I know the burden and the privilege of leadership.  From Afghanistan to the streets of Portland, I’ve worked with others to find paths through difficult moments.  Portland has everything we need to chart a course to affordability, safety, and to thrive.  

A city that works for everyone is a city where work not only sustains you, but gives you the resources to grow.  My oldest kids are adults now and they live in a Portland where full-time work in important fields sustains an apartment smaller than what I managed on a part-time server job.  We can use proven methods to tackle housing supply and bring down rents. We can use clean energy dollars to pursue fareless transit and bring down transportations costs, while cutting emissions.  Every dollar put back in the pocket of residents can go toward retirement, to starting a business, or pursuing someone's dreams.

Safety isn’t an end in itself, it is a prerequisite to all of our aspirations.  Communities who feel safe on their streets and in their neighborhoods can fully engage in public life.  No candidate for public office understands our public safety systems the way I do.  When people are in danger they deserve to know that the right help is on the way.  

We can build a city that thrives.  We aren’t operating in a vacuum.  We’re in a competition with alternatives to be the best place to live, to own a business, and raise a family.  We can bring that mindset to City Hall.  When the city shines we’ll convince people to bet on Portland.  We can make this city the ideal place to invest your future.  

I promise to pursue policy guided by the input and experience of the people it affects and to measure success based on the results it produces.  Please join my campaign to build a city that is the envy of our peers, not because we have the best ideas, but because we convert them into real results that enrich our lives.