Editor’s note: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Stay informed with OPB on the presidential race, key congressional battles and other local contests and ballot measures in Oregon and Southwest Washington at opb.org/elections.

Portland is facing a historic election involving a new voting system and an unusually high number of candidates. Journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive and Oregon Public Broadcasting share a goal of ensuring that Portland voters have the information they need to make informed choices, and we also know candidates’ time is valuable and limited.

That’s why the two news organizations teamed up this cycle to solicit Portland mayoral candidates’ perspectives on the big issues in this election. Here’s what they had to say.

For each of the following questions, we asked candidates to limit their answers to 150 words.

About the candidate

Name: James Atkinson IV

Age: 39

Pronouns: He/They/Him (Straight)

Neighborhood: Pearl District

Renter/homeowner: Renter

Education: Some College

Occupation: Inventor

How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 9 years

Why are you the best candidate to serve as mayor at this time? Please point to specific accomplishments as part of your answer.

It’s not that I believe I’m the best candidate for mayor, it’s that I believe I’m the right candidate for mayor this year. Too many times we look at political accomplishments and overall careers for who is the best candidate for mayor. Our large field of candidates have a bevy of different experiences, however, my experience is unique. I created an invention called the Hydro Ring that is meant to curb drowning throughout the world. It is currently in the final stages of becoming signed with 45 National companies including a company in Oregon. That coupled with my 15 years of experience in sales and business will provide a unique perspective on how we best move forward in this great city of Portland.

What you need to know about voting in Oregon and Southwest Washington

What are one or two issues that you’d like to draw attention to or champion as mayor that are overlooked or receiving less attention than they deserve?

Homelessness and increased drug use are the two biggest issues facing the city of Portland right now. My three-step plan for ending homelessness in Portland is the following: Step 1: Utilize a few empty downtown buildings and make them into 24/7 shelters by changing the code from business to residential, which takes only 60 days. This will allow them to work evening and overnight shifts, shifts that are generally the hardest to fill, and more time for appointments and leisure. Step 2: Provide transportation vouchers to the homeless for food, clothing, shelter, and employment. Step 3: Increase water fountains and build a job network for homeless in conjunction with nonprofits and small businesses. This three-step plan will decrease drug use because the homeless will be in a home.

What specific examples do you have that demonstrate your competence to oversee a city with an $8.2 billion budget?

My invention has the capability to essentially end the drowning statistic. Which means I have to work in tandem with potentially more than 45 companies to make this successful worldwide. This job is not much different. Our honored city council members facilitate the law while the mayor guides the city and helps implement each law the best way possible. With unique and focused solutions, we will actually save money and bring next year’s budget down. Whether a budget is $8.2 billion dollars or $50,000, the implementation of the monies is what makes the city successful. And after I’m elected Mayor, that city will be Portland Oregon.

What are your biggest concerns, if any, about the new form of government? What role do you think the mayor should play in it?

The only issue I have with the new form of government is the salary that the mayor makes. Just a few years ago the mayor made an average of $48,000 to $60,000. If I’m elected mayor, I will be making $175,000. Those monies could be going towards the budget towards concrete solutions that would fix our biggest issues in the great city of Portland. Which is actually exactly what I plan on doing by giving a minimum of $7,000 after taxes each year of my four-year term towards the homelessness crisis to help end it. Please see my three-step plan above to start to see how that would occur.5

How would you work to promote and boost Portland nationally as mayor and reinvigorate people’s sense of civic pride?

I am being backed by four celebrities, with one of them being my fiance. She is my campaign manager, and has helped spread my ideas to other states such as California. The same goes with tourists from all over the world who I speak with on a daily basis while campaigning throughout the city of Portland, and is interested in knowing more about the city. Increasing the knowledge of how great the city is to other states in the country is vital to increase our tourism, our money towards the economy, and our unique perspective on arts, culture, and music. There is no other city has a combination of grit, determination, and civic pride that is anywhere near as great as the city of Portland.

Issues important to Oregon voters

Mayor Ted Wheeler has already warned that next year’s budget will be a difficult one as costs rise and forecasts call for lower revenue. What would guide your decisions in developing a budget, what specific ideas would you explore to minimize service reductions and are there specific areas where you would look to make cuts?

The focus should not be to make cuts in the city that already has various issues that needs all the vital services that we offer. The focus should be towards coming up with unique and sorely needed solutions that cost less money than what we’ve done in the past. Homelessness is the crux of what will define our next budget. If you believe in my three step plan above, then you believe that it will work and in conjunction simultaneously help to diminish the other existing issues such as drug use, housing, and crime in Portland.

How can the city of Portland and Multnomah County improve their existing partnership to more effectively address the homelessness, addiction and behavioral health crises?

Addiction and behavioral issues are big part of what keeps homeless people homeless in Portland. We are trying to fight each issue individually and throw money at it instead of understanding the real issue. The homeless people need a home. How do they do that? Go back to the mindset they were in before they became homeless. This requires support not only from our government, but also citizens as we root for them to find a job that is full-time, adequate food and clothing, and a good support system consisting of friends and family. Once this foundation is set for them, the addiction and behavioral issues they’re having there’s a lot easier to deal with as they go back to the their previous glory days.

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If elected, you will oversee the police chief. What is your opinion of police bureau priorities and operations and what changes, if any, would you make? Would you push for the city to fund hundreds more police officers than the City Council has already authorized? If yes, where would you find the money?

As with other positions of government, the first 90 days of any leader in government sets the tone for their four year tenure. Advocating increased security presence with unarmed security officers throughout our city’s crime hotspots, combating homelessness and drug use full force through said plans above, and supporting the idea that we wish to help our police officers protect and serve our citizens, will help lessen the stress and load of the individual police officer. Therefore we wouldn’t need more police officers unless they wanted to join, which they should, as it’s the greatest staff in the country.

For the five remaining questions, please answer in 50 words or fewer:

Do you favor arresting and jailing people who camp on public property in Portland who have refused repeated offers of shelter, such as the option to sleep in a city-designated tiny home cluster?

Jailing innocent citizens who are trying to survive is not only wrong, it is immoral and should be illegal to do so. Ask why is this happening and act, not what should we do to stem an issue.

Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention among current city leaders? Are there other specific neighborhoods in the city that have not received enough attention?

The problems have received too much attention. Read recent articles about citizens saying Portland is a lot better overall than last year. If we stop depending on predictions and statistics, and depend more on the people themselves, like I’ve been the last 8 years, we would truly understand the issue.

Do you support the decision to use millions from the Portland Clean Energy Fund to backfill budget holes in various city bureaus? Would you seek to continue, expand or halt that practice?

Seeing as how major components of the clean energy bill are backlogged, I support the decision to move Millions towards sorely needed programs in other parts of our budget to increase the efficiency and stability of our city government.

Do you support a potential change to the region’s homeless services tax that would direct some of the program’s unanticipated revenue to construct more affordable housing? Why or why not?

I do not support the homeless tax as I believe the homelessness issues can dwindle with our existing laws and funds.

Describe the qualities and experience you will seek in a city administrator. Describe the working relationship you plan to build with the top administrator and their half dozen deputies.

The most important aspect of appointing a city administrator is to ensure they remain non-partisan. We must remember that we’re a melting pot of a city and we must advocate solutions for all citizens. Open communication with the administrator and their deputies is vital for the betterment of the city.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/23/james-atkinson-portland-mayor/