners oversee bureaus and employees. But one of the biggest reasons I support him is because of his ability to bring a new voice to the city council.

Portland Commissioner, Pos 4
I do not know enough about the candidates in this race

In the coming days I'm going to go through and pull together information on the handful of ballot measures that we'll be voting on in May.

* = my home district

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