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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.
Ciatta Thompson, candidate for Portland City Council District 4, in an undated photo provided by the candidate.
Courtesy of the candidate
Name: Ciatta Thompson
Neighborhood: Northwest
Renter/homeowner: Renter
Education: Florida Atlantic University Urban Planning B.S.
Occupation: Front office manager at downtown hotel
How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 4 years
Age: 45
Pronouns: She/he
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.
1. I’d focus on fully funding the Portland Street Response and Portland Fire & Rescue. The Portland Police Bureau is being forced to step into a role they are not properly suited with the re-criminalization of drugs on September 1st. Portland Fire & Rescue’s Community Health Assess and Treat team and Portland Street Response operating at reduced capacity only exacerbates the drug epidemic.
2. I’d call for the repeal of the Arts tax. It’s punitive to the working class and working poor and the school districts already have their own budgets that they can use to fund art in schools. I trust that public health and safety will remain a critical focus after the election for all twelve councilors. Regarding repealing the Arts tax, we must reduce any and all additional taxes to our residents that do not produce immediate results in the city’s economy, public health and public safety.
What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.
During my most recent film production, we had a budget of $8,000, forcing me and my team to think outside of the box. I negotiated with vendors to use cameras and other AV equipment at discounted prices, scouted and secured three locations for free or nearly free, and recruited an all-volunteer cast and crew. Our short film premiered at the Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival in 2018 alongside George Takei’s “Allegiance.” In my role as the front office manager at a downtown Portland hotel, I created and pitched the marketing concept of “Portland’s Best Kept Secret” and received full approval from our corporate office for the roll-out earlier this year. In this same role, I’ve trained and rallied my front office team in order to improve our Tripadvisor scores. Our hotel went from ranked 19th in Portland to within the top five in six months.
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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?
First, I would have the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability select the longest pending building permit applications for high-density residential housing, bring plan reviewers and developers into a room and have them go through the plan over the course of a week. Any plans that were delayed due to nonstructural or safety concerns, such as design issues. will be moved forward for approval immediately. Plans with minor structural concerns will receive a tentative approval and be allowed to move forward, however, they would be liable for correcting these issues upon inspection. Second, I’d introduce a temporary change to include local developers as entities eligible to apply for funding from the Portland Clean Energy Fund, specifically developers building high-density residential units. In turn, to be eligible for funding, developers must adhere to LEED Platinum for all housing units.
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 have our first responders and Portland Street Response. I would use funds from Measure 110.
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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 to be eliminated or would choose not to renew? Are there specific taxes or levies you would support creating? Why?
The Arts tax should not be renewed. This tax is financially punitive to the working class and working poor. The tax has been used to empower only the most connected creatives in Portland, leaving many artists of color behind. I would support funding a feasibility study of Portland becoming a public utility district. This will allow the people to have control over our electrical grid and keep costs down. This is a powerful way for Portland to reflect its values of diversity, equity and inclusion. There are certain things that should not be up for privatization. This is one of them. Outside of the feasibility study, I would not support any additional taxes.
Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?
My one concern is ensuring that voters are educated on how ranked choice voting works. Increased advertisements on local TV and social media would be a great way to alert the public of the upcoming changes. I’m excited to have the city council expand to twelve seats and for Portland to finally have its own city manager. I have lived in cities with a population of 10-11,000 residents that had a city manager, to great results.
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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?
Yes, I would favor taking those steps. However, without enough temporary housing, mental health and drug treatment facilities, it would only be a punitive measure.
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, I would vote yes for more police officers. We need to be at 2.0 or 2.5 officers per 1000 residents for a city our size. Portland must make itself a safe haven for small businesses to grow our economy and public safety is vital to that goal.
Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?
I do not support putting the measure back on the ballot, however, if it were back on the ballot, I would add that any small business with 1-50 employees could apply for the PCEF and those funds could be used to revitalize buildings and their HVAC systems.
Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?
I would prioritize protecting bike lanes and priority bus lanes. If Portland wants to be an environmental leader, we need to expand and strengthen our city’s multimodal transportation.
Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?
I’ve worked downtown the past three years and have witnessed firsthand the results of the poor implementation of Measure 110 and lack of city leadership. It feels too little from the current city leaders. Residents and businesses have been asking for help for a very long time.