Meet Jesse Cornett, candidate for Portland City Council District 3

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: Jesse Cornett

Neighborhood: Sunnyside

Renter/homeowner: Homeowner

Education: MPA from Portland State University

Occupation: Policy and Advocacy Director, Oregon Recovers

How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 29 years

Age: 48 until Oct. 30th

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:

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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.

Portland should budget and change code as needed to prioritize our homelessness crisis. This involves increasing funding for rental assistance, rapid rehousing, expanding Safe Rest Villages, and supporting partnerships with organizations to provide shelter.

Portland also needs more than 5,000 new housing units each year. To date, there have only been 500 housing starts! To address this, the city must maintain adequate permitting staff, streamline the permitting process, upzone mid-density areas and relax ground floor retail requirements.

There is no magic formula for securing seven votes. We must be respectful and open to differing ideas, even if challenging. Effective collaboration requires us to respond to each other’s questions. Heck we should even dine together, return texts promptly, and prioritize direct communication. Building relationships and understanding will be key to achieving our goals.

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What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.

Early in my career, I successfully secured funding for building projects at PSU and modernized Oregon’s campaign finance system. These showcase my ability to navigate complex governmental processes.

My experience traveling the country for the final six months of the 2020 presidential campaign with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders gave me firsthand insights into high-level policymaking and engaging the citizenry in a meaningful way, which we must do if our new form of government is to succeed.

More recently, I spearheaded the passage of Healthier Oregon, which expanded healthcare access to 55,000 Oregonians, focusing on immigrant and refugee communities. Since 2021, my work in various capacities with Oregon Recovers has deepened my knowledge of addiction issues, a critical challenge in our city today.

Lastly, serving as an adjunct political science faculty member at PSU and teaching Legislative Process, also ensures I have an understanding of the structure we must work within.

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?

Portland’s homelessness crisis is directly tied to the shortage of affordable housing. As the city permits the fewest multifamily units in 15 years, we need bold, immediate action to reverse this trend. To dramatically increase housing availability, I would prioritize streamlining the permitting process to kickstart construction projects swiftly. Supporting the Bureau of Development Services with adequate staffing (that we can retain even during recessions!) and resources is crucial to handle increased demand efficiently. Additionally, we must repurpose underutilized land for mixed-use residential developments and upzone mid-density areas to allow higher-density housing. Raising height limits will also enable the creation of more housing units within the same footprint. These steps, combined with strong renter protections and expanded rental assistance, will help prevent homelessness by addressing the root cause: the lack of affordable housing.

Related: Listen to 'OPB Politics Now'

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?

We must prioritize essential services that directly impact the well-being and safety of Portlanders, including emergency response, homelessness prevention and services, public safety, and infrastructure maintenance. We also can’t overlook the economic importance of the arts and must ensure they don’t fall by the wayside.

To sustainably fund these services, the city should take a multi-faceted approach. First, we should optimize existing budgets. Second, we should pursue federal and state funding aligned with Portland’s needs, particularly for homelessness and infrastructure projects. A strong relationship with Salem is crucial for this support, and I’m proud to have been endorsed by several lawmakers who share this vision. Additionally, we should explore public-private partnerships to leverage additional resources and innovation.

As we regain our footing, regularly reviewing and adjusting funding based on performance metrics and community needs will help maintain essential services while promoting fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability.

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 support the Portland Clean Energy Fund and recognize the importance of existing measures for affordable housing, homelessness, and preschool programs. While I am not proposing any new taxes or levies at this time, I believe that in the near term, additional funding may be necessary to make a substantial impact on homelessness through increased affordable housing development.

The city can also focus on effectively optimizing the use of current funds and exploring other funding sources, including public-private partnerships, to address gaps. If the situation changes, we can consider revising or renewing existing measures to ensure they meet our evolving community needs.

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 excited for these changes, yet acknowledge the city is taking on a lot at once. I think we are capable. With a notable presidential election, I predict a significant undervote for Mayor and City Council. Initially lukewarm to the idea of multi-member districts, I now see firsthand how the relationships amongst candidates has developed in a positive fashion. That will serve our city well. I think that having districts and a policymaking and budget board instead of a smaller handful of leaders that blur the branches of government, as our current system does, means that Portlanders should have access to their elected officials in a meaningful way for the first time. And as someone who taught Legislative Process at Portland State University and has worked around legislative processes throughout my career, I think I am uniquely suited to understand the challenge that our new council will face.

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?

Allowing public camping was the quickest, easiest, and least humane option. Our city should have never allowed it. The new city council will have to deal with those ramifications when we are sworn into office. I do not intend to support an ordinance to change what the council enacted.

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?

As a prospective city councilor, I hope your readers appreciate that I won’t make promises I can’t keep. Until we know how to pay for police officers, I can’t commit to voting for more. Reducing overtime costs within the Portland Police Bureau alone could fund over 100 new hires.

Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?

While I do not support placing the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot, I am open to discussions on refining its implementation to ensure it better meets Portland’s needs and goals without sacrificing its intent to create a community-led climate action initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?

These efforts complement each other and are not in competition. In fact, when the time comes to improve existing lanes, cost savings can be found in prioritizing those streets for protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes.

Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?

As little progress as we have seen, the problems impacting downtown Portland have not received enough attention from current city leaders. Effective solutions require a more focused approach, addressing both immediate needs and long-term strategies. Enhanced attention and action are crucial to revitalizing downtown and meeting community needs.