Think Out Loud

In 2022, Portland residents voted to overhaul the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked choice voting to expand the number of seats on city council from five to 12. Another major change is the creation of four geographic districts in the city. Voters within each district will now elect three candidates to represent them on the new council. Thirty registered candidates are competing in District 4, which includes all of Portland west of the Willamette River, including Downtown, the Pearl District, Multnomah and Hillsdale neighborhoods. It also contains the inner southeast neighborhoods of Sellwood-Moreland, Eastmoreland, Reed and Ardenwald.  On Oct. 24, “Think Out Loud” convened a D4 candidates forum at John’s Marketplace in Multnomah Village. We invited the 13 candidates with the largest number of individual donors who contributed to their campaigns. They include: Eli Arnold, Olivia Clark, Lisa Freeman, Mitch Green, Chris Henry, Ben Hufford, Chad Lykins, Tony Morse, Stanley Penkin, Moses Ross, Sarah Silkie,  Bob Weinstein and Eric Zimmerman. 

In 2022, Portland residents voted to drastically change the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked choice voting to expand the city council from five seats to 12. Another change is the creation of four geographic districts, with voters in each district electing three candidates to represent them on the new council. District 2 covers most of North and Northeast Portland, including neighborhoods such as Irvington, St. John’s, Kenton and Cully. On Oct. 17, “Think Out Loud” convened a District 2 candidates forum at Oakshire Beer Hall. Candidates were invited to participate based on the number of individual donors that contributed to their campaign. They include: Marnie Glickman, Mariah Hudson, Sameer Kanal, Debbie Kitchin, Mike Marshall, Tiffani Penson, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Dan Ryan, Jonathan Tasini, Nat West and Nabil Zaghloul. 

More than 30 years ago, a group of Portlanders created their own skatepark without any permission under the Burnside Bridge. The Burnside Skatepark is credited as the first do-it-yourself, or DIY, skatepark project that sparked a wave of new skateparks being built across the country. The park turns 34 on Halloween. Jaymeer is a board member and muralist for the Burnside Skatepark. He joins us to share more on the history and impact the park has had in Portland and around the world. 

The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria is undergoing a $30 million renovation. Work began in March and is expected to wrap up in September 2026. The expansion project will include remodeled gallery space, a new 24,500 square-foot facility and hundreds of boats and artifacts currently not on display. It will also feature two new Indigenous exhibits: a photography display focused on the Chinook Indian Nation, and a permanent exhibit on the maritime cultures of Indigenous people up and down the Northwest coast, from Alaska to Oregon. Bruce Jones is the executive director of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. He joins us with more details on the expansion.

Daniel Bolen, an agricultural science and technology instructor in Elgin, has advocated for his program. His district received $250,000 from the Oregon Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant. Bolen has brought in additional funding to strengthen his district’s program and help kids receive more hands-on learning in livestock management.   Bolen was also named the Oregon Agriculture Teachers' Association Outstanding Teacher this year. We hear more from Bolen on Elgin’s agriculture program and why he hopes to create more opportunities for his students.  

This summer, the owner of Mt. Bachelor ski resort, POWDR Corp., announced plans to sell. Bend locals Chris Porter and Dan Cochrane are leading an effort to keep resort ownership local. They’ve incorporated as Mount Bachelor Community Inc. and hope to attract both small and large-scale investors that share their values. Porter and Chochrane join us to discuss their plans.

Washington and Oregon voters have already begun casting their ballots in the November general election. In Washington, the statewide contests include races to elect a new governor and attorney general and four ballot measures, including Initiative 2117.  If approved, it would repeal Washington’s landmark law targeting greenhouse gas emissions, the Climate Commitment Act. The law establishes a cap-and-invest program which requires refineries and other large polluters to purchase allowances equal to the carbon emissions they generate, while phasing out emissions by 95% by 2050. More than $2 billion has been raised since the CCA took effect last January to fund programs ranging from making transit free for youth to expanding EV charging infrastructure.   Let’s Go Washington, the group behind I-2117 and the other state measures on the ballot this year, claims the law creates a “hidden gas tax” for consumers and is to blame for the state’s high gas prices. Let’s Go Washington is largely financed by Brian Heywood, a hedge fund manager who has questioned the wisdom of cutting carbon emissions.  Joining us to debate I-2117 are Washington state Senator Joe Nguyen who represents the 34th District and is chair of the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee, and Todd Myers, Vice president of research at the Washington Policy Center. 

Voters in Malheur County have a measure on their ballots that would get rid of a county ordinance that compels officials to meet and discuss shifting the Idaho border to include rural Oregon. The ordinance, approved by voters in 2021, requires the county judge and commissioners to meet three times a year to discuss how to promote the interests of the county in any negotiations to relocate the Idaho-Oregon border. We talk to David Armstrong, who helped get Measure 23-74 on the ballot. We also hear from Matt McCaw, Executive Director of Move Oregon’s Border/Greater Idaho, which initially pushed for the ordinance. 

The semiconductor company Intel isn’t based in Oregon, but it does have large manufacturing  facilities in Hillsboro and Aloha. Although the company received more than $8 billion in federal subsidies, it says cuts to its labor force are needed worldwide. In Oregon, this means about 1,300 people were laid off. Oregonian/Oregonlive.com business reporter Mike Rogoway has been covering this industry for decades and joins us to share more details about the effect of this global company’s decisions on Oregon.

Nearly 100 non-tenure track faculty at Portland State University got notice of possible layoffs last week. These notices come as the university faces a continued decline in enrollment and a budget deficit of $18 million this fiscal year. PSU President Ann Cudd joins us to explain the big picture of the university’s financial stability.