SEIU Issues Endorsements in City Council Races

With nearly 100 candidates seeking city offices, institutional support will be more important than ever.

Tiffany Koyama Lane is among the candidates SEIU endorsed today. (Courtesy of the campaign)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Service Employees International Union Local 49, the local arm of the state’s largest public employee union, issued its endorsements today in the November City Council races.

In this overwhelmingly Democratic city, public employee union endorsements are always highly sought after, but perhaps more so this year as Portland holds its first election for its new form of government.

The new version features a mayor and four newly drawn City Council districts, each of which will have three members. As WW has reported, nearly 100 candidates have filed to run for the seats. With so many names and new districts, the organizational resources—such as door-knocking, phone-banking and social media campaigns—that unions can put into races will be a vital resource for chosen candidates. Candidates are also vying for business support from groups such as United for Portland, which hasn’t yet released its choices.

SEIU’s endorsements largely mirror those of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 189, which issued its picks last month. As WW reported earlier this week, SEIU’s endorsement questionnaire included one unusually specific question.

Here are SEIU’s choices and here’s a map and other information about the new council districts.

Mayor

  • Carmen Rubio

District 1

  • Candace Avalos
  • Jamie Dunphy
  • Steph Routh

District 2

  • Mariah Hudson
  • Tiffani Penson
  • Elana Pirtle-Guiney
  • Jonathan Tasini
  • Nat West

District 3

  • Tiffany Koyama Lane
  • Angelita Morillo
  • Steve Novick

District 4

  • Olivia Clark
  • Chad Lykins
  • Tony Morse

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