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: Tiffani Penson
Neighborhood: Concordia
Renter/homeowner: Homeowner
Education: Bachelor’s Degree, Healthcare Administration, Concordia University
Occupation: People + Culture Manager, City of Portland
How long have you lived in the city of Portland: My entire life.
Age: 54, will be 55 before Election Day
Pronouns: she/her
Tiffani Penson, candidate for Portland City Council District 2, in an undated photo provided by the candidate.
Courtesy of the candidate
For each of the following questions, please limit your answer to no more than 150 words.
If you run over, we will at our discretion cut your response to meet that limit.
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 reform the city’s budget process and its permitting process.
The budget should reflect what is important to Portlanders – delivering basic services like clean streets, public safety, housing opportunities, and parks and community centers – transparently and with accountability through identified metrics and a community-facing report card.
We need to streamline the permitting process to ensure that homeowners and businesses can move forward with their projects in a timely manner. The City Council can do this by creating policy that requires clear and consistent code interpretation, aligning policy and practice. We should also expand the Field Issuance Remodel Program to include small business commercial projects.
I am an authentic relationship builder who finds shared values to collaborate effectively to solve problems. As an elected PCC Board Director and KairosPDX Board Chair, I keep the focus on issues and creating an inclusive and respectful organizational culture to achieve consensus.
What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district?
Please be specific.
As an elected Portland Community College Board Member from Zone 2 North/Northeast, I have experience creating and approving housing development policy. We recently opened the 42nd Avenue Opportunities Center, which will have 84 units of affordable housing and daycare services for low-income families. We are requesting information from developers and accessing land use data near our PCC campuses to create even more housing opportunities.
In my time at the city, I created the Supplier Diversity Officer role providing business technical assistance and access to city contracts for minority, women, veteran and emerging small businesses, expanded and manage paid internships for youth ages 16-24, created the “We Are Better Together” program to support community based organizations that deliver business technical assistance, wrap around services for youth and families and workforce development, and I established and lead the People + Culture Division to create a more inclusive, people-centered environment.
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?
We must address both current and future housing needs as we plan for Portland’s economic growth and vitality. First, we must address why it takes so long to permit multifamily housing units and determine which policies need to change, if staff should be added, or both. Next, we should review zoning and development policies in all districts and identify empty buildings that can be repurposed for a5ordable housing.
I would consider the creation of a low interest loan fund to help fill the loan/capital stack gap for projects developed in neighborhoods that have traditionally lacked new housing investments provided they serve vulnerable and working people that face housing and affordability challenges.
This is an opportune time to be creative when considering how to deploy dollars to house individuals and families in all income ranges, including increasing public/private partnerships and creating policies that expedite the availability of affordable housing.
The next City Council is going to have to make some very diKicult decisions regarding what to fund and how. What essential services must the city provide and how should the city sustainably fund them?
Making Portland safe and livable will be my top priority. We must improve our emergency response times by ensuring there are well trained, accountable and properly resourced public safety service areas; clean our streets, parks and community centers; and focus on housing for all Portlanders.
The Problem Solvers program fosters collaboration between City departments and Portlanders to address acute needs, expediting the cleaning of unsafe and unsanitary conditions and improving safety. This program has good outcomes and should be expanded.
Portland Street Response should have mental health/drug addiction clinicians on staff, transport people to services and be positioned within the public safety service area for a holistic approach and focus on public safety outcomes and accountability.
Lack of funding is not the issue; it is how our $8.2 billion budget is allocated. The budget needs to reflect what is important to Portlanders – delivering basic services transparently
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 are generous and support programs that are aligned with their values.
Responsible stewardship of public dollars calls for us to conduct an in-depth review of our local taxes and bond measures to ensure the monies collected and spent remain aligned with the intent of the measures. To determine which, if any, should be renewed, realigned, or eliminated, the new City Council, community stakeholders, and city staff should conduct this review together, with the City Council making the tough decisions once the review is complete.
Until we have a thorough assessment, I can’t make an informed decision on whether there are any taxes or levies that I would explore eliminating or not renewing. There aren’t any specific taxes or levies I would support creating at this time. As a taxpayer, I also want to see our dollars put to work solving our challenges in a transparent and fiscally responsible way.
Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?
Making Portland safe and livable will be my top priority. We must improve our emergency response times by ensuring there are well trained, accountable and properly resourced public safety service areas; clean our streets, parks and community centers; and focus on housing for all Portlanders.
The Problem Solvers program fosters collaboration between City departments and Portlanders to address acute needs, expediting the cleaning of unsafe and unsanitary conditions and improving safety. This program has good outcomes and should be expanded.
Portland Street Response should have mental health/drug addiction clinicians on staff, transport people to services and be positioned within the public safety service area for a holistic approach and focus on public safety outcomes and accountability.
Lack of funding is not the issue; it is how our $8.2 billion budget is allocated. The budget needs to reflect what is important to Portlanders – delivering basic services transparently and with accountability.
Related: Issues important to Oregon voters
For the five remaining questions, please 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?
We must prioritize short- and long-term solutions for people experiencing addiction, mental health crisis and/or houselessness, providing resources to transition to stability. We also need tools for first responders and service providers to address the needs of these individuals in real time. My priority is safety and livability for
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?
Public safety response times must improve, and we need more officers to achieve this. My vote would depend on the specifics of the proposal which should include recruitment strategies and a community policing plan. Public safety is a core service, and allocating budget for it is the City Council’s responsibility.
Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?
No. The Clean Energy Fund should be reviewed together with other measures to ensure it is having impact. The Fund has invested millions into Portland communities and critical climate programs. We must continue to combat climate change by ensuring the funds are spent responsibly toward the identified priority areas.
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?
These efforts can take place at the same time. I want to prioritize maintaining an active, diverse multi-modal transportation systems that is safe, efficient and works for us all.
Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?
Downtown has received too little attention. As the heart of our city, its health is a determining factor as to whether we are, and perceived as, a thriving city. Keeping downtown clean, safe and attractive for residents and tourists is vital to the vibrancy of our central city economy.
