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Name: Marnie Glickman
Neighborhood: Sabin
Renter/homeowner: Homeowner
Education: J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, B.A. from Georgetown University
Occupation: Public interest advocate
How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 17 years, since 1992
Age: 53
Pronouns: She/her
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 7 votes on the council to make them happen? Please avoid broad, sweeping statements and instead provide details.
Public safety is a priority of my campaign and I’ll list two policies and practices I will work to address:
- Ensure Portland Street Response operates 24/7 with an expanded portfolio. I choose this because we have a lot of need on the streets and this crew capably intervenes and mitigates trauma and discord. We need other public safety employees on other tasks. From businesses to grassroots groups, this is a popular proposal and we can overcome the unfortunate politics holding this back.
- Police Oversight Board implementation: A) 82% of voters backed this plan; B) A commission including police supporters met for 20 months and came to consensus on how the board would work; C) Their plan has been significantly blocked. I look around at leading candidates and I believe we have seven votes on this. The new council will have a different independence.
What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.
During the 1990′s I worked for, and worked to elect, multiple pioneering women in Oregon, including Congresswoman Darlene Hooley and Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, and then was a senior development officer at EMILY’s List.
I worked for dozens of successful candidates and nonprofit organizations that took on entrenched polluters and corporate powers. A win: New York State and New York City banned the spraying of Monsanto’s carcinogenic Roundup on public property.
From 2015-2019, I served as an elected school board member in San Rafael, California, where I became the leader of a contentious, successful racial justice campaign to change the school district name away from Dixie, named for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
I know Portland’s political roots well and I’ve served in leadership roles and public office. District 2 needs a savvy, proven, can-do representative on Portland City Council.
I’m a black belt martial arts instructor. Disciplined and tough.
Related: What you need to know about voting in Oregon and Southwest Washington
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?
When I win, I will prepare for January as if I’m a candidate for council president, who will need to execute on Portland’s first ever housing production strategy. I have already spoken with many multifamily developers and they know me. Regardless of our mayor and city manager, I will be a leader in keeping the new council focused on the carefully vetted items in the housing production strategy that unanimously passed council in August 2024.
I’ve received the support of Portland: Neighbors Welcome and HOME PAC, and the current Housing Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who I support for mayor. They have been instrumental in developing and passing the 35-item housing production strategy. Two of the ideas are complete, fifteen are underway, and four more will be initiated by winter. I will keep constituents informed and provide council oversight over implementation.
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?
I am very aware of budget constraints, and I want District 2 North and Northeast voters to know this: 2025 will be the first time you’ve had district representation on our council, and I will be focused on making sure your streets and services are prioritized.
As a former school board member, I am one of the only candidates in District 2 who has experience managing a public budget.
Our city’s essential services (Fire, Parks, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Housing) are all going to remain, though we may face short-term stagnant budgets, or mild cuts. We must deal with deferred street, facility, and park maintenance, and the city’s largest ever infrastructure project, the $2.1 billion Bull Run filtration plant.
The new council’s first budget is a historic opportunity to steer our city towards a brighter future. We need to elect serious people with extraordinary experiences to make these critical decisions.
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?
Portlanders know our schools, roads, arts and clean-up need better funding. Our city workers know some of our facilities need proper investment. I will always be a leader to get us there, while keeping Portland a place where people want to live.
I am proud to live in a city where a majority of voters believe in properly funding their schools, libraries, and supportive housing. We do need the federal government to come through, so we don’t have to fund all these commonsense programs locally.
I think we need world-class education and transportation systems, so I want to explore means of accomplishing that. I have pledged to work on a new supportive housing bond.
Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?
Yes. Our new City Council, mayor, and City manager must make good government a top priority. That means transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and excellent constituent services.
New City Council members need to have the staff to do their jobs well because voters want the city to better serve them. Voters want us to solve very challenging policy and intergovernmental issues. The current staffing levels are inadequate to make Portland work better for everyone.
Many people running do not have a track record of handling the pressure and complex responsibilities of these jobs. I put myself forward as someone battle-tested who can be a reliable, persistent, collaborative presence on our new council.
Related: Issues important to Oregon voters
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?
No. If there’s documented evidence a person has committed crimes, that person can be arrested and charged with crimes. If they’re sleeping near a roadway, I’m not prepared to be criminalizing this. We need to have deeply affordable housing and services to keep people housed.
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?
No. Peer-reviewed scholarship shows that an approach like this does not lead to better results. We’ve been spending $200-300 million per year on just our Portland Police Bureau, and a small fraction of that on targeted violence interruption. All our crime metrics are coming down.
Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?
No. We are fortunate to have PCEF because climate resilience costs are rising. Most of our public schools lack air conditioning and just closed during record September heat, and I support PCEF funding to add AC. PCEF is working better and better and shouldn’t be raided to fund other needs.
Related: Listen to 'OPB Politics Now'
Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?
This is not an either/or question. We need to do both. I have a strong, savvy vision to make this city safe for cycling, walking and transiting. I will always be a voice for proper public services that serve everyone, especially my constituents in North and Northeast Portland.
Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?
Too much. We have many fantastic things going on here that are being starved of oxygen: vibrant neighborhood associations, Bike Summer, new small businesses, universal preschool, LGBTQ+ pride and more. I want to put this cynical era behind us and have a fun, Roaring Twenties.
