Our Vision for Metro Portland

As Metro Councilor, I’ve already delivered over 5,000 affordable housing units ahead of schedule and under budget and led policy to to add 20,000 new housing units through careful but urgent land use action. But we can’t stop there when working families are still being priced out of the communities they’ve helped build.

Here’s what this means for you: if you’re a teacher, nurse, or small business owner, you should be able to afford to live near where you work. If you’re an elder who’s been here for decades, you should be able to stay in your community. If you’re a young person starting out, buying a home shouldn’t be impossible. If you find yourself experiencing homelessness, services should be accessible to recover and find stability.

As Metro Council President, I’ll build big with smart financing, use our land better, and cut through red tape. No more excuses. We’re in a housing emergency and we need to better act like it. We’ll deliver homes that working people can afford.

Getting around shouldn’t be a nightmare. When you can reliably get from Tigard to North Portland on a bus, or from your home in Wilsonville to the PDX airport, when an elder can safely walk to the grocery store, or ride your bike to work with confidence, when families don’t have to choose between car payments and rent, that’s when our transportation system works for everyone.

I’ve already secured major investments for highway and community corridors as JPACT Chair, leading regional investments that are changing the way we move in our region. As Metro Council President, I’ll build smarter with fast bus service, safe streets for walking and biking, and housing near good jobs and transit. I believe that big infrastructure projects will be a formidable pillar of our economic recovery and future in our Metro regionGreater Portland.

This means Bus Rapid Transit that actually gets you places quickly. Streets where families feel safe walking. Making sure that going green doesn’t mean going broke for working families.

Our region’s success means nothing if it doesn’t reach the restaurant worker, the home health aide, the manufacturing technician or the small business owner on 82nd Avenue. In my time as Metro Councilor, I’ve led major regional investments and policy that are bringing good jobs to our communities. But it’s not enough, as Metro Council President, I’ll make sure everyone gets a shot at prosperity. Our region needs to care deeply about our economy and I plan to make commercial space affordable for small businesses, invest in walkable districts borrowing from the success we are seeing in bustling cities across the region like Beaverton, Milwaukie and Gresham’s Rockwood district, support our incredible culinary scene, and train workers through apprenticeships so we can build the future we want.

This means helping young entrepreneurs get their big start, making sure all our communities can fully participate in our economy, and creating real pathways for workers to get ahead. No matter where they were born or what language they speak at home.

We’ll build big with a coordinated employment land strategy, support Oregon-grown businesses, and make sure that when we invest in big projects, local people get hired for good-paying jobs. Economic development should help communities, not push them out.