There are several months to go before a massively significant election, here in Portland as well as elsewhere (or so I hear).
So it’s time to get to know the mayoral candidates. Here’s the sixth in the series. Marshall Runkel is a longtime City Hall staffer, most recently serving as chief of staff for former Commissioner Chloe Eudaly:
So you’re a Blazers fan? How would you fix the team?
“There's no quick fix for the Blazers or Portland. We're gonna have to be patient on both fronts. I think the city is in a similar spot where we're going to have to catch a break or two. We're going to have to work really hard and be smart and get a little bit lucky. And that's my recipe for the Blazers.
“We have two high draft picks today [6/26] in the NBA draft. I don't have specific recommendations, but my vote is that the Blazers draft players that are six foot seven or taller. We're in desperate need of help in the front court. And we need to maybe light some devotional candles for collecting players that are better than everybody else thinks they are. We've gotta get a little bit lucky to get out of the tough situation that the Blazers are in.”
What’s the thing you miss the most when you leave Portland for work or vacation?
“It's a long list, but probably at the top of my list is coffee. I had this job for a while where I would fly around and consult with other cities around their digital equity policy. And I remember I used to take — I called it the Midnight Plane to Georgia. I did some work in communities outside Atlanta. And I would land in Atlanta at four or five o'clock in the morning and get a car and drive out to where I was going to go to the meeting and there wasn't even a Starbucks. It was so sad. I kissed the ground when I came back to Portland.”
For more on his reasons for wanting to be mayor, check out the City Cast Portland podcast interview with Runkel.
