Over the next month, City Council will shape Portland’s 2025-26 budget. Portland faces a serious budget shortfall, one which needs thoughtful, focused leadership. My priorities are clear: protect essential services, strengthen our City’s future, and be equitable in every decision. Every dollar we invest now must help build a stronger Portland for tomorrow. I know my colleagues and I bear the responsibility to get it right.
Like many cities across the country, and like too many families and small businesses in our community, Portland faces a tough year. However, we can’t afford to approach this moment with fear. That is why I am approaching the next two months with three values in mind:
- Put community first: what do our neighborhoods need to stay strong?
- Protect our future: which budget cuts make us stronger, and which cost more in the long run?
- Center families, fairness, and equity in our decision-making: who is impacted by these decisions?
Every dollar we invest should make Portland stronger in the long run.
Later this week, the Mayor will deliver his State of the City address, followed by the release of his proposed budget a few days later.
I hope that we see these values reflected in his budget.
I look forward to diving into his recommendations, and working with my colleagues to make the tweaks to ensure our Districts’ needs are met.
Our city is not defined by our challenges, but by how we approach them, people who show up to build a strong city, strong neighborhoods, strong communities, even in the face of a difficult budget.
I’m looking forward to hearing the Mayor’s vision for Portland at his State of the City address on Friday. I’m hopeful he’ll take a long-range view to building a strong Portland, one where we invest in your daily needs and in our community’s resilient future.