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Seeks to represent: District 3 (Southeast and Northeast Portland)
Age: 37
Pronouns: They/them
Job: Housing specialist, city of Portland
Fun fact: “I know a few chords on the ukulele.”
Chris Flanary wants to put government back in the hands of everyday Portlanders and the city’s workforce. Flanary for over a decade has worked as a housing specialist with the Portland Housing Bureau and for nearly as long has been a union representative for fellow city employees, fighting for higher wages and better health care benefits. Flanary wants to increase the minimum wage across the city to stimulate the economy, and they believe that many of the problems at City Hall are due to increasing bloat at the administrative level, and less help for frontline staff. It’s the first time Flanary has sought public office.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running because I love Portland; it’s my home. We have a unique opportunity to decide its priorities and shape its future. I want to bring the voices of working Portlanders into the rooms where decisions are made.
I believe that every person deserves dignity, that we do better when we take care of each other, and that we cannot continue to blame individual people for systemic problems and policy failures. Working together, this new City Council can set the tone of what Portland stands for and who Portland cares about, and I believe that means ALL of us.
What are your top three priorities if elected?
Living wages. If you work here, you should be able to afford to live here. Too many Portlanders struggle to make ends meet, choosing between eating or keeping the lights on.
Strengthening the safety net. Everyone needs help sometimes, and people should be able to get help when they need it. We can invest in solutions that are proven to work, saving money and doing the right thing simultaneously.
Investing in thriving communities. We all want to live in neighborhoods that are vibrant and safe. We don’t have to wait to invest in our kids, streets, creativity, and culture.
How would you foster economic growth in Portland?
Making living wages the standard in every way we can would be a huge boon to our economic growth. It would also go a long way toward addressing our myriad issues with housing and houselessness, as the biggest barrier to building more housing is that people can’t afford the rent.
When people make more money, they put it back into the community: going out to eat, catching a live show, doing fun things with their families—these shouldn’t be luxuries but part of living in a vibrant city. It increases the quality of life for Portlanders at the same time as fostering economic growth.
The city of Portland is facing budget cuts next year. Where would you cut money from the current city budget? Please point to a specific program, bureau or place.
I’d reduce the reserve fund contributions, where we put aside a percentage of general fund monies against a future economic rainy day.
Where is the city currently wasting money, or is using money in a way you think is inefficient or unnecessary? Where is the bloat?
Houseless sweeps are a waste of money, in addition to being inhumane. We’re spending money to put people in need even further back than they were before, making our problems with unsheltered houselessness even worse. It’s a short-term, lose/lose “fix.”
The city’s Labor Relations Office and approach to union contracts is broken and wastes money.
Our approach to policing and ensuing legal settlements costs us a ton of money.
In general, upper leadership is increasing while front line staff is struggling with workload, and the bloat is in management/administration.
What is the Joint Office of Homeless Services doing wrong, and what do you see as things that can right the ship?
We need to pay service providers a living wage and invest in expanding access more rapidly.
It’s well known among service providers that you have to build relationships with the people you’re serving, but it’s much harder to do that when we’re not paying people enough to stay in stressful jobs and therefore can’t retain them long enough to provide continuing, quality service.
In addition, it’s time for increased cooperation and commitment between the city and the county, and less political gamesmanship, like ongoing threats to withdraw from the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
Is the tax rate in Multnomah County (with Portland Clean Energy Fund, Preschool for All and supportive housing services taxes) too high, or at an appropriate level? If too high, what do you suggest be done about it?
I think the tax rate in Multnomah County is at an appropriate level.
If everyone were making living wages, we could expand the tax base and make life better for our people at the same time.
What is the first piece of policy you would bring to the City Council?
I want to implement living wages in all the areas we can, and lobby the state to remove restrictions on the implementation of living wages in all other areas.
When big businesses don’t pay their employees enough, taxpayers end up shouldering the burden through increased need for assistance programs and emergency services. Requiring them to pay living wages makes sure workers are being paid fairly, and it goes a long way toward alleviating so many issues that the City struggles to solve.
Beyond policing, what measures would you take to improve public safety in Portland neighborhoods, and where would you get the money for it?
Prioritizing infrastructure like increased lighting, fixing potholes, safer walkways and bike paths, and emergency preparedness makes our public spaces more enjoyable and safer.
And strengthening our social safety net improves public safety, as well. Programs like rental and utility assistance can prevent more people from losing housing. Expanding funding for child care ensures that people aren’t spending more on child care than they are on rent. These measures increase stability and prevent crime.
There are many potential sources of income, but one thing that’s not on the table for me is using PCEF as a slush fund like has been done before.
What experience can you point to that you believe would make you a prudent policymaker on the City Council?
I bring a grounding in the day-to-day work of civil service and in research and evaluation. I’ve worked in affordable housing for most of my career, including at Portland Housing Bureau since 2013. I know what we are already doing to address the housing crisis and how to move forward.
I’ve been an officer in my union for the past 10 years, so I am experienced in finding common ground among people who don’t always agree. I bring a strong vision of a Portland that works for everyone and the experience to do the hard work to get us there.