August Newsletter

News Article

I hope you've had a fantastic summer and a great back-to-school season. I'm returning from a two-week Council recess feeling refreshed and ready to tackle what comes next. I'm also reflecting on a great August, and wanted to share some of the things we've been up to and take a peek at what's ahead.

August in Review

Neighborhood Block Parties

This month, I got to connect with many of you at neighborhood block parties across the district. These events were all about fun, good food, and community connection - exactly what we need right now.

Beyond this summer, I hope you all keep showing up to events like these - getting involved in your neighborhood associations and meeting your neighbors. Our neighborhood associations are only as strong and as diverse as the people who show up. Together we can build community and make our city stronger.

Black Business Month

In August, we also celebrated Black Business Month in Multnomah County. Our district is full of bustling, vibrant Black-owned businesses, offering every good and service you could need. Some are relatively new and some have had roots in this community for more than half a century.

As we move away from the official Black Business Month and into the rest of the year, I hope you continue taking the time to seek out new local businesses, and support the Black-owned businesses across our district and city.

(Left) Dean's Barbershop and Beauty salon has been a fixture of Northeast Portland since the 1950s, and we were lucky to spend time with third-generation owner Kim Brown. (Left) Our staffer Pierre is pictured here with Len Allen, co-owner of Ecovibe on Alberta Street.

Office Pop-Ups

August also marked the launch of our in-district office pop-ups. Members of my team will be available in-district for conversations with you all about the issues you care about and the actions we can take to make Portland a better place.

We can't do this work without you. I hope you'll continue to take advantage of these office hours, as well as our town halls and other events, and share them with your friends and neighbors. Our next office hours will be posted on social meeting and shared in this space in the coming weeks!

At the dais

Though Council did not meet for two weeks this month, we still made some critical decisions that I want to recognize.

Citywide Asset Management Strategy

First, I want to give a shout-out to Councilor Olivia Clark for spearheading a resolution that develops a Citywide Asset Management Strategy to address a critical backlog of maintenance needs across our city. This resolution passed unanimously, and directs the City administration to bring us a plan for better management of our infrastructure, from our water system, sewers and sidewalks to parks and roads - assets that have been underinvested in for decades.

Thank you, Councilor Clark, for recognizing our City is behind on meeting our basic needs, and for your eye for long-range, future-focused planning. I'm looking forward to continuing our work together as we responsibly manage our City.

Council Meeting and Committee Restructure

This month, Council discussed making key changes to the structure of our public meetings and committees.

Though we didn't reach a final decision about committee structure before the recess, we will vote on Wednesday to establish a weekly Council meeting schedule. This will allow you more frequent engagement, more time to speak to us on the issues that matter to you, and give you more predictability about when we'll hear items on the agenda. It will also allow us to prioritize evening meetings for some of the most pressing policy discussions.

Next, we will decide whether to change our committee structure now, or wait until January. This conversation will continue later in September.

Council Schedule

This month, the Council will hold regular meetings as follows:

September 3, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 pm

September 4, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

September 17, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

If the ordinance around Council meeting passes at tomorrow's meeting, we will begin holding weekly Council meetings later this month. Find the most up-to-date information on meetings here. To learn more about submitting public testimony, visit this link.

Coming up this month

Back-to-school may have begun, but the summer weather isn't quite over - and there are some great September community events that take advantage of these nice days. As part of our commitment making our office as reachable as possible, we have several engagement opportunities coming up, as well as community events we want you to know I'll be at:

Community events

Saturday, September 13 is Cully Fest - a family-friendly community celebration in the Cully Neighborhood. I'll be there with my kids, and can't wait to meet some of you in a fun, relaxed environment.

A week later, on September 20 and 21, is the MLK Dream Run, an annual fundraiser for the Soul District Business Association. Saturday will include live entertainment, food, drinks, and a vendor market, and Sunday will be the race, starting and finishing at Portland Community College. The Dream Run is a great event in our District - I hope you'll participate!

Preview of engagement opportunities

I will join my fellow District 2 Councilors Dan Ryan and Sameer Kanal for a joint town hall toward the end of the month. This is a great opportunity to talk through some of the most pressing issues facing our District. I hope to see many of you there! More details to come.

Councilor Dan Ryan, Councilor Sameer Kanal, and me speaking at a town hall together back in May. Our next joint town hall will be toward the end of September.

Stay tuned for details on this month's office pop-ups, and look for us at a few back-to-school events.

That's all for now! As always, thank you for your engagement, your commitment, and your heart - I am proud to represent you and our city.

In solidarity,

Elana Pirtle-Guiney