Portland Mayoral Candidate Sarah Iannarone Picks Up an Establishment Check

A key question for the second-time candidate is whether she can broaden her support.

Sarah Iannarone. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Nigel Jaquiss

CONTRIBUTION OF THE WEEK

HOW MUCH?
$50

WHO GOT IT?
Sarah Iannarone, candidate for Portland mayor

WHO GAVE IT?
Don Mazziotti, managing director of Oregon Harbor of Hope

WHY IS IT INTERESTING?
Iannarone is running for mayor under the city's new campaign finance program. A key question for the second-time candidate is whether she can broaden her support beyond the 12 percent of votes she got running against Mayor Ted Wheeler in 2016. Among the more than 1,500 people who have contributed to Iannarone's campaign are plenty of recognizable activists, but checks from establishment figures such as Mazziotti add breadth to her effort. Before partnering with developer Homer Williams on Harbor of Hope, a homeless services center in Old Town, Mazziotti served as economic development director for the cities of Portland and Beaverton and did private development work. Support from figures such as Mazziotti suggests Iannarone is making inroads. "I have known and worked with Sarah for five or six years," Mazziotti says. "I know her leadership capabilities and I wanted to help her to qualify for public funding. I think she has a lot of new ideas on affordable housing and homelessness that are the city's most vital priorities—not only today but for the next 10 years."

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