 I’m dedicating time to meet with District 4 constituents both virtually and in their own neighborhoods — to hear what’s on your mind and to provide information on a variety of issues. You can find all of my event listings here.
Please save these dates:
-
Hayhurst: 10 am-noon Wednesday, July 9th at Vermont Hills Church, 6053 SW 55th Drive.
-
Hillsdale: 11 am-1 pm Friday, July 25th at PDX Coffee Club, 6369 SW Capitol Highway.
-
Eastmoreland: 3-5 pm Thursday, August 14th at Eastmoreland Golf Course Bar & Grill, 2425 SE Bybee Boulevard.
-
Arlington Heights: 11 am-1 pm Friday, September 5th at Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center, 4000 SW Fairview Boulevard.
 Last week I joined Public Works employees for a sneak peek at the new Washington Park underground reservoir, which provides a safe supply of drinking water for the entire west side of Portland! The nearly complete park space includes two reflecting pools, a wildlife habitat area, public walking paths, and restored historic features.
As Chair of the City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I see every day how critical it is to invest in systems that people rely on. These investments are a critical long game — and if we don’t invest in the core infrastructure that keeps us going, we pay a lot MORE for it later.
Thank you to all of the hard-working staff, planners, engineers, and contractors who brought us to this landmark moment for Portland’s future. Thank you for keeping the water on, and for keeping it safe and reliable.
 I attended my second Portland Police Bureau hiring ceremony. Pictured here is new police officer Norman Sween and his family being congratulated by Chief Bob Day. Using a quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Chief spoke about his love and dedication for serving Portland with “exuberant gladness.” That’s exactly how I feel about the privilege to serve!
 This month I was honored to speak at the graduation ceremony for Leadership Portland, Portland Metro Chamber's long-standing civic engagement program for area professionals.
This 10-month program gave an insider perspective into how the region runs, as well as the issues and dynamics shaping the city, with a special focus on helping to reinvigorate our downtown core. Thank you for believing in Portland!
 Last week I joined more than 200 Portlanders at the City of Possibility, hosted by the PDX Design Collaborative to explore and consider ways to redevelop our downtown.
Architects, designers, and studios have been building architectural models of workforce housing, public markets, and mixed-use towers to spark creative thinking about the future of our downtown. Pictured here is Charles Kelly sharing ideas for the redesign of Morrison to Hawthorne, pushing the city to the water’s edge.
 This month the Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade returned downtown, creating many happy memories for Portlanders. I enjoyed watching it with my son and grandson.
Alaska Airlines created a float in honor of this year’s grand marshal, Tula-Tu, the baby elephant born at Oregon Zoo in February.
 During the Rose Festival, I was proud to join Mayor Wilson in reaffirming Portland’s special relationship with each of our Sister Cities around the world, an annual ceremony held during the Rose Festival.
Portland has nine Sister Cities (Sapporo, Japan; Guadalajara, Mexico; Ulsan, South Korea; Ashkelon, Israel; Suzhou, China; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Khabarovsk, Russia; Mutare, Zimbabwe; and Bologna, Italy) and one Friendship City (Lviv, Ukraine).
 This month I was proud to co-sponsor a resolution in City Council’s Arts and Economy Committee so Portland could join the international Swimmable Cities movement. I later celebrated with Human Access Project founder Willie Levenson and Swimmable Cities founder Matt Sykes, visiting all the way from Melbourne!
Swimmable Cities believe urban waterways are a fundamental right that should be accessible and healthy for fish, people, and wildlife. The international alliance includes 72 cities and towns across 27 countries, from Annapolis, Maryland, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Budapest, Hungary, and Vienna, Austria.
 Did you know that Pittock Mansion is one of the top five tourist destinations in Portland? Built in 1914, the mansion was the home of longtime Oregonian publisher Henry Lewis Pittock and his wife, Portland Rose Society founder Georgiana Burton Pittock.
Last week I enjoyed an informative tour with Chief Executive Officer Paula Gangopadhyay and Board Members Jeff Condit and Todd Bauman. They are working to not only preserve this historic treasure, but to expand the visitor experience by showcasing the untold stories of many communities, among other innovative ideas. The tour also reinforced my appreciation for the importance of our cultural facilities in our local economy.
This summer’s programs include a Mini Rose Show, Antique Autos on the Lawn, and special evening hours twice a month. Learn more at PittockMansion.org!
 Portland Parks & Recreation’s Summer Free for All is back! This wildly popular annual program, made possible by the 2020 voter-approved Parks Levy, will bring a series of free, family-friendly events to District 4:
-
Cultural Events: Live music, acrobatics, puppetry, movies under the stars, and so much more! I’m especially excited about the Washington Park Summer Festival on August 9 and 10.
-
Fitness in the Park: Stay active and achieve your fitness goals while connecting to community and nature! People at every fitness level, age 14 and older, are welcome from June 23 to August 29 at Gabriel Park.
-
Play Swim: Enjoy weekly free swim sessions at Southwest Indoor Pool, Ida B. Wells-Barnett Outdoor Pool, and Sellwood Outdoor Pool!
-
Free Lunch + Play: More than half of Portland’s school-age children qualify for free or reduced-price meals during the school year. To help fill the gap over summer, this program offers nutritious meals and fun activities for kids and families led by trained staff and community partners at Holly Farm Park and Stephens Creek Crossing Apartments.
 Last week I met with Andrew Proctor, who has served as Executive Director of Literary Arts since 2009.
For the past four decades, Literary Arts has engaged readers, supported writers, and inspired the next generation with great literature. Its programs include Portland Arts & Lectures, one of the country’s largest lecture series; Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, which celebrates Oregon’s writers and independent publishers; the Portland Book Festival; and Writers in the Schools, which hires professional writers to teach semester-long creative writing workshops in Portland’s public high schools.
Last year Literary Arts also opened the largest literary center on the West Coast, right here in Southeast Portland! As a member of the City Council’s Arts and Economy Committee, I’m continually amazed to learn about the depths of our local pool of talent!
 Athletic and cultural organizations have formed the Sport Art Coalition, under the slogan “We Play for Portland,” because their games and performances are essential to drawing crowds back downtown. Oregon Symphony’s Isaac Thompson tells Portland Tribune, “Sports and the arts are key to Portland’s livability and economic vitality, and we are joining together in a way that has never happened before.” Music to my ears!
Travel + Leisure reports that Portland has ranked as the most bike-friendly city in the United States! The study comes from buycycle, a marketplace for pre-owned premium bikes, which hails Portland as “a cyclist’s paradise [boasting] an extensive network of bike lanes, making it easy for riders to navigate through the vibrant neighborhoods,” including scenic routes in District 4 like Forest Park!
Affordable housing is coming to District 4! According to Willamette Week, the Portland Housing Bureau is facilitating the acquisition of 161 existing, formerly market-rate apartment units in Goose Hollow and the South Waterfront for conversion to affordable housing, taking advantage of current market conditions to bring new affordable homes online more quickly and cost-effectively than new development.
|
