Meet Olivia Clark, candidate for Portland City Council District 4

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: Olivia Clark

Neighborhood: John’s Landing

Renter/homeowner: Homewoner

Education: B.A. Sociology, University of Redlands, Calif; M.A. Sociology, University of Oregon

Occupation: Policy and legislative advocate

How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 26 years in District, 48 years in Oregon

Age: 70

Pronouns: She, her

Portland is facing a 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.

I would expand the authorities of Portland Street Response. The PSR needs authority to transport individuals, more structure, training and clinical supervision. Currently, PSR is limited in the service it provides to an individual in crisis: They offer a beverage, a blanket, a sympathetic ear and connection to potential shelter. PSR must to do more to make a difference particularly given the high acuity level of the homeless.

I would expand the number of police the city can hire as a budget action including an expansion of the Cadet Program in order to “grow our own.” Currently, we only have .9 officers per 1,000 people in Portland. The national average is 2.4. While both Chief Bob Day and the PPA agree we don’t need the national average, they agree we need more officers. Police presence itself is a deterrent. We need to rebuild in traffic enforcement, retail theft and investigations.

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

I am the most experienced and accomplished candidate at the local, regional and statewide levels which makes me the best pick in District 4. My experience and skills working across the aisle as a coalition-builder and collaborator will be key on the new Council.

My accomplishments include:

• Serving as Governor John Kitzhaber’s liaison to Oregon’s cities and counties, I helped create “principles of partnership” between state and local government which laid the groundwork for the formation of the Oregon Solutions Program. I also worked successfully on the creation and implementation of the Oregon Cultural Trust.
• At TriMet, I organized a coalition of labor, business, local government, nonprofits and other organizations to successfully convince a Republican-led state legislature to authorize TriMet to increase the employer payroll tax for the first time in its history. This added local financial capacity brought federal matching funds to build out the light rail system.

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?

The theme I hear consistently from homeowners, non profit and for profit developers is the need for certainty in permitting and the need for a culture of service. While the current council established a new bureau of permitting and development, uniting the permitting functions of 8 separate bureaus, it is the incoming council that must insure it’s implementation. We must implement the 120 day timeframe for permits to provide the certainly that developers need. Other requirements need to be streamlined or removed to facilitate the development process.

The City recently adopted a “Housing Production Strategy” to address some of these barriers. It will be up to the new Council to insure that these plans are implemented. The “Strategy” recommends actions that will reduce the time if takes for housing projects to move through the permitting process. It includes flexibility in design review and incorporates lessons learned in Los Angeles.

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?

Essential services start with public safety (police, fire, emergency services). Essential services include safe drinking water, safe disposal of our waste, maintenance of our streets, parks and city assets, and emergency services such as 9-1-1. Like any family, the limited city budget will require that we get back to basics, care for what we have and live within our means. Some of our essential services have dedicated funds that are inadequate to meet the need or are spread too thin. We need the political will to prioritize and the common sense to focus on what is essential including redirecting resources. Sustainable funding requires a broad discussion of the current tax burden and options. We will also need to work closely with the 2025 Oregon Legislature as they move forward on a stateside transportation and other infrastructure proposals as well as our Congressional delegation in search of federal resources.

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?

We Portlanders have great aspirations and have been generous at the ballot box. However, we have not seen the clear and effective execution of these tax measures. I consistently hear this frustration on the doorstep and at campaign events. Some measures have produced far more revenue than was anticipated. The sum of these measures coupled with our existing taxes is one reason some people and businesses are leaving. I would put the breaks on any new city or county measures while we examine the effectiveness of those we have now. Voting in new taxes for the “issue du jour” is at the sacrifice of general revenue for essential services.

Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?

There are several things that concern me about the coming changes to city governance. First, the 12 people elected in November will be challenged to act rapidly, get results and turn the ship. Only then will we restore confidence in our city. I’ve advocated for a 120 day agenda—a rapid response — to address homelessness, graffiti and trash —in the downtown. We also need a well thought out “on-boarding” process for the new councilors to create the conditions for a well functioning Council. Further, the 7,000+ city staff will undergo massive culture change, reporting to a City Manager and deputies instead of politicians. I’m optimistic that the changes will benefit us in the long run but like voters, I’m frustrated and want to results.

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?

While not the best alternative, enforcement and arrest are necessary in order to maintain safe and accessible public spaces. If individuals refuse repeated help or shelter, particularly when their actions threaten public safety or public health, then a thoughtful enforcement approach is necessary. We need shelter beds available for everyone.

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?

Yes, but we have a recruitment and training pipeline problem that will slow our ability to increase the force. Public safety is an essential function, important to restoring a sense of safety among the public and improve our image. The budget must prioritize essential services, find savings and get creative.

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

I would broaden its use as far as possible to support essential services before going back to the ballot.

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

As a cyclist, I’ve come into direct contact with potholes all over Portland. They are a danger for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. We must stop the deterioration of our streets before they become further damaged and more expensive to repair. I would prioritize maintaining our streets at this time.

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

There’s been attention but not enough execution, particularly in Old Town. The question should be what have we done to revitalize downtown? Downtown is Oregon’s front door, important to our economy and tax base. Today’s look isn’t good enough to bring back people, business, investment or a sense of safety.