Life is so expensive. Groceries, gas, rent, mortgages are squeezing all of us. As your commissioner, I will tap into the belief that we can strengthen our economy by easing the pressure families feel every day. My goals are to expand access to workforce training, support and invest in small businesses, and work across jurisdictions to explore practical relief. One of the ways out of a tough budget environment is to build our economic resilience. I’m committed to help build a stronger, more resilient and affordable future for our county.

Government has to work together. I have spent my career at the intersection of government agencies, nonprofits, and the public. At Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, my work focuses on collaborating with EEO, the Oregon Department of Justice, and dozens of state and local partners. While I was at JOIN, I built working relationships between private residential property owners, services providers, the county, and more to create immediate housing opportunity for people living on the streets. During my time at the Urban League, I navigated workforce systems alongside general funding requirements and local community needs.

I know how these systems work. I know where they break down. I know what it takes to get people with different interests and in different agencies with different mandates and different budgets to actually work towards the same goal.

As your Commissioner, I will continue building-bridges - between the County and the City, between the County and the State, and between government and the community doing the ground work every day.

District 2 cannot afford a Commissioner who only shows up in one silo. We need someone who can walk into any room - a county board meeting, a community meeting, a city council hearing, or the state legislative session - and build the kind of working relationships that actually move people's lives forward.

There is no issue that touches more families in District 2 than the cost of housing. It is difficult to witness the challenge of buying, the challenge of paying rent each month, and the heartbreak of watching neighbors lose their homes and end up on our streets.

I know this issue form both sides of the door. I've been a service provider helping people get off the streets and into housing - listening to their stories and understanding the systemic barriers that put and sometimes keep them there. I've spent time managing block leasing programs and fostering shared housing communities. I’ve invested in residential and commercial real-estate for a couple of decades. The path out of instability and homelessness is not just a bed in a shelter with a sprinkle of a few dollars of rent assistance, it is a relationship with property owners. It is a lease. It is a door with a key and targeted services that address individuals in their unique circumstances to move toward long-term stability. I understand what motivates property owners, what discourages them from participating in county programs, and what it takes build real partnerships, not just policies.

As Commissioner, I will push for housing solutions that maximize that we know works: expanding partnerships with existing property owners with vacant housing stock, addressing barriers that slow housing placements, and holding county and housing programs accountable for delivering results and not just managing processes.

For over fifteen years, I ran my own small business on 42nd Ave with a multi-million-dollar operating budget. I met payroll every week. I answered to my customers, my employees, and our community. During that time, I learned something critical: every dollar you spend carries a promise.

As Commissioner, I will bring that same discipline to how Multnomah County spends public dollars. That means demanding clear spending plans, measurable outcomes, and real transparency for every program Multnomah County funds.

That includes programs like Preschool for All, where the county has accumulated a $610 million reserve while families are still waiting for seats. It includes county housing contracts where money is allocated but placements are not happening fast enough. And it includes every dollar that flows from the county to the nonprofits, providers, and organizations delivering services on the county’s behalf; ensuring we minimize unnecessary red-tape and maximize the flow of dollars.

Efficiency and transparency are not enemies of good programs. They are what make good programs sustainable. The community organizations doing this work deserve partners in county government who take these responsibilities beyond the dais, beyond reports. They need partners who will work alongside them to deliver results.

There’s an unfortunate truth about our behavioral health system: even when people are ready to get mentally healthy, access is still too difficult. We have to talk about the reality that sometimes, people are ready to turn somewhere, but have nowhere to turn when that time has come.

In my work at BOLI, I manage high-volume, emotionally charged and often crisis-level interactions every day. I lead a team trained in trauma-informed service delivery because the people who come to us are often frightened, angry, and in pain.

As a service provider in nonprofits, I worked daily with people experiencing mental health challenges, addiction, and trauma alongside their homelessness or housing instability. I got the calls in the middle of the night. I was responsible for helping to address the mental breaks. I saw what it looks like when someone falls through the gaps between a housing program and a behavioral health program because the two systems didn't communicate. I saw what it costs families and communities when that happens.

As Commissioner, I will fight to preserve and creatively expand behavioral health services in Multnomah County and to build the coordination between health programs, housing programs, insurance agencies, flexible funding streams, and community providers that actually keep people from falling through the cracks.

That means supporting the mental health workforce - the direct support professionals, the behavioral health workers, and peer support specialists. Fair wages, safe staffing, and sustainable funding they need to do their jobs. I will work to expand private care opportunities through creative funding mechanisms that bring mental health care to the individual or so they can access it right when they're ready. We must treat behavioral health as a core part of how we approach our work, not a separate silo.