Editor’s note: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Stay informed with OPB on the presidential race, key congressional battles and other local contests and ballot measures in Oregon and Southwest Washington at opb.org/elections.
Name: Cayle Tern
Neighborhood: Wilkes
Renter/homeowner: Homeowner
Education: Portland State University, MSW; CSU, Chico, B.S. Business Administration
Occupation: Civic engagement manager, APANO
How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: I arrived as a refugee and lived in Northeast Portland from 1980 to 1985. I moved back to Northeast Portland in 2003 and have been here since.
Age: 47
Pronouns: He/Him
Portland is facing an historic election involving a new voting system and an unusually high number of candidates. Journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive and Oregon Public Broadcasting share a goal of ensuring that Portland voters have the information they need to make informed choices, and we also know candidates’ time is valuable and limited.
That’s why the two news organizations teamed up this cycle to solicit Portland City Council candidates’ perspectives on the big issues in this election. Here’s what they had to say:
For each of the following questions, we asked candidates to limit their answers to 150 words.
Name two existing city policies or budget items you’d make it a priority to change. Why did you select those and how do you plan to line up at least seven votes on the council to make them happen? Please avoid broad, sweeping statements and instead provide details.
I would like to make it a priority to minimize the budget gap for Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). We need to rethink how we are funding maintenance of sidewalks; we cannot allow families and communities from lower income neighborhoods to have unmaintained sidewalks. Our policies need to have flexibility so the city manager can do their job.
We need to invest more in the Portland Housing Bureau and community-based organizations that provide housing services so we can protect families that are at risk from losing their homes. Homelessness and unaffordable housing are a common issue across Portland. To get support from the other councilors, I plan on coordinating town halls and community conversations to identify solutions and draft proposals and recommendations together. I intend on utilizing the voice of members of the community.
Related: What you need to know about voting in Oregon and Southwest Washington
What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.
I am the best pick to address housing and homelessness because of my professional and personal experience. As a person who struggled with housing issues, I understood the importance of shared housing. We need our rental community to be more accepting of generational and shared housing between families. Occupancy restrictions make it harder for families to help and support one another. My work with the Council for the Homeless has provided me with valuable insight into the houseless community. We also must make it easier for homeowners to build ADU’s to help expand the number of affordable rental units.
My 15 years of experience as a ODSH Family Coach, provided experience working with service providers so I can provide value insights to program interventions. As a community advocate and a former SEIU Union leader, I know what it takes to build coalitions and relationships to get things done and policies passed.
Portland is on track to permit the fewest number of multifamily units in 15 years and remains thousands of units below what’s needed to meet demand. What steps would you take to dramatically and quickly increase the availability of housing?
I heard from members in the community that it can take years to get a permit to build multifamily homes. From what I know about the permitting process, we need to expedite the process of permitting. We need to get the experts in the room and form a task force to see how we can reduce the approval time. We need them to recommend and provide policy guidance, so we are reducing the time it takes to approve permits.
We are experiencing a crisis, so we need to treat it as such. We need to consider waiving fees and building requirements. We need to provide incentives and build an environment more favorable for investors. Portland is not as desirable as it was before for investors. We need to consider suspending certain fees to make building less costly and figure out how we can bring these investors back.
Related: Issues important to Oregon voters
The next City Council is going to have to make some very difficult decisions regarding what to fund and how. What essential services must the city provide and how should the city sustainably fund them?
The city needs to prioritize funding infrastructure, transportation, public and health and safety, low-income housing, preschool for all, and child care. These are essential services that keep families working and people moving. For it to be sustainable, we need to increase revenues from personal and business income taxes through increased business and jobs for people of Portland.
We also need to work more consistently with Multnomah County commissioners and Metro Council to fund public health initiatives, preschool and child care, and other essential services. I also believe that money saved is money earned. The city needs to use its auditors to identify programs that aren’t meeting expectations and reinvent them. We need to ensure that the revenue Portland receives is spent responsibly.
Portlanders have approved many tax measures in the past decade — supporting affordable housing, free preschool programs and green energy initiatives. Are there specific taxes or levies you want eliminated or would choose to not renew? Are there specific taxes or levies you would support creating? Why?
I don’t agree with tax measures. I do not support adding any specific taxes or levies right now. People are already struggling with paying for their rent, utilities, and putting food on the table. What keeps an economy going is disposable income. The more we can put into people’s pockets, the more they can spend at our local businesses. Without having the background knowledge and data, I would not consider making any changes to current taxes or levies. I believe in making data-informed decisions based on impact and benefit to Portland. Any changes that I make will have to make sense to the people of Portland and its businesses.
Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?
I am concerned about the council’s size and its policy-making abilities. I am concerned that a councilor will focus too much on their district and struggle to work for a better Portland. It will be interesting to see how an unelected city manager will be held accountable with a 12-member council. I am also concerned about the number of staff each councilor will have. Without staff, the work of legislating and oversight will diminish because of personal capacity.
I also have concerns with how the election is financed. As a participant of the small donor’s program, I missed my mark by six donors. I would have liked to see more funds spread across to more people with a lower cap on amounts. The current systems still favor those who have connections to resources. The small donor program should be a supplement as opposed to being the primary funding source.
Related: Listen to 'OPB Politics Now'
For the five remaining questions, we asked candidates to answer in 50 words or fewer:
Do you favor arresting and jailing people who camp on public property in Portland who refuse repeated offers of shelter, such as the option to sleep in a city-designated tiny home cluster?
Arresting people will just burden our justice systems without providing a viable solution. The reality is we have a shortage of shelter space, and until we fix that, it shouldn’t be an option. However, I would consider arresting people if deflections from arrests were allowed to reduce harm.
Would you vote yes on a proposal to fund hundreds more police officers than the City Council has already authorized? Why or why not? How would the city pay for it?
I would consider hiring more police. I have some concerns about how we will fund them, but I want to improve our emergency response times. I would like more accountability and direction for officers. We need to create polices that rebuild trust and improve relationships between officers and residents.
Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?
Portland has a reputation of pivoting away from policies prematurely. My preference is not to revisit finished business. We need to utilize our auditors and oversight authority to ensure that we are using the funds appropriately and timely. I would not put it on the ballot at this time.
Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?
It is more detrimental for families and community members of East Portland to have a public transportation system that can’t get them where they need to be timely. I support protected bus lanes in streets that can accommodate them. The city manager should have flexibility to determine what that looks like.
Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?
Downtown should be a place where people come for recreation, entertainment and to shop. The city has lost revenue from taxes because of the number of people and businesses leaving downtown. We need a more favorable environment for businesses and for visitors. It needs more attention and sustainable solutions.