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Seeks to represent: District 3 (Southeast and Northeast Portland)
Age: 37
Job: Policy adviser to Commissioner Rene Gonzalez
Fun fact: He’s a hair metal guitarist.
Harrison Kass, a policy adviser to Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, has also worked as an intern in Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office. That background lends him a greater familiarity with the workings of City Hall than most candidates. He also brings a varied background to the District 3 race, having grown up in a family that descended from the middle class into homelessness in the great recession. He rebounded from that to earn graduate degrees in law (University of Oregon) and journalism (NYU). Kass qualified for matching funds from the city’s Small Donor Elections program.
Why are you running for office?
Specifically: From City Hall I have been in constant contact with constituents asking to end unsheltered camping and to improve public safety. I am running to give those Portlanders a viable option who reflects their views, rather than more of the equivocating same.
Generally: City policy has trended too progressive. I have respect for progressive values and love the progressive influence on our City. But the overprogressive results on the ground are not functional. We need to moderate. If we fail to moderate our population and tax revenue will continue to decline and our problems will compound.
What are your top three priorities if elected?
Homelessness. We need to provide shelter for every person sleeping on the streets of Portland. The TASS and SRV model has proven effective and deserves expansion. Simultaneously, we need to enforce our unsheltered camping ban. Portlanders have been exceedingly patient with tents and tarps—but the status quo is neither safe nor sanitary nor sustainable.
Public safety. We have too few police officers. We need to accelerate our recruitment and training process. Similarly, our fire and 911 call takers are understaffed. The result is a four times the national standard emergency response time. Lives depend upon lowering the response time.
How would you foster economic growth in Portland?
First we need to stabilize—which will require addressing our homelessness crisis, keeping the streets clear, and ensuring that Portlanders feel safe through a variety of public safety enhancements. Stabilization is the key to stemming the outflow of residents, allowing existing businesses to thrive, and attracting investment.
Once we have stabilized we should think ambitiously and in accordance with our natural strengths. Portland is a hub for athletics, music, the arts. And shoes. We should lean in. We should aggressively court economic drivers comparable to the new WNBA team. The MLB, perhaps. One (or two) Broadway-worthy venues. Concert venues. Etc.
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.
Our cuts will need to come from nonessential services, meaning the services that do not have life and death ramifications. While the parks system is one of Portland’s main attractions, we likely need to consider closing the parks that we are already struggling to maintain, and which have fallen into disrepair. Closing parks would be difficult, and would need to be done with sincere attention paid to community impact—but difficult decisions are forthcoming.
Where is the city currently wasting money, or is using money in a way you think is inefficient or unnecessary? Where is the bloat?
PCEF. No discernible metric for how PCEF money is spent. The fund, which extracts seven times more than voters approved, is essentially used as a pot of money that is distributed without oversight for initiatives that are poorly defined.
What is the Joint Office of Homeless Services doing wrong, and what do you see as things that can right the ship?
JOHS seems to be promoting an ideology first and practical solutions second. Put simply, JOHS is wasting money on initiatives that don’t improve our homelessness crisis. Specifically, JOHS needs to stop purchasing and distributing tents, tarps and drug paraphernalia.
The dollars JOHS is distributing to nonprofits need to be accounted for. Metrics for gauging success need to be established and monitored. The city needs to be more assertive in the relationship and condition our continued support on quantifiable metrics.
Our office (Gonzalez) has demonstrated the ability to influence county behavior (cease tent/tarp purchase; AMR 1-to-1 staffing model)—the template should be followed in future.
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?
Taxes in Multnomah County are too high relative to the quality of service being provided. Essentially, the taxpayers’ return on investment is atrocious. Portlanders, me included, are happy to pay taxes; we wouldn’t live here if we weren’t. But we need to see a return reflected in an acceptable livability standard.
To address, we should stop implementing new taxes. We should put PCEF back on the ballot because the collection rate is seven times higher than voters approved. Art tax should likely be repealed. SHS dollars need to be accounted for and validated if program is going to proceed.
What is the first piece of policy you would bring to the City Council?
I want to boost police staffing because the effects will be ameliorative and multi-faceted, especially with respect to enforcing our unsheltered camping ban, enforcing our open hard drug use ban, increasing patrol and crime deterrence, and lowering our emergency response time.
The accordant policy specifics could be any combination of: reallocating funds to PPB; adding administrative positions to accelerate recruitment/background check process; opening Portland-based training venue; generally supporting our first responders in a way that breaks down anti-police sentiment and enhances recruitment climate.
Beyond policing, what measures would you take to improve public safety in Portland neighborhoods, and where would you get the money for it?
Portland’s population is deeply engaged and civic minded. And, Portland’s population is deeply concerned with contemporary public safety conditions. So, our circumstances seem fertile for reestablishing Neighborhood Watch and Business Watch programs—volunteer programs that build community and deter crime—and wouldn’t require city investment. Basically, Portlanders are eager to help improve their public safety conditions. Let them.
Also, Portland would benefit from reinstating the unsworn “crime prevention specialist” position, which once resided in ONI, and helped citizens navigate complex crime-related issues. The program was recently successful and likely could be again.
What experience can you point to that you believe would make you a prudent policymaker on the City Council?
I am a policymaker for City Council right now.
As a City Hall employee, I have guided the critique/cut down of the Police Accountability Commission’s original recommendation, led legislative efforts to crack down on graffiti (forthcoming), worked to prevent auto and catalytic converter theft, pushed to ban unsheltered camping, directly worked with constituents to resolve their personal public safety concerns, and generally supported/shared the accomplishments of Rene Gonzalez’s office.