If anyone had told me three weeks ago that I would be having fun campaigning this weekend, I would have said, "Yeah, right".

Seventeen days after filing the paperwork indicating my intent to run for Portland City Commissioner with participation in the Public Campaign Financing system, my volunteers and I have collected more than 300 donations of exactly $5 from Portland voters. My treasurer and another trusted veteran of my 2006 campaign will spend time on Monday making sure all details are documented, reported, and in order, then on Tuesday we will submit the list of the first 300 donors to the City Auditor's office for verification, as required under the revised rules.

Donation # 300 reached my treasurer mid-day Sunday, and with the contributions collected in St Johns, Concordia, and West Portland Park this afternoon and evening, we're past the one-third point, at

(tentative number, subject to verification that all donors live in the City, and some donations not yet documented on the state filing system, ORESTAR).

And I am having SO much fun!

Qualifying for Public Campaign Financing by collecting 1000 donations of $5 from registered Portland voters is the first task and first test in this campaign for election to be Portland City Commissioner # 1. Accomplishing that challenge shows a candidate has both community support and organizing abilities. And it's clear to me that Portlanders enthusiastically support the public financing concept, and want to elect someone to this open seat who is using it. Donors are reading over the form carefully and completing it diligently. Many comment that they remember my campaign did it correctly last time, and that they are confident the flaws exploited in the system's first run have been addressed. I'm delighted to see our community's faith in good triumphing over evil. And thrilled that this election, I don't spend much time at all explaining the system or who I am.

Success, of course, is fun. Even more so, working together in a team where everyone does what they say they will, and does it as well as it can be done. Or if unable to, says so quickly and clearly so important tasks can be covered by someone else. That's how we work in inpatient hospital nursing, and that's how I want our city government to operate.

It's wonderful to welcome supporters from my 2006 campaign on board again. Hugely encouraging to see new people participating. Interesting to meet folks who I've come to know as commenters on my blog over the past nine months, and to be told by some people at the coffee events this weekend that they came because a particular blog post caught their attention and support. We create and build community in many different ways in Portland, and I'm refreshed, invigorated, and greatly looking forward to encouraging connections between citizens over the course of this campaign.

We've spent just $90 so far, for this baseline web site. We've tallied $6.97 in in-kind donations - stamps from me, a fax donated by my treasurer. When I talk about "fiscal responsibility" in my campaign, I mean being frugal with public and private money, and spending it where necessary rather than for frills. I do realize a more complete web site is needed, and it's coming soon now that the structure for gathering donations is in place.

More than 20 neighborhood-based volunteers helped collect one third of the required 1000 donations of $5 in just 17 days. Residents of all five sections of the city have contributed time and money. Special thanks to Carol in NW, Mark in SE, Ed & Em in SW, Mitch in North Portland, and Mary Beth in NE, for helping with the coffee house/booksellers events this weekend, to the store owners for allowing me to visit, and to everyone who stopped by. We have over 800 Amanda for Portland 2008 additional donation forms out in batches of five and ten in homes in Portland neighborhoods, which dozens of volunteers will be asking their friends and families to complete over the next few weeks. Please send me an e-mail if you'd like to participate in the teamwork of gathering the final 665 donations in this first phase of my campaign.