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The unofficial kickoff of Portland’s election season arrives this coming Monday, when labor unions host the Labor Day picnic at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds in Canby. But the debate—or perhaps the stages of grief—over who will be Portland’s next mayor is a process well underway. Many of our readers spent the summer searching for a palatable alternative to the front-runners, incumbent City Commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio. Last week, WW profiled a plausible alternative: Keith Wilson, the CEO of a trucking company who touts a plan to move every unhoused person on Portland’s streets into shelter within a year (“A Man With a Plan,” Aug. 21). Here’s what our readers had to say.
Henry Reardon, via wweek.com: “Bold ideas and maybe a bit too simplistic. But hey, give it a shot. Portland knows that the hundreds of millions spent/wasted by Eudaly, Hardesty, Rubio, Schmidt and others accomplished nothing. The real concern is this new form of government renders the mayor to a mostly ceremonial role. It would need the support of the 12 as yet unknown and untested mostly neophytes vying for the positions actually setting policy and procedures for Portland.”
md__2020, via Reddit: “It will be interesting to see how ranked-choice voting impacts candidates like Wilson. Historically, I would have felt like voting for Wilson was ‘throwing away my vote,’ but with ranked choice that dynamic completely changes.
“I’m highly debating having him as my #1 candidate because with the more nuanced system I have less fear that my vote will be wasted.”
Darkest Timeline, via Twitter: “I don’t love this plan—congregate shelters have problems with violence and theft, but he is right. If your problem with homelessness is the tents, this would end that.”
Wiser, via wweek.com: “I admire the ambition, but the reality of actually setting up 2,400 shelter beds without paying for staffing is impossible. The first meeting with a neighborhood association will help him understand this. They will expect a good neighbor agreement (rightly so), where there are guarantees of quiet hours, trash pickup, no loitering, etc. All of this can be done and is done at existing shelters with PAID staffing, but churches do not have the volunteer capacity to stand this up. The old Goose Hollow Family Shelter was a great example of a volunteer-based shelter, but it still had some paid staffing to organize those volunteers. Also, church attendees are now aging past being able to volunteer on night shifts. Keep working on these ideas, but be pragmatic.”
Noah Seabird, via Facebook: “Well meaning homelessness shelter plan but no mention of security and disruptive behavior.”
Isaac32767, via Reddit: “So, he has a serious plan to get people off the streets, but the ‘pros’ say it’s too ambitious? I’m skeptical of the pros, not him.
“He’s got serious administration skills, which the city badly needs. Barring someone really good, he’s my #1 vote.”
Norman Birthmark, via wweek.com: “How is this guy going to convince people with untreated drug addiction and mental illness to leave their tents and belongings to line up at a church at 8:30 pm every night? He knows how to move shipping containers—not people in crisis.”
oregoner, via wweek.com: “This dude is a classic ‘leftover spot on the ranked-choice voting’ option. I predict he leads the city in sixth-place votes.”
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: P.O. Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296 Email: mzusman@wweek.com