Firefighters’ Union Makes Endorsements in City Council Races

The Portland Fire Fighters Association this week endorsed 11 candidates for Portland City Council.

In District 1, which covers Portland east of Interstate 205: Jamie Dunphy, the Oregon government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, transportation advocate Steph Routh, and small-business owner Terrence Hayes.

In District 2, which covers most of North and Northeast Portland: City Commissioner Dan Ryan and Bob Simril, a longtime corporate executive.

In District 3, which covers Southeast Portland west of I-205: former City Commissioner Steve Novick, Oregon Recovers board member Jesse Cornett, and Daniel DeMelo, who’s a critic of Multnomah County leadership and sits on a county advisory body.

And in District 4, which covers all of the city west of the Willamette River, the union endorsed recovery advocate Tony Morse, former longtime government bureaucrat Olivia Clark, and Portland bike cop Eli Arnold.

The fire union this spring endorsed City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez in the mayoral race over two other city commissioners running, Mingus Mapps and Carmen Rubio.

The Portland Police Association, which represents sworn police officers, made some City Council endorsements earlier this month. (The union declined to share a list of all its endorsements so far.) An endorsement by PPA carried some baggage during the 2020 racial justice protests after a police officer murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis. But as Portland’s public sentiment has warmed to police—and, in fact, appears to support bolstering officer ranks—an endorsement might be welcomed by more candidates.

Political strategists tell WW that union endorsements will matter in the fall election because the roster of candidates is so bloated; to wade through the over 70 candidates that are likely to appear on the ballot, voters will look at endorsements to determine, at least to some extent, the seriousness and traction of a candidate.

Voters will elect 12 members to the City Council in the November election, a much-expanded body thanks to a 2022 charter reform measure that overhauled the city’s structure and form of governance. Three candidates will be elected per voting district.

The Oregon Working Families Party, a progressive minor political party that backs progressive and pro-labor candidates, also made endorsements this week in the race.

In District 1, Candace Avalos, Steph Routh and Timur Ender all earned the party’s endorsement. All three candidates have received endorsements from current City Commissioner Carmen Rubio and lead in most individual contributions, total contributions and matched contributions in the city’s Small Donor Elections program in District 1.

In District 2, Nat West, who owned Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider for many years, is the only candidate to receive the group’s endorsement. This is West’s first notable endorsement.

Tiffany Koyama Lane, a public schoolteacher, and Angelita Morillo, a policy advocate for a nonprofit, are the two District 3 candidates who received the party’s endorsement. In addition to support from the Portland Association of Teachers, Lane has received a handful of endorsements from labor unions, including the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, Northwest Oregon Labor Council, Ironworkers Local 29 and Laborers’ Local 483.

In District 4, energy economist Mitch Green is the only candidate who received the party’s endorsement.