Portland Voters Are Fed Up With Ted Wheeler. But Are They Ready for Sarah Iannarone?

[swag]

Interesting article.

Interesting who will endorse her and who won't.

Most of my younger friends are with the Teressa Raiford write-in effort. I'm all like, "well, didn't you vote in the primary?"

And I am so fucking sick of Ted Wheeler. I think it's going to be a difficult decision.

Also, Portland really needs a grown-up form of city government.

https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/09/16/portland-voters-are-fed-up-with-ted-wheeler-but-are-they-ready-for-sarah-iannarone/

Excerpt:

. . .

"Goddamn tired of watching reporters, medics, legal observers, peaceful protesters, and, yes, vandals getting targeted, arrested & assaulted by Portland Police," Iannarone tweeted July 2. "F*ck you, Ted Wheeler, seriously."

In this season of COVID-19, economic devastation and fire, it's protest that has come to define Portland in the eyes of the nation—and it's also come to define Iannarone's campaign.

Few have latched onto the energy of protest more than Iannarone, who has been on the front lines dozens of times, refers to herself as an "everyday anti-fascist," and has declared, "I am Antifa."

Iannarone—a neighborhood activist, policy wonk and longtime student of what makes cities succeed—hopes to defeat Wheeler, 58, who in turn hopes to become the city's first two-term mayor since the late Vera Katz.

Buoyed by his aggressive response to COVID-19, Wheeler nearly won reelection outright in the May primary, getting 49% of the vote. Iannarone finished second in a 19-candidate field with 24%.

. . . more

[Kittycow]

1. "I am anti-fa."

I think Wheeler and the media is really going to pound that into the ground since it sounds scary to people who vote via sound bite.

Recently I had a short chat via text with someone from her campaign and this was their reply when I said I was concerned about police corruption:

" Such an important issue and thank you for raising! Sarah believes that our community should have real power in investigating police misconduct and use of force. She wants to end qualified immunity, and hold officers accountable for misconduct. Ultimately, the plan is to reallocate dollars from tear gas toward social benefit. Wheeler has failed to hear the community on this. Sarah also believes that Portland Police should be required to live within city limits so that they are invested in the community they are policing. Portland Police have wasted millions of dollars to collaborate with Federal forces and tear gas Portlanders. We can't keep throwing good money after bad. Sarah's public safety plan acts on this moment with a thoughtful reconsideration of how we spend public dollars, and who those investments protect. Portland currently wastes millions on disproportionate arrests of Black Portlanders and harassing the houseless. We must divest from this senseless waste and reinvest in community well-being. To reduce crime, we must reduce poverty. Portland needs a truth and reparation process to address the damage that systemic racism has done to Black, brown and Indigenous Portlanders. Sarah is ready to move on these priorities to restore public faith in our city, and bring peace and safety to all Portlanders."

I know she has her weaknesses including lack of political experience but we voted Bud Clark the tavern owner in back in the day.