All the things that I have been talking about during this election season I have been talking about them for a long time. When I look at people in our community I always watch to see if they are smiling. Today when I go grocery shopping everyone roams the isles picking out food they can afford or at a department store looking for deals on clothing maybe a rug for the front doorway. No one is smiling anymore they dread how much their purchases will cost at the cash register. All types of relationships today take second place to our common problem. I call it our new world, The haves and the have nots. People who have money to pay bills, rent and groceries are the haves, and the people that cannot pay bills, rent and groceries, the have nots. Most of our problems are connected just like paying our bills. Homelessness or affordable housing, crime, health concerns, job concerns, traffic control or the lack of, law enforcement that works for everyone, everything a community needs to be successful thriving and doing well. I promise to help get our neighbors and homeless off the streets and productive again with compassion. I promise to have a fully functioning police force again i promise to make sure no one is going hungry I promise to always find ways to reach are goal of having a safe society and a well functioning government that serves its voters and citizens even those that don't care. These things I speak of you pay for with your tax dollars and you should get what you pay for. I will work with all of our leaders to make Portland a world destination to have a vacation whether it is up skiing at mt hood or on the rivers enjoy our summers in the sun. We already have world class food and dining we are known for our award winning wines and beers. Put it all together on a national campaign ad and watch our city thrive again. I know you can see it in your mind help me make it your reality.

I once worked for a company that I would run stores for them moving up the corporate ladder, teaching classes and innovate new ideas. They sent me to a store in California that they bought back from a franchisee that had not broke its record week in sales in 5 years. I sat in my truck for 2 days and watched the employees do their jobs. When I finally showed up the next day I had a store meeting fired 2 employees, put 2 on notice. I told them of my goals and how we would break the store record in 30 days. The acting assistant manager told me we have heard this all before, I asked did you do this? I asked did you do that? His answers were no and no and no. So i finished the meeting with expectations the ideas and things we would do and we will all make more money. Week 3 we broke the store record the owner of the company had a nationwide conference call with all supervisors so they could hear how I did it. I have always had success at things I set my mind to accomplish. I am not doing this running for Mayor for myself or the income. I enjoyed everyday here when it was worth it being here. Watching people enjoy their lives sharing memories together. Keep Portland weird make it a city you want to live in, a place to raise families and build friends, dreams and memories. Portland The City For YOU!!!

For our city to become more livable, more vibrant, more prosperous, cleaner, and more committed to each other, the first thing any city needs is a well run government that does not over tax it's citizens. With a world that is always changing and always in motion things can locally change just as fast. It is not a certain number of things it is everything we do. Let's look at downtown Portland, why does every city have a downtown? It is a center point to everything that the rest of it communities have connection to whether it be city hall or events like Saturday Market. Things that every community feeds off from into their own blocks of closeness. Every city needs a government that works for the people not a government that controls what they do. You must have laws and enforcement that is well balanced and offers safety and security to all even our homeless. For a city to be successful it's downtown needs people on the streets every day enjoying all aspects of life everywhere. Great stores for pedestrians to shop at, clothing stores, educational stores, specialty stores, variety stores, movie theaters, comedy clubs, all different types of restaurants, health stores , night clubs with dancing and music every kind of business you can think of should be in our downtown. Making it a place where everyone is welcome and everyone wants to go, having a good time sharing our world and being proud of it. Saturday Market is a staple for our downtown. It has to be clean and sidewalks well kept and not blocked up. Our waterfront holds many events many different holidays events many different cultural events and the music don't forget about the music in our down town. All these things are still kind of there but the leaders of our city has let people populate downtown with open drug use, the crime, and the homeless on the streets of downtown are not acceptable, if our downtown is safe and secure, clean and well maintained with everything I have mentioned it will thrive once again. Once our downtown city is robust it will flow over to the rest of the city but those values that make downtown work also need to be set in place everywhere no exception it is what makes a city livable. Our new government will have to take control as past leaders did not lead they just filled an office. We should not feel alone almost every major city is having the same problems as we are. Decades of bad leadership, decades of bad policy and bad laws. A firm understanding that law enforcement is needed not forgotten and most of all a SMILE.

1. Week  one and two after election put someone in charge of making leaders do there part in solving our homeless problem. Acquire the use of properties needed for housing homeless in buildings, designated campsites enough places to fit our homeless into not sleeping on our streets. no excuses.

2. week 3 and 4. Engage all commissioners to handle the resources needed to help our homeless on every level to make progress addressing each of their needs if it is food do it, if it is clothes do it, if it is job placement do it, if it is healthcare do it, if it is addiction resources do it, whatever the need do it. put someone in charge of financial resources to address the needs we have and what is needed. Get all leaders involved looking for areas in our government, idea's in place to raise funds, making phone calls to government officials including Ron Wyden to match funds from federal to help with homeless dollars on our local level. Everybody donating time that are helping create a network of callers taking donations. don't stop till it is done. There is no can't voters and you want it done.

3. Redirect our government funds finding monies that can be better spent on restaffing our police force get our city attorneys working on removing obstacles blocking our police from arresting car thief's, changings words in our laws that would allow are DA to prosecute car thieves. No more stealing from local stores lower the amount of stolen property to 100 dollars not a 1000 thousand dollars. use the law and enforce it as everyone is tired of paying for the funding of criminal behavior as prices keep rising to the poorest in our communities who obey the law .and leaving them on our streets to keep doing it over and over again. This makes it so prices increases because of theft and inflation continue to control the lives of low income families. Direct our police force to prioritize better so we have traffic control patrolling again not according to intersections but areas and bad drivers. 

 

I think that is a real start to addressing homelessness , crime traffic, police that is a start. There is so much more to address but a well run government has to start somewhere it's people. Downtown needs a real meeting with building owners, business owners  public and are new leaders to put in place actions to return downtown to the people no excuses. 

 

Fining homeless people for being homeless a hundred dollars or putting them in jail for a week before we have places to put them in is just a wild excuse to look good to voters. It will change nothing. We helped put our people on the streets it is our responsibility to help get them off our streets. We all have been dealing with the aftermath of a world pandemic and years of bad policy in every major city. Let's start making some good choices again. 

Once we get housing in place to be able to have living space for homeless then we can implement the things like our commissioner said like the 100 dollar fine or 1 week in jail. I just saw some news on housing increases and our government said a 10% increase is allowed, does anybody question this? How come in the last 4 years Portland has never suggested a reduction in what landlords can charge. Our elections on both sides what they tell their voters is so crazy. We have to win no matter what while they forget why they are running, to lead citizens to a better future. I wish the top of the ticket candidates was different maybe Tulsi Gabbard vs. Nikki Haley. Which brings me to my word of the year. PREDATION. It means the preying of one animal on others. One of the most sought-after things in society is the buying and selling of a person's personal information.