It has been an exciting year for Portland politics, and we’ve had so many PROTEC17 members volunteer their time over the last several months to interview political candidates for the new City government structure. The core committee of 15 members have interviewed 40 candidates for City Council and the Mayor’s office, asking them the tough questions on their record of showing up for us as City employees. On this page are the results of the committee’s work, and our list of endorsed candidates.
In addition to the committee, Portland members stepped up in big ways throughout the season by volunteering and attending door knocking events for our endorsed candidates. PROTEC17 members also answered the call by donating to the City’s small donor election program which matches funds from Portland residents in an effort to keep big money from influencing elections.
Mayor
As our final endorsement of this election cycle, the Committee believes that Commissioner Mingus Mapps is the best choice between the candidates. Throughout his term, he has shown consistency in showing up for PROTEC17 members, often as the only City Council member to do so. He has worked to reduce the contracting out of union work in the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), safeguard utility rate payer dollars, and fight for Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) funding, saving a hundred employees from layoffs.
Commissioner Mapps has hired first-rate staff who make themselves available to us and work with us as partners to solve problems in the workforce and the City at large, which is an absolutely vital skill for a mayor, especially in our new form of government. His office was the only one that sought out a Deputy City Administrator with practical experience for Public Works, rather than a political appointment.
The Committee also recognized that Commissioner Mapps has not been without his faults – such as his disappointing public missteps with PBOT and the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) – but the Committee feels that he would be the candidate who is most likely to collaborate with Labor and seek equitable and long-term solutions to help Portland grow. Commissioner Mapps and his office have been receptive to feedback from union members about workplace safety concerns and followed up with tangible support.
City Council
With multiple candidates running for Council, there are many that support our union values, so we’ve made several endorsements as voters are able to vote for more than one candidate in each district. All of our recommended candidates have made a commitment to support our members in critical public services. Please see the full list our committtee’s endorsements on the right.
If you would like more information, or have any questions about the committee’s process, please feel free to contact PROTEC17 Research Director and Oregon Legislative Advocate, Elliot Levin, at .