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Bob Callahan, candidate for Portland City Council District 4, in an undated photo provided by the candidate.
Courtesy of the candidate
Name: Bob Callahan
Neighborhood: Northwest District
Renter/homeowner: Homeowner
Education: Post-grad (J.D.)
Occupation: Attorney
How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: I was born in Portland (the old St. Vincent’s hospital on N.W. Westover.) I went to school here (Jesuit, University of Oregon, Lewis & Clark). I have lived in Portland and practiced professionally here most of my life.
Age: 68
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 7 votes on the council to make them happen? Please avoid broad, sweeping statements and instead provide details.
Two budget items I will make a priority are restoring the Portland Police Bureau’s recently dissolved Property Crime Unit and restoring PPB’s Graffiti Unit, dissolved in 2015. Restoring these units will contribute to improved public safety and the restoration of Portland, which are two of my top priorities.
Investigating burglaries, stolen cars, and retail crime is important to protecting residents and businesses in the city and helping them feel safe. Likewise, keeping Portland free of graffiti is critical to residents’ pride and deep connection with their city.
To line up at least seven votes, I will meet with residents, businesses, and PPB representatives who care about these issues, and use evidence to show why these budget items are important. Public hearings on these issues, and meeting individually with councilors to listen to their concerns while seeking their “buy-in”.
What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.
I’ve spent my career resolving issues and helping everyday Portlanders navigate the legal system. I understand Portlanders’ struggles firsthand and the solutions that do and don’t work. I’ve worked closely with people who suffer from mental illness and drug addiction, and treatment facilities. I’ve witnessed how many of our efforts aren’t necessarily set up to facilitate successful recovery.
I want to use my three decades of experience and the active listening, conflict resolution, and consensus building skills I’ve honed over the course of my career to build a more vibrant and resilient future for the city I care deeply about.
With this new form of government, I believe citizens are hungry for change and for fresh perspectives from a more diverse segment of our community. I offer that change. And my ability to work strategically and collaboratively will help to create a 12-member council to get Portland back on track.
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?
As the cost of housing in Portland continues to skyrocket, it has become increasingly unaffordable for low-income residents to buy or rent homes. This is untenable, and it contributes to the current homeless crisis.
To keep up with the demand, Portland needs to create tens of thousands of affordable homes. I don’t believe concentrating low-income residents into mega projects is the right solution. A better approach is to integrate low-income residents across the city where they have access to the same quality of life and services available to other Portlanders.
I believe we should revamp Portland’s Inclusionary Housing Initiative, which requires developers to include affordable homes into new buildings. With the audit completed, we can apply the necessary fixes to make this initiative work more effectively. We also need to streamline the permitting process, establish the right incentives for both developers and landlords, and increase rental assistance.
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?
Government must first do for its citizens the things they cannot do for themselves, and among them requires prioritizing public safety. People need to feel safe and at peace—both in their homes and on the streets.
This means streamlining police training programs and allocating police resources to the most important public safety initiatives. It means working together with stakeholders across the state to increase mental health and drug addiction resources. And it means getting drugs and criminal behavior such as shoplifting and theft off the streets.
It also means taking a hard look at the existing budget to see what cuts must be made to reallocate limited city resources to the most pressing problems facing the city. These are the difficult but necessary decisions I’m planning to make so that every dollar adds up to a more vibrant and resilient city.
Related: Issues important to Oregon voters
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 feel we need to honor the tax measures Portlanders have approved for the reasons the measures were approved.
There aren’t any new taxes or levies I would support at this time. Portland is already the second highest taxed city in the nation. My first priority is to work within the existing budget, taking a hard look at the initiatives we are currently paying for to see where we can reallocate funding to solve the most pressing problems Portland currently faces—public safety, drug addiction, homelessness, and affordable housing.
Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?
The creation of the 12-person city council represents a big change for Portland, and it will take time to adjust. As the council settles in, the function of “mayor” may become somewhat redundant and best transformed into a “city council chairperson” periodically elected by the councilors to perform mayoral functions on a rotating basis. I think time will tell whether a change like this makes sense.
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?
Repeat offenders, yes. Like all organized communities, we have rules that enhance livability for all of Portland. Anyone who finds themselves in need of assistance, housing or otherwise, should at a very minimum respect and follow our rules. Our laws are to benefit everyone who lives here, especially Portland residents.
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?
Portland is experiencing an existential crisis with crime. There is a culture of criminality that exists within some of Portland’s sub-cultures that can no longer be ignored. We need adequate officers to effectively enforce of our laws, which means more police than currently authorized.
Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?
Human caused global warming is real. We must reach our carbon reduction goals by 2050. If the funds are diverted, I would support a return to the ballot to stop any future diversion of funds or interest away from the original goals of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and decarbonization projects.
Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?
While many of us enjoy riding bikes, there are others of us who, out of choice or necessity, remain vehicle drivers. We all live here together and deserve equal treatment. I favor repair of existing lanes. Delay of road maintenance makes it more costly in the future.
Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?
Downtown is a center of cultural, social, economic, and civic life. Those who live and visit downtown have a fundamental right to be safe and secure. While current city leaders have made some progress, downtown needs more attention. I look forward to the opportunity to spending time with these issues.