“Dear Neighbor,
Our neighborhoods in North and Northeast Portland need an on-the-ground advocate who fights for us on the big AND very neighborhood issues.
That’s what I plan to do if elected to the Multnomah County Commission.
Here are some current examples:
KEEP OUR LIBRARY OPEN
In other neighborhoods like Southeast Portland’s Belmont, when libraries are shut down for renovations, the county spends hundreds of thousands of dollars for interim services.
But with the St Johns Library branch, that’s not happening, even though the library will be shut down for almost two years. Our north Portland library branch serves the largest geographic area in the city and processed 115,000 checkouts last year.
St. Johns has plenty of space for a temporary library and should have a temporary one, just like others do.
If elected to the County Commission, I will propose a resolution directing the library leadership to explain, at a public board meeting with public testimony, why they have not provided an interim facility for St. Johns, as they have for other neighborhoods. If their reasoning is unsatisfactory, I will introduce an ordinance requiring the library administration to fund an interim St. Johns library facility.
Learn more: https://northpeninsulareview.com/county-funds-library-alternatives-elsewhere-nixes-st-johns/
PROTECT OUR GROCERY STORES AND PHARMACIES
Food and pharma should be affordable and easy to get to. But in the past, when grocery stores have merged, prices have risen, competition has fallen, and stores have been shut down. Big corporations have made more money, but we’ve paid for it.
Currently, two big grocery chains in our neighborhoods, Fred Meyer and Albertsons/Safeway, are trying to merge. This would create a monster of a corporation with a huge market share in some local regions. That’s called a monopoly.
At a time when many families can’t make ends meet, the last thing we need is more expensive food and a longer commute to get the basics. I’ll keep fighting to stop this merger.
Watch my 93 second video from February on this issue:
STOP THE PROPOSED ST JOHNS BOTTLE DROP
Under a proposal by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Commission, the disaster that is the Delta Park bottle drop would move to the location of the former Dollar Tree in St. Johns business district. There’s no reason to trust that OBRC would provide adequate security there either, when they haven’t done so in the past.
We don’t want a crime magnet with inadequate security in the middle of one of our neighborhood business districts. I will keep fighting to stop to the proposed St. Johns bottle drop.
Watch my 2-minute video from March on this issue:
SHOWING UP+
Your voice deserves to be heard. County commissioners have hardly ever shown up at neighborhood association meetings, business district meetings, or community-based organizations where our residents voice their concerns and demand action.
Standing up for our neighborhoods means showing up, listening to the people who live and work here, and fighting for real change—not being a pushover who preserves the failing status quo or settles for minor improvements.
You can help me win better county government representation for North and Northeast by donating to my campaign, encouraging your friends and family to donate to my campaign, and urging your friends to vote for me.
As always, please text or call me if you need to connect 503-421-8925.”
Ted Wheeler made a great statement, October 21, 2024, telling the county chair and others that: “we need to all act like the adults that we are…”
~Theresa Griffin Kennedy
"I'll fight for N/NE on the big Neighborhood Issues!"