The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners outlined its overall goals for the most populated county in Oregon on Tuesday, highlighting the desire of the electorate for a more effective and cooperative administration.
The board, which includes three new commissioners, said the new beginning provides an opportunity to concentrate on important matters and regain the public’s trust after the previous board’s handling of a series of crises was marred by squabbling and mockery.
Commissioner Shannon Singleton stated, “I would like to never hear that again: people don’t trust us because there is so much fighting.”
For the first time in recent memory, the commissioners and chair Jessica Vega Pederson openly outlined the concerns they intend to focus in the upcoming months and talked about their duties as a board for two hours on Tuesday. Board members stated that the county should look at new strategies to strengthen the local economy, even as addressing homelessness and public safety continue to be priority objectives.
Below is a sample of the top priorities listed by each commissioner, broken down by district.
District 1 on Portland’s westside
Former Disability Rights Oregon policy director and new commissioner Meghan Moyer stated that she is committed to addressing behavioral health and chronic homelessness. According to her, the county should review how its Medicaid-related services operate and provide assistance for people with disabilities so they can get long-term medical care.
In order to reduce homelessness and enhance services for various demographic groups, she also requested that the board establish more precise numerical targets.
“I want to make sure we can explain the different approaches and what success means for different groups,” she said.
Enhancing safety at the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub, which holds 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuel, is another of Moyer’s top goals. According to experts, the facility might sustain significant damage in the event of an earthquake. In addition, Moyer expressed her desire to increase access to reasonably priced child care, echoing the other commissioners’ desire to increase access to skilled trade jobs.
District 2, North Portland
In a similar vein, Singleton, who joined the board in December, voiced interest in enhancing the energy hub’s circumstances but also voiced worries about the way law enforcement responds to individuals going through a behavioral health crisis. She suggested that the county create its own emergency mental health response team or consider collaborating with Portland Street Response, the city of Portland’s non-police intervention team.
Singleton, who was the head of the county’s homelessness department for eight months in 2022, requested that the board establish explicit rules for how it will use various shelter programs.
“We need to have that conversation because there are different costs, different models, and really different outcomes,” she said.
Additionally, Singleton wants to concentrate on lessening the negative effects of crime and graffiti in North Portland, which she claims have negatively impacted local small businesses. According to her, she wants board members and department heads to contact county employees more often before making significant changes, and she wants county departments to collaborate more. According to Singleton, more should be done by the county to link low-wage workers with opportunities to transition into higher-paying positions.
District 3 in Southeast Portland
The problems the county faces haven’t changed in the past two years, according to Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, who was reelected to the board last May. Her list of priorities included economic empowerment, public safety, and homelessness, but she is also urging the board to approve a work plan that would assist the government in establishing and monitoring its annual objectives.
According to Brim-Edwards, she is committed to supporting Portland Mayor Keith Wilson in his efforts to increase the number of overnight shelter beds in the city and ensuring that the county meets its goal of opening 13 sobering beds at its deflection center this spring. The county needs to make sure the 24-hour sobering center opens as planned in 2026, according to Brim-Edwards, who supported the plan.
The former Nike executive also emphasized the importance of supporting the Multnomah County Detention Center to ensure it has enough staff, creating an efficient county board, and increasing housing choices to keep drug addicts off the streets.
In order to work as a high-functioning commission and deliver on the goals that we all share, we should be utilizing everyone’s knowledge, experiences, and connections, Brim-Edwards stated.
District 4 of East Multnomah County
According to Vince Jones-Dixon, the newly appointed Commissioner, he sought for office in order to combat gun violence. In line with initiatives he helped start as a Gresham city councilor, he stated his desire to extend youth violence prevention initiatives throughout the entire county. Jones-Dixon, who lost two brothers to gun violence, suggested that the county expand that programs in collaboration with Portland’s Office of Violence Prevention.
Along with other commissioners, Jones-Dixon urged the county to look into new avenues for connecting locals to higher-paying professions, especially in trades. In 2021, Multnomah County declared racism a public health emergency, and Jones-Dixon stated that he wants to review the government’s approach to dealing with those problems.
He stated, “I would like to see what steps we are taking definitively.”
Cities in District 4, such as Gresham, Troutdale, and Fairview, frequently fall behind Portland in the county. According to Jones-Dixon, the board ought to engage the three smaller cities to provide input on county policy on a regular basis.
Austin De Dios reports on programs, politics, and other topics in Multnomah County. You can reach him at @AustinDeDios, [email protected], or 503-319-9744.
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