This fall, Portland voters will elect an entirely new City Council, and PROTEC17 member Sarah Silkie is a candidate for one of the new council seats. 

Back in November 2022, Portland voters passed a full overhaul of the City governance structure, which will change from four at-large commissioners and a mayor to twelve council members. The new structure, which will take effect in January 2025, features three members elected from four districts through ranked choice balloting, plus a mayor, and a city administrator. This is a huge change, but it also represents a once in a generation opportunity to shift the balance of power in City hall. 

So far, over 80 candidates have registered to run for the twelve new positions, including many Portlanders who are working people hoping to make the City a better place for those that have been historically underrepresented. 

Silkie has worked for the Portland Water Bureau for 12 years, and is currently an Engineer in Development Services. In this role, she makes sure that new buildings have enough water and that the drinking water lines aren’t too close to the sanitary sewer lines, among many other duties. 

In addition to her job, Silkie serves as a PROTEC17 Steward, where she’s able to advocate for her coworkers and provide vital support when people are in need of workplace assistance. She has also testified before Council asking for more frontline workers rather than high-level managers, and worked with City racial justice cohorts to fight for equity in City employment. 

Silkie decided to run, in part, because she believes that the perspective of City employees is crucial in City decision making and has been lacking in the past. To prepare, she attended the Oregon Labor Candidate School in 2023 where she learned many important skills needed for running for modern political office. 

“Campaigning while holding down a full time job has been a lot of work, but it has been truly satisfying to connect with people from all different walks of life and learn about their hopes, dreams and fears,” said Silkie. “I love being able to lift up the voices of people who are too busy working and leading their lives to be constantly tracking what the City government is up to,” she continued. 

Silkie’s campaign is focusing on fiscal responsibility, climate and environment, housing and homelessness, and mental health and addiction. She believes that frontline workers should always be at the forefront of decision-makers’ minds when making difficult budgetary choices, and that the City’s siloed bureaus need to do more to work together in order to preserve city funds for these workers who provide vital services. Additionally, Silkie wants to see a proactive equity policy in the City rather than a complaint-based system that provides more power to those with the privilege to engage with the system. 

In May, PROTEC17’s Portland endorsement panel interviewed Silkie, asking questions related to collective bargaining, City budget stability, diversity and equity, houselessness services, and recruitment, retention, and flexibility for City employees. The committee was impressed with her knowledge and perspective, and decided unanimously to endorse her campaign. Silkie has also received endorsements from the Portland Association of Teachers and Laborers’ Local 483. 

For more information about her campaign, please visit: sarahsilkie.com.