Kevin Looper and Vadim Mozyrsky Launch Political Action Committee in Support of Rene Gonzalez

The committee says its mission is to “seek to help elect credible, accountable leaders to help move the Portland metro area forward in dealing effectively with issues related to its livability, community safety and social services.”

Rene Gonzalez (Mick Hangland-Skill)
By Sophie Peel

Former Portland City Council candidate Vadim Mozyrsky and political consultant Kevin Looper earlier this week registered a political action committee with the Oregon secretary of state to independently support lawyer and businessman Rene Gonzalez, who’s running against City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in the November general election.

Looper is listed as the director of the Portland Accountability PAC, as it’s called, and Mozyrsky is listed as the treasurer. As of Oct. 3, the PAC listed no donations yet on a public database maintained by the state.

The described mission of the PAC is to “seek to help elect credible, accountable leaders to help move the Portland metro area forward in dealing effectively with issues related to its livability, community safety and social services.”

Gonzalez is facing incumbentCommissioner Hardesty on the ballot. The two are staunchly opposite on some of the most pressing issues Portlanders care about: homelessness, policing and crime.

Mozyrsky could not immediately be reached for comment. Looper declined to comment.

In a statement, Gonzalez’s campaign manager, Shah Smith, said the campaign “does not need help in promoting Rene Gonzalez for city commissioner—he is connecting with voters throughout the city, leads in small donor contributions, existing polling, and he made it to the runoff despite independent expenditures on behalf of his opponents.”

Gonzalez heavily criticized Mozyrsky for not rebuking an independent expenditure campaign that cropped up to support his candidacy in the spring primary, comprising some of the most powerful businesspeople and real estate brokers in the city.

Looper was one of the primary crafters of People for Portland, an advocacy group that for over a year has been pressuring elected officials to more aggressively combat crime and homelessness. A ballot measure its associated PAC tried to get on the November ballot to reallocate hundreds of millions in tax money for homeless services was struck down by a circuit judge, who cited issues with the language of the measure.

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