We don’t know who the next Portland mayor will be, so it’s time to get to know the full range of candidates.
City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez first won election in 2022, and two years later he’s working to step up to the job of mayor.
I know that you love soccer and that you played rec futsal. What’s your futsal team name?
“It is called PDX United Board Meeting. Yeah, it used to have a lot of board members from a single youth soccer club. So we called it our board meeting.”
When you leave for work or vacation, what is it that you miss the most about Portland?
“We have authentic, organic social and community organizations, clubs. And for me, that's often been soccer. It’s grassroots. It's real. It's not commoditized. A soccer club I once ran on the east side — we were independent and fiercely so. We wouldn't affiliate with the Timbers or any large brands at the time. And it was just so Portland.
“It's just like you take care of your neighborhood. You find people who have a similar interest. And you build cool stuff. And that's a big part of Portland's legacy. Sometimes that manifests itself in neighborhood associations, sometimes that's youth soccer clubs, sometimes that's music. Man, I love that about our city, and I think that has to be part of our future, for sure.”
For more on his reasons for wanting to be mayor, check out the City Cast Portland podcast interview with Gonzalez.
