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Seeking to represent: District 4 (Westside and parts of Southeast)
Age: 44
Pronouns: She/her
Job: Full-time candidate
Fun fact: For 20 years, she’s written down funny quotes from her family and friends. Her family reads the quotes aloud on birthdays.
Lisa Freeman specializes in the peaceful transition of power. She’s worked for the United States Agency for International Development, aiding nations like Afghanistan, Nigeria and Syria in shifting between governments. More recently, she worked two years in the city of Portland’s community safety decision, seeking to slow the wave of shootings. She says those two credentials position her well to shepherd in a new form of government.
Why are you running for office?
I’ve spent my career working on tough problems, in the midst of crisis and transition. I spent a decade supporting government transitions in over a dozen countries overseas—such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Nigeria—and building confidence in new political systems. I am the only candidate in the race with government transition experience. At the city, I led successful programs to reduce gun violence and efforts to modernize our public safety system through programs like Portland Street Response. I am uniquely qualified to ensure our government transition is successful and to address our safety, houselessness, and climate crises.
What are your top three priorities if elected?
The most important priority for our new City Council will be to implement a smooth government transition and build confidence in the new political system. This will take an intentional effort to communicate clearly and transparently, and to establish equitable systems for community outreach and engagement. It will also mean demonstrating tangible progress on issues of concern for Portlanders, which is why my second and third priorities are investing in community safety—especially community-based programs like Portland Street Response and the Office of Violence Prevention—and addressing our climate emergency.
How would you foster economic growth in Portland?
Like many U.S. cities, Portland took a hit during COVID, and while we’ve been recovering, perceptions are lagging reality. One important way our next City Council can foster economic growth is through promoting stability in our new form of government and addressing the lagging negative perceptions by telling a better story about Portland and its future. I will also focus on supporting small businesses, workers, and families to ensure they—the economic engine of our city—can make a living wage and afford to pay rent.
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 would review all consultancy contracts, especially contracts to develop plans and strategies. I’ve heard climate activists call Portland “The City that Plans” because of its reputation for constantly investing in new studies without investing in implementing recommendations from studies it has already completed. We are often paying outside consultants to repeatedly reproduce public and readily available data and to create PDFs that sit on bureaucratic shelves. I’d like to pause all consultant contracts until we have implemented the plans we’ve already made.
Where is the city currently wasting money, or is using money in a way you think is inefficient or unnecessary? Where is the bloat?
I led a call allocation study when I worked at the city that found at least a third of calls coming into 911 could be diverted to existing nontraditional responders that are often less expensive. For example, sending a Community Health Assess & Treat vehicle to a sprained ankle is much more cost effective than sending a fire truck. We should do the work to modernize our first responder system and make sure we are sending the right responder to the right call.
What is the Joint Office of Homeless Services doing wrong, and what do you see as things that can right the ship?
JOHS has a tough job, but has not acted with the urgency that this emergency demands. I would bring my experience working in emergencies and crises to push JOHS to act faster, with a greater tolerance for imperfect solutions. When I worked overseas, we said, “It’s better to be 80% right at the right time than 100% right too late,” and this is the attitude we need at JOHS. This is the approach I brought to our gun violence emergency, when I managed a program that distributed $2.4 million to community partners in record time to reduce summer gun violence.
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’m proud to live in a city that is making these critical investments in our health and safety in order to create the climate and family-friendly communities our kids deserve. Like any investment, there is an upfront cost, but over time these investments will pay for themselves and produce dividends for the health, safety, and vibrancy of our city. As a parent, I know how important it is that we build the city we want to leave to our kids NOW. We need to invest in Portland’s future, and these investments will benefit everyone.
What is the first piece of policy you would bring to the City Council?
The residents of Linnton deserve District 4 representatives who will champion their years of work to address the risks of the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. The CEI Hub, where 90% of our state’s liquid fuel is stored, is a blight on our climate and a disaster waiting to happen. The fact that there has not been more progress in addressing these risks is a failure of our current form of government. The first piece of policy I would bring to City Council would be to rescind Zenith Oil’s land use compatibility statement and commit to working to relocate the tanks.
Beyond policing, what measures would you take to improve public safety in Portland neighborhoods, and where would you get the money for it?
Improving public safety takes many different types of professionals working together to respond when emergencies occur and prevent emergencies from occurring in the first place. Police are essential, but can’t do it alone. I led and championed essential community-based responses to public safety at the city like violence prevention programs, crime prevention through environmental design, and self-defense and personal safety training. I would invest much more robustly in these highly effective and inexpensive initiatives, which currently make up about $5 million of Portland’s $560 million public safety budget. These investments pay for themselves by preventing crime and violence.
What experience can you point to that you believe would make you a prudent policymaker on the City Council?
I have been a public servant for 20 years, and as a steward of public funds, I take the values of transparency and fiscal responsibility seriously. I’ve worked across agencies at the international, federal, and local levels to implement programs, manage budgets, and shape policy in complex environments. With a graduate degree in conflict resolution, I know how to collaborate among multiple interests and to center the perspectives of those most impacted by any policy or decision. My decades of work in moments of change has taught me that stable, collaborative, and thoughtful leadership is key to any successful transition.