Portland: Neighbors Welcome May 2022 Election Candidate Scorecard
Portland: Neighbors Welcome prepared this candidate scorecard to ensure our city’s pro-housing, pro-tenant community knows which candidates share our values and priorities, and makes informed decisions at the ballot in the May 17, 2022 city election.
Grades were assigned to the candidates below by a team of P:NW volunteers based on their answers to questions on encouraging middle housing, expanding apartment zones, limiting abuse of historic districts, funding affordable housing and integrating it citywide, taking a housing-first approach to homelessness, prioritizing racial equity, boosting tenant protections, and centering the voices of less powerful Portlanders.
You can find the full questions & all candidate answers here.
Index:
Candidates for Portland City Council Position #2 (currently held by Dan Ryan)
Candidates for Portland City Council Position #3 (currently held by Jo Ann Hardesty)
Portland City Council, Position #2
(Candidates sorted by grade, then alphabetically.)
AJ McCreary
Receives an “A” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, AJ McCreary is…
OUTSTANDING on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OUTSTANDING on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
OUTSTANDING on incentivizing the development of middle housing
OUTSTANDING on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
OUTSTANDING on increasing money for affordable housing
VERY GOOD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
OUTSTANDING on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OUTSTANDING on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
OUTSTANDING on advancing racial equity in housing access
OUTSTANDING on creating new tenant protections
OUTSTANDING on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See AJ McCreary’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Dan Ryan
Receives a “B” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Dan Ryan is…
GOOD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OKAY on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
GOOD on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
GOOD on increasing money for affordable housing
DID NOT ANSWER on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
OUTSTANDING on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
VERY GOOD on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
GOOD on advancing racial equity in housing access
OKAY on creating new tenant protections
See Dan Ryan’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Renee Stephens
Receives a “B” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Renee Stephens is…
GOOD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OUTSTANDING on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
VERY GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
AWFUL on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
OKAY on increasing money for affordable housing
WEAK on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
GOOD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OKAY on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
GOOD on advancing racial equity in housing access
GOOD on creating new tenant protections
OKAY on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Renee Stephens’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Portland City Council, Position #3
(Candidates sorted by grade, then alphabetically. Positions of candidates who failed to complete our survey are summarized at the bottom.)
Jo Ann Hardesty
Receives an “A” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Jo Ann Hardesty is…
OUTSTANDING on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OUTSTANDING on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
OUTSTANDING on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
VERY GOOD on increasing money for affordable housing
VERY GOOD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
OUTSTANDING on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OUTSTANDING on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
OUTSTANDING on advancing racial equity in housing access
OKAY on creating new tenant protections
OUTSTANDING on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Jo Ann Hardesty’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Kim Kasch
Receives a “C” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Kim Kasch is…
BAD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
AWFUL on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
BAD on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
OKAY on increasing money for affordable housing
BAD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
GOOD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
GOOD on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
BAD on advancing racial equity in housing access
GOOD on creating new tenant protections
BAD on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Kim Kasch’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Peggy Sue Owens
Receives a “C” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Peggy Sue Owens is…
BAD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
AWFUL on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
OKAY on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
BAD on increasing money for affordable housing
BAD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
VERY GOOD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OKAY on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
OKAY on advancing racial equity in housing access
GOOD on creating new tenant protections
BAD on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Peggy Sue Owens’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Karellen Stephens
Receives a “C” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Karellen Stephens is…
WEAK on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
BAD on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
WEAK on incentivizing the development of middle housing
AWFUL on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
AWFUL on increasing money for affordable housing
BAD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
BAD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
GOOD on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
BAD on advancing racial equity in housing access
GOOD on creating new tenant protections
WEAK on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Karellen Stephens’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Dale Hardt
Receives a “D” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Dale Hardt is…
BAD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
AWFUL on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
AWFUL on incentivizing the development of middle housing
VERY GOOD on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
AWFUL on increasing money for affordable housing
AWFUL on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
OKAY on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OKAY on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
OKAY on advancing racial equity in housing access
AWFUL on creating new tenant protections
BAD on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Dale Hardt’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Ed Baker
Receives an “F” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Ed Baker is…
GOOD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OKAY on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
AWFUL on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
BAD on increasing money for affordable housing
BAD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
GOOD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OKAY on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
AWFUL on advancing racial equity in housing access
AWFUL on creating new tenant protections
AWFUL on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Ed Baker’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Joseph Whitcomb
Receives an “F” rating
On Portland: Neighbors Welcome priorities, Joseph Whitcomb is…
GOOD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OKAY on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
GOOD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
AWFUL on reforming undemocratic historic district privileges
BAD on increasing money for affordable housing
BAD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
GOOD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
OKAY on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
AWFUL on advancing racial equity in housing access
AWFUL on creating new tenant protections
AWFUL on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
See Joseph Whitcomb’s full answers to the Portland: Neighbors Welcome questionnaire here.
