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.
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.
About the candidate
Name: Heart Free Pham
Age: 34
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Neighborhood: Kerns
Are you a renter or homeowner? Renter
Education: B.S. Biochemistry
Occupation: Railroad Conductor
How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 34 years, born and raised.
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.
The city faced a $70 million budget shortfall this year, and was only bailed out due to unforeseen funds coming from the Portland Clean Energy Community Energy Fund (PCEF) passed in 2018. Unfortunately, $25 million from PCEF funds is slated to be used to transition the city’s vehicle fleet from gas to electric. This doesn’t make sense to me as the city is already on pace to use 99% renewable diesel by 2030 via the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) passed in 2022.
Heart Free Pham is a candidate for Portland City Council District 3.
Courtesy of the campaign.
I would also get rid of the Small Donors Election program. Money in politics is a problem, but taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidizing the political aspirations of anyone that chooses to run for office. Instead of giving money away to small campaigns so they can compete with those with deeper pockets, we should put a cap on how much can be spent in an election.
What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.
I am the only candidate that was born and raised in the city. Our public school system educated me from K-12th grade, and public transportation got me from A-B my entire life. I am the candidate most in touch with the spirit of Portland, and the most qualified to preserve the essence of our city simply due to the fact that I am the only candidate running that was born and raised in Portland. Furthermore, I studied Biochemistry in college and can guarantee I can do math better than any other candidate in the field — a vital quality for a city committed to spending money it doesn’t have.
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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?
Although we live in 2024, our methods for construction have remained largely unchanged for over 100 years. Accordingly, as a city councilor, I would introduce the use of hemp (more specifically hemp blocks) to create more affordable, sustainable housing. It takes trees 20+ years for a tree to be ready for harvesting whereas hemp is ready in 4-6 months. Using hemp blocks sequesters more carbon than it emits, offers superior acoustic and heating insulation compared to the competition, and framing a house using hemp blocks is 80% faster than traditional stick-framing methods. I also support the initiatives our current government is taking to increase the housing supply, such as: expanding the urban growth boundaries to make space for more housing, re-tooling the permitting process to accelerate the pace of new construction, and changing zoning rules to allow for higher-density housing in single-family neighborhoods
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?
When cannabis was legalized in Portland, part of the promise was that tax proceeds from the sale of marijuana would go towards drug treatment — this promise has not been fulfilled. In the fiscal year 2021-22′ the overall proceeds from taxing cannabis exceeded $12 million, yet only $300,000 was allocated towards drug/alcohol treatment; less than 1/40 in available revenue from drug legalization was spent on drug treatment. Instead, over 50% was given to Portland’s Civic Life Bureau, and what exactly have they accomplished? I don’t know, but I do know their director, Suk Rhee, along with four other employees departed after “plunging the agency into turmoil” and “creating a toxic work environment” according to OregonLive. I don’t know why a failing agency continues to receive the bulk of marijuana tax, but with me as a city councilor, relationships like this will come to an abrupt halt.
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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 eliminated or would choose not to renew? Are there specific taxes or levies you would support creating? Why?
Portland General Electric has increased rates for residential customers three years in a row, with rates increasing by 17% in 2024. Meanwhile, the Portland Water Bureau raised water rates by 8% in 2023 and are asking for another 8% hike in 2024. Bottom line - Portlanders are tapped out. Yet, if we intend to combat the housing crisis, and fund other essential services, we need creative ways to create money without depleting our already overburdened communities. Perhaps instead of imposing new taxes, we can audit the progress of past initiatives to find inefficiencies. For example, in 2020 voters approved of a Pre-School for All program that taxed the county’s highest income earners, but four years later, tuition free Pre-School hasn’t come to fruition. Why is that? Why do we fund well-intentioned yet failing initiatives? With me as your city councilor, we won’t.
Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?
No, I like the changes made concerning the city government. Campaigns are essentially popularity contests, and before these changes were enacted, the winner of said popularity contest would then become the commissioner of a bureau in which they had no experience leading. Did Renee Gonzales know anything about the fire department before becoming its leader? No, yet he was thrusted into that position after winning a popularity contest. As a Portlander, I’m glad the various city bureaus will be headed by those that have experience in how they function, and the role of the city council is relegated towards crafting public policy that represents the voice of everyday Portlanders.
Related: Listen to 'OPB Politics Now'
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?
Homelessness shouldn’t be a crime, and prison isn’t effective at deterring crime — recidivism in Oregon stands at 30%. Simultaneously, we can’t enable toxic lifestyles that threaten members of the community. Therefore, yes, I favor criminal repercussions for those that refuse services as a way to incentivize the path towards recovery.
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?
I support the hiring of more police with a few stipulations — more police with a cultural change. We should allow police officers to smoke weed, and no longer consider past marijuana use as a disqualifier for joining the PPB.
Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?
Yes, the PCEF is the only reason the city budget is liquid. The only changes I would make are allocations towards solar energy — solar doesn’t make practical sense in a state like Oregon.
Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?
The truth is, biking to work is a privilege of the wealthy; most people that work in Portland don’t even live here! We need to prioritize practicality for the majority over convenience of the few, therefore I’d support the latter in this situation.
Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?
I appreciate local media coverage of downtown Portland (KGW, KATU, KOIN, FOX12) as they report the facts instead of crafting a sensationalized narrative like other national news outlets. Outstanding coverage from local media, atrocious coverage from outsiders.