 I plan on visiting every single neighborhood across District 4, which represents almost 165,000 residents across the west side as well as Southeast Portland – and I want to hear from you! Please join me for my first in-district coffee, which will be held next week in South Portland.
 Please visit my City Council website and follow my new social media channels to stay updated in between these monthly newsletters. You are also welcome to call our office and to drop by City Hall!
 On Monday I chaired the first meeting of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where I will work to improve Portland’s asset management and address the backlog of capital needs. The committee will meet from 9:30-11:30am on the second and fourth Monday of each month to discuss matters related to transportation and utilities; ratepayer-funded programs; and other infrastructure needs, programs, policies, and bureaus.
Please join us for the next meeting on Monday, February 24th to share your concerns regarding traffic safety or related issues. The committee will also discuss Portland Bureau of Transportation funding and solicit input on community safety concerns.
 Last week I took a walking tour with Ken Thrasher and Chase McPherson of the Northwest Community Conservancy, which is focused on restoring the Pearl District’s livability and safety. The conservancy’s hotline has already answered nearly 2,000 calls, and its humanitarian team has helped connect nearly 2,000 people to shelters and services. Together, we are making District 4 a place where everyone can feel safe and secure!
 Prosper Portland has opened the Office of Small Business to better serve the city’s small businesses – and it is already getting results! The office aims to serve as a central point of access for information, assisting businesses in navigating resources and improving service delivery and referral processes.
The South Portland Business Association recently reached out to me seeking information about businesses operating within its district – especially since the COVID pandemic and a 2018 fire at the Macadam Center.
Fortunately, Office of Small Business Manager Mitch Daugherty was able to provide the association with the information it needed, while making good connections in the business district. To learn more about the South Portland Business Association, please visit SouthPortlandBA.com.
 This week I went for a neighborhood walk with Don Baack, SWTrails Board Vice President; Sarah Risser, Oregon Walks Board Member; and Jim Stout, Hoyt Arboretum volunteer, and later we joined Jennifer Palanuk, Ross Island Grocery & Cafe owner.
We visited parts of the 4T Trail that desperately need attention as well as parts of the Red Electric Trail. Southwest Portland has fewer sidewalks than any other part of Portland, so these trails provide essential safe routes to major destinations like OHSU.
 Last month I joined Mayor Wilson, Multnomah Education Service District Board Member Helen Ying, and her husband, Stephen, for the opening of The Flock, a food hall and event space located in the Ritz-Carlton hotel at Southwest Alder Street and Ninth Avenue. What a stunning showcase for Portland’s thriving restaurant scene and a new attraction for our downtown resurgence!
 My office staff is ready to serve constituents in District 4! Chief of Staff Megan Beyer has more than 20 years of experience working in state and local government. As a Senior Policy Adviser to City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, her portfolio included Portland Permitting and Development and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. She previously spent more than a decade in the Oregon Legislature.
Communications and Engagement Director Jimmy Radosta comes to my team after two years as Communications Director for Commissioner Rubio. He previously worked as a journalist and spent 11+ years directing communications for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, where he saw firsthand the power of grassroots organizing to transform public policy.
 BikePortland reported on the first meeting of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting, which I chaired. As I said from the dais, “It would be irresponsible – if not even criminal – of us to not address these [budget] issues because they concern our health and safety every single day of every person who lives in Portland.”
Portland Tribune shared positive news for our downtown recovery: “Foot traffic reached a post-pandemic high of more than 2.4 million visitors during five separate months in 2024, coinciding with the return of major events and concerts to the city center.”
I recently spoke with Northwest Examiner about commonsense solutions for neighborhoods that are deeply affected by the fentanyl crisis, zoning codes, and other issues.
OPB also ran a comprehensive summary about how you can engage with your new city government, including helpful links to view meetings and agendas, to submit testimony, and to contact Council offices. Please check it out!
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