Dear Neighbor,

THANK YOU, Portlanders, for electing me to the Portland City Council!

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me on May 20, 2008 and November 4, 2008. Together we earned over 150,000 votes at the General Election, and a mandate of over 70% of the electorate. Wow!

I worked very hard for thirteen months, and hundreds of volunteers helped to win the runoff election on November 4. The latest news is on the blog (journal) of this site, and the long list of wonderful people, organizations, and newspapers endorsing me is on the supporters page. I am honored that so many people decided to vote for me, and I will work hard to continue to earn your trust.

For 20 years, I’ve been a community organizer and an effective leader for citizens in Portland, making a difference in neighborhoods, schools, parks, social justice, and holding development accountable to the Portland way. I served on the Portland Planning Commission for seven years. Some of the things I've done for Portlanders, in neighborhoods all over the city, are summarized here. I am the mother of three children, all currently in college. I've been active in Portland's public schools for 17 years. In my paid job, I'm a Registered Nurse, helping mentally ill people lead happier, healthier lives.

I will work with the Council to prioritize the City budget to take care of basic needs in all 95 neighborhoods, and focus on the City government's core mission. Housing costs and property taxes are high, yet many areas don't have vital city services. When hard-working people pay for public improvements, that shouldn't mean affluent insiders getting richer while the rest of us foot the bill. There is money in the City budget that if spent more frugally and carefully could and should pay for necessary infrastructure and services, such as public safety, safe streets, and sidewalks. I will make sure taxpayers' money is spent wisely. After more than a decade of following City of Portland budgets, I will increase efficiency while maintaining and improving services to citizens.

I will improve our local economy by:

* Fixing the roads and bridges that local businesses depend on.

* Making sure City contracts employ local workers.

* Reducing obstacles that make it difficult for local companies to expand and new companies to locate in Portland, using experience learned over my seven years on the Planning Commission.

* Promoting apprenticeship programs that train students for well-paying jobs.

* Making sure that city tax incentives create and keep jobs in Portland. If they don't, I will push to fix or get rid of them.

* Providing more economic development grants and micro-loans to successful small businesses.

* Improving seamless service delivery by City bureaus, reducing delays in permit processing.

* Working with both large companies and small businesses to provide City support and make taxes more fair.

* Increasing the availability of affordable housing for working families, by preservation, renovation, careful zoning, and new construction.

* Investing in our schools and colleges, working with State Legislators, School Boards, businesses, and community partners to provide a well-educated workforce.

More details on my plan to help our local economy here.

Even in a tough economy, Portland is a wonderful place to live. We share commitment to a community where folks have good jobs, great schools, comfortable housing, safe streets, fresh air and clean water, and healthy happy lives. Like most Portlanders, I love our city, and its people. I love our 95 distinct neighborhoods, our five great public school districts, many beautiful parks and natural areas, and wide range of activities from world-class cultural opportunities to unique individual expressions, aka weirdness.

But not all Portlanders share in the benefits and amenities of our great city. Young people, families, seniors, and even couples with two jobs struggle to afford a home. Neighborhoods annexed from the County nearly forty years ago still lack sidewalks, paved streets, parks and other urban services. High-cost transportation facilities are provided in some areas, while shift workers needing to get to industrial jobs face long bus rides with many transfers. Good jobs with benefits like health care coverage can be hard to find. Schools in some neighborhoods are "exceptional", in others "unsatisfactory". Violent crime and drug deals seem almost accepted, everyday happenings, in some parts of town.

That's not fair. And if Portland is to continue to be at the forefront of enlightened environmental sustainability and progressive social leadership in Oregon, the City Council must pay more attention to equity and justice in prioritizing City spending and actions. Economic equity and justice. Social equity and justice. Environmental equity and justice.

After 20 years of successful participation in a broad range of City issues, I will cut through red tape in the bureaucracy, and I will help the Council to operate more efficiently. I will ask the questions Portlanders want answered: "What is the true cost of this project? Who is going to pay for it, who benefits, and is that fair?" And I will do so in a way that fosters partnerships, participation, and understanding, and helps further the belief that we are all in this community together.

Public Campaign Financing is an essential component of the people taking back our government. In 2008, I was the first candidate to collect 1000 donations of $5 to qualify for Public Campaign Financing. My team and I collected contributions in 91 of the city's 95 neighborhoods. Now that you have elected me to the Portland City Council, I am beholden to the people of Portland, and I will vote to spend taxpayers' money wisely, with every neighborhood and business district receiving its fair share.

Please read on, and learn more about what I’ve done in community service as a volunteer and plan to do as your City Commissioner. After you review my web site, if you still have unanswered questions you may email me at home, and I will do my best to respond.

Working from what unites us, let's deal with the problems that affect citizens' everyday lives.

Sincerely,