We must agree on priorities and work together if we are going to address the issues facing our city. We can't fix everything all at once, what we can do is take action, and build public trust that the New City Council will GET THINGS DONE. But where do we start?
My top priority is to provide appropriate care for those with severe mental and physical disabilities. We all agree that we need to tackle the housing crisis, and we can. There are dozens of other issues to tackle, and I am committed to work with the other commissioners, the mayor, the county and every other group to get things done. I have provided some of the ideas I have and some of the priorities.

Houselessness

Most Politicians and elected officials have never experienced what it means to be living on the street, to suffer from severe mental illness, or drug dependency.

We need to understand that there are different situations that result in people becoming houseless, and we need different solutions for each. A seventy-five-year-old woman trying to survive on $850 a month social security, a schizophrenic screaming at the moon, a veteran with PTSD, a single mother escaping from an abusive relationship, or a teenager with an addiction to opiates cannot be treated as one group of "Homeless".

We must have prioritized plans to effectively support as many individuals as possible, and treat them as individuals.

Mental Health Services

"...there's an organization called Mental Health America, and every year they put out annual survey ranking how states provide care to mental illness and how severe the crisis is. And Oregon, unfortunately, ranks dead last in the country as far as young people who are struggling with their mental illness and their access to care. It's the highest rate of young people in this country with one serious depressive episode. It is the third highest number of children with substance abuse disorders and ranks 42nd in the country for those children with those depressive episodes not getting care."

Why Oregon is the worst-ranked state for youth mental health. OPB Jan 29, 2023

I share this because so many of the issues regarding houselessness, crime and drug addiction can be traced back to the lack of "Effective" mental health services, not just for teenagers but for everryone who suffers.

Plans and Priorities

We all know how difficult it is to get things done in Portland. The saying: "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail", has been demonstrated over and over in our city. The new city government will present new and unforeseen challenges. Task forces, committee reviews, public hearings, and ongoing analysis, although important, has resulted in wasted time, unused resources and continued inaction.

My priority is, simply put: "Get Shit Done". That is exactly what I am prepared to do, in spite of political infighting, budget constraints and lack of coordination between state, county and city departments.

Plans will change and evolve as we implement, but nothing will get done without action and leadership.