Affordable.
Safe. Thriving.
An affordable, safe, and thriving Portland is ours to claim.
We can bring down housing costs, improve transit, and pursue reforms to taxes and fees. We can answer 911 calls with urgency, deliver more effective interventions for mental health and addictions issues, and get people out of tents and into shelter. We can attract people, jobs, and investment.
We aren’t operating in a vacuum. We’re competing. Portland will thrive when we make this city the obvious best choice for living, working, raising a family, and running a business.
Eli is the son of an electrician and a teacher. His father taught him the value of quiet hard work. His mother taught him that nothing in life matters more than human relationships.
Eli arrived in Portland in 2001 where he met his wife Nichole. They had their first child and realized they couldn’t afford to live in the city so Eli joined the Army to access health insurance and education opportunities. He served in numerous job fields, from electronics repair, to intelligence analyst, and eventually became a Blackhawk helicopter pilot.
About Eli
Affordable
An affordable Portland is one where people can keep more of what they earn and cover the basics of life without constant financial stress. It’s a city where working families, young professionals, and retirees alike can build a life and feel like they’re getting ahead rather than falling behind. But right now too many Portlanders are feeling squeezed by everyday costs that have all risen faster than incomes, which limits opportunity, drives people away, and weakens the long-term health of our city.
Affordability comes from making disciplined, practical choices. That means increasing housing supply, reducing unnecessary costs and delays, using public resources more effectively, and lowering everyday expenses where we can. When we get this right, we put real money back in people’s pockets, expand opportunity, and make Portland a place where more people can live, work, and thrive.
Policy Changes
Increase Accountability and Transparency
Make Permitting Faster and Predictable
Expand Housing Types and Zoning Flexibility
Use Existing Resources Better by Ensuring Publicly Funded Housing Is Occupied Quickly and Successfully
Safe
A safe Portland is a city where you can walk down the street, run a business, take transit, and raise a family with confidence that help will be there when you need it. But in Portland response times are too long, too many people in crisis aren’t getting the help they need, and everyday safety—from traffic enforcement to neighborhood livability—has eroded. This is in addition to other long-term risks from seismic vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure that must be addressed with urgency and responsibility. Safety is foundational. Restoring safety means making clear, practical investments—staffing our police and behavioral health response teams, strengthening investigations, enforcing the rules of the road, and addressing known risks before they become disasters. When we get this right, we restore confidence, strengthen our communities, and create the conditions for Portland to move forward.
Policy Changes
Strengthen Investigations for Serious and Violent Crimes
Restore Traffic Safety and Enforce the Rules of the Road
Expand Neighborhood Safety and Livability Teams
Reduce Risk at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub
Thriving
A thriving Portland is one where people can afford to live, have real opportunities to work, build a business, and raise a family. It’s a city where where streets are active and welcoming, local businesses are busy, and residents believe the future is getting better. We already have many of the ingredients: incredible neighborhoods, a strong workforce, great food and culture, and a world-class natural setting but we’re falling short on many of the fundamentals that matter most to people.
Thriving cities make deliberate choices to compete, and Portland needs to be that obvious choice again. By focusing on practical, measurable steps—from fixing permitting and lowering barriers for small businesses to making our streets cleaner and safer and using public dollars more effectively—we can restore confidence, attract opportunity, and unlock the full potential of our city.
Policy Changes
Safe, Clean, and Welcoming Business Districts
A City Hall That Works for Businesses
Lower Taxes and Fees for Small Businesses
Make Portland Easy to Do Business In—Especially for Food, Arts, and Creative Entrepreneurs
Help Entrepreneurs Access the Capital to Start and Grow
Inspiring
An inspiring Portland is a city that people look to with pride from those who live here and admiration from those who visit. It’s a place that leads, not follows, where bold ideas take shape and where every neighborhood reflects care, creativity, and intention. At our best, Portland has always been a city of possibility—willing to think differently, build thoughtfully, and create places that feel distinctly our own.
Now is the moment to reimagine what Portland can be by creating something exceptional. By investing in great design, activating our natural assets, delivering bold, visible projects, and making the city effortless to experience, we can shape a Portland that inspires confidence, attracts the world’s attention, and reflects the full ambition of the people who call it home.
Policy Changes
Make Portland a Global Leader in Design & Sustainable Architecture
Reclaim the Waterfront as Portland’s Signature Civic Experience
Deliver Bold Projects that Shape the City’s Identity
Make Portland the Most Welcoming, Effortless City to Visit
Think in Generations, Not Election Cycles
Join our Campaign
Help me build a movement for practical, hands-on city government. Please donate and volunteer with the links below.