Portland is a civic-minded community. Here’s some proof: There are more than 60 people who’ve announced they’re running for next year’s Portland City Council, which will have just 12 members.
Here are seven notable candidates to get to know (since the first candidates entered the race last fall) — from District 1 (East Portland) and District 2 (North Portland).
District 1
Sonja McKenzie works for the philanthropic nonprofit Oregon Community Foundation. She’s the longtime president of the Oregon School Boards Association and board member in the Parkrose School District. She also serves on the Multnomah County Library Foundation board.
Cayle Tern works for the nonprofit APANO and is a board member in the Reynold School District. He immigrated to Portland as a young child after his family fled the Laotian Civil War.
District 2
Tiffani Penson’s day job is with the city of Portland as a diversity officer. She serves on the Portland Community College Board of Directors.
Dan Ryan is the lone member of the current City Council who is running to serve on the new City Council. (Three of his colleagues are running for mayor.) Ryan was a CEO at the nonprofit All Hands Raised for a little over a decade before being elected in 2020. He had previously served on the Portland Public Schools’ board.
Mike Marshall is a high-profile advocate for substance abuse treatment. He heads the group Oregon Recovers and, until recently, served on the state’s Task Force on Alcohol Pricing and Addiction Services.
Nat West is a business and Portland household name — or at least his company is: Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider. It’s his first time running for elected office.
Jonathan Tasini has worked in labor union advocacy. As president of the National Writers Union, he won a 2001 Supreme Court case against the New York Times for freelance writers. In a previous run for office, he challenged Hillary Clinton in New York State’s 2006 Democratic primary for U.S. senator.
Preview: Next week, there’ll be some notable candidates from Districts 3 and 4.