Rene Gonzalez
Did not respond to the P:NW questionnaire
After several requests by email and phone, Rene Gonzalez did not respond to our questionnaire, so did not earn a score from us. However, our volunteers used publicly available sources to approximate his positions where possible:
NO PUBLIC RECORD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
GOOD on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
From his interview with HFO-TV: "If we're not adding to the housing stock, that's going to have a negative impact on affordability. It's going to drive prices up, other things being equal. ... I think part of the dialogue has to be that you know, you have to pick your poison a little bit. 'Do you want multifamily in there or do you want unregulated homeless camps in your neighborhood?' Right? Now, it's never that simple." We also note that Oregon Smart Growth, a lobby group for apartment builders, has co-endorsed him and Mozyrsky.
NO PUBLIC RECORD on incentivizing the development of middle housing
NO PUBLIC RECORD on reforming undemocratic Historic District privileges
WEAK on increasing money for affordable housing
From his interview with HFO-TV: "we may have to reallocate resources from longer-term housing investment into immediate crisis shelter options. And again, that does not fix all the systemic problems. I agree with those who are in favor of Housing First in that respect. But we have a material declining city right now and the unsheltered are a driving force of that."
NO PUBLIC RECORD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
NO PUBLIC RECORD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
BAD on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
From the candidate debate on OPB's Think Out Loud: Emergency shelters should and would offer "a more humane sleeping arrangement than is offered today on the streets of Portland." Also allows us to "enforce our existing laws and unsanctioned camping. … To kind of restore the social contract, we need to offer alternative shelter and then enforce existing laws." Gonzalez also supports mayoral staffer Sam Adams' concept to create 1,000-person mass shelters, because according to his campaign site “unsanctioned camps need to be promptly removed from all parks, sidewalks, and streets.” This narrow, police-heavy approach to homelessness prioritizes short-term bandaids without addressing the root causes of the crisis.
NO PUBLIC RECORD on advancing racial equity in housing access
BAD on creating new tenant protections
From the Oregonian candidates' interview: "Tenant protections, while well intentioned, have driven small landlords out of the business. We need to reverse that."
NO PUBLIC RECORD on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
Vadim Mozyrsky
Did not respond to P:NW questionnaire
After several requests by email and phone, Vadim Mozyrsky did not respond to our questionnaire, so did not earn a score from us. However, our volunteers used publicly available sources to approximate his positions where possible:
NO PUBLIC RECORD on legalizing middle housing options everywhere
OKAY on increasing housing capacity in close-in neighborhoods
From City Club's forum: "We're in a point where in about five years we will have another housing crisis because we don't have enough in the pipeline. ... We need to ensure that we build more around MAX stops and high-traffic areas so that people don't have to drive to work." We also note that Oregon Smart Growth, a lobby group for apartment builders, has co-endorsed him and Gonzalez. However, in Mozyrsky's own close-in neighborhood of Goose Hollow, he personally voted as a neighborhood association board member to oppose a new 17-story apartment building, a position later unanimously rejected by the city council.
OKAY on incentivizing the development of middle housing ... and simultaneously BAD on creating new tenant protections, since his only stated strategy seems to be to roll back tenant protections.
From the Oregonian interview: "An individual I spoke with just very recently ... has an investment business helping other people who are retiring who used to invest in Portland, buying these duplexes, triplexes, for income in retirement. She said they're no longer advising people to buy those in Portland due to the high barriers to being able to actually get tenants in and out of the buildings, to make sure that actually turns a profit for them. ... Those small housing units are cheaper ones usually." Mozyrsky shared similar views in his HFO-TV interview.
WEAK on reforming undemocratic Historic District privileges
From the Oregonian interview: "We need to involve the neighborhood associations and ensure that when there's concern about historic areas in Portland that we address those concerns, but we do need to find ways to have more housing in the small footprint that we have here."
NO PUBLIC RECORD on increasing money for affordable housing
NO PUBLIC RECORD on strategies for addressing the shortage of lower-price homes
NO PUBLIC RECORD on equitably distributing affordable housing across the city
WEAK on compassionately & comprehensively addressing the homelessness crisis
From the Oregonian interview: "Make a plan. Say that within the first year, I fully believe that we can decrease homelessness by 30%. And let's live up to that plan instead of saying that we're going to give that money away and hope - and hope - that it succeeds somehow.". Among the plans Mozyrsky says he supports is mayoral staffer Sam Adams' concept to create 1,000-person mass shelters in order to restore to the city the power to ban unsanctioned camping citywide. He has also refused to take a position on People for Portland’s proposal to defund effective housing strategies in favor of funding megashelters.
NO PUBLIC RECORD on advancing racial equity in housing access
WEAK on centering vulnerable communities in land use decisions
From Willamette Week's profile: “He thinks the citizens not being listened to most at City Hall are neighborhood associations, whose cries about crime and homelessness he says are going ignored."