Our top three picks for the District 1 City Council race—ranked for your convenience. by The Mercury Election Strike Force [Hello! You know, putting these endorsements together takes LOTS of hard work—and that's on top of our regular excellent reporting. Show your appreciation for the Mercury with a small contribution, please, and thank you!—eds] District 1 is located in the easternmost part of Portland, which has been historically underrepresented in City Council, and contains neighborhoods such as Parkrose, Mill Park, and Lents. Top concerns for District 1 include traffic violence, which is disproportionately high in East Portland, access to green space and tree canopy cover, and gun violence. Sixteen people are running for City Council in District 1, and those who are elected will serve a four-year term. 1) CANDACE AVALOS Look at who was behind the scenes of some of the most forward-thinking initiatives in Portland in recent years, and you’ll find Candace Avalos. To Avalos’ detractors, her involvement is a sign of cynical ambition—especially since she served on the city’s Charter Commission, which set the specifics of the charter reform plan that voters approved in 2022. But to us, as to those who have actually been paying attention to Avalos’ career, it’s clear she’s an effective leader and strategist with the skills to champion a winning movement. If you want to get good things done in Portland, you want Avalos on your team.  In addition to her participation on the Charter Review Commission and her day job as the executive director for environmental justice nonprofit Verde, Avalos served on Portland’s Citizen Review Committee for about six years, working to improve police accountability during a very tumultuous time in the relationship between Portlanders and the city’s police bureau. She is also on the boards of the Coalition of Communities of Color and Street Roots. But it’s not just her impressive resume that makes Avalos uniquely qualified to serve on Portland’s brand-new City Council. Her resolve and willingness to speak candidly means we trust Avalos to take on worthy fights when necessary—and do it armed with unimpeachable intelligence and a wealth of knowledge to back her up. (A great example of this: Avalos’ staunch and winning defense of the charter reform measure when two City Council members wanted to make significant, potentially ruinous changes to it at the last minute.)  When Avalos ran against Carmen Rubio for a City Council seat in 2020, the Mercury endorsed the latter candidate, but with the caveat that we wanted to see Avalos continue in local politics, for the benefit of the city. Well, she certainly did, and we’re happy to say the time for her leadership is now.  Cayle Tern Courtesy Tern Campaign 2) CAYLE TERN Cayle Tern may not have the citywide name recognition of some of his fellow candidates, and if elected, he is unlikely to be the most boisterous person in City Council chambers. But we hope voters will take a closer look at Tern. With deep ties to East Portland and a diverse and impressive resume, Tern is a champion for the city’s most vulnerable communities, and would make an effective and thoughtful member of Portland’s new City Council.  When he was a child, Tern and his family came to the US as refugees from Laos during the Laotian Civil War. His family didn’t have many financial resources, relying on public benefits and the support of neighbors to get by. As an adult, Tern dedicated himself to helping others in precarious positions. He spent 15 years as a family coach with the Oregon Department of Human Services, and also worked for Council for the Homeless, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness in Clark County, partially through resource services.  In an interview with the Mercury, Tern said his strengths come from his background working with some of Oregon’s most vulnerable people and families. He said he has an understanding of the current landscape of services and support networks, and knows where the city should focus its efforts.  No matter who gets elected in November, the upcoming election will result in more representation for East Portland than ever. Tern is an ideal candidate for the first cohort of three East Portland councilors. Not only has he lived in the area for most of his adult life, but Tern is also deeply connected to Portland’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities, many of whom reside or own businesses in the easternmost part of the city. He is also a member of the Reynolds School Board. His involvement with the community’s cultural organizations and the Reynolds School District make him uniquely qualified to represent the diverse population in District 1.  Tern’s community involvement credentials are too vast to fully include in this endorsement, but the general point is clear: He knows, and deeply cares about, the people of East Portland. If elected, we believe he will lead with much-needed compassion and empathy, with practical knowledge and life experience backing him up.  Timur Ender courtesy ender campaign 3) TIMUR ENDER Some of the most promising Portland City Council candidates have ample experience managing government budgets and developing high-level policy. Others are more impressive for their dedication to their communities, demonstrating an ability to work on the ground, connecting with Portlanders of all kinds. Timur Ender belongs to both categories.  Ender’s educational background is in criminology and law. But he has spent most of his career so far working in transportation and land use planning. After receiving a JD in transportation law from Lewis & Clark, Ender began a six-year stint at the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), where he served as a transportation policy advisor and then a capital project manager. At PBOT, Ender worked on infrastructure projects for East Portland, which has historically been underserved with regard to transportation needs, and contains a disproportionate amount of the city’s most dangerous streets and intersections. Determining how East Portlanders could best be served by city resources is a job that requires deep community knowledge and a generous spirit of collaboration.  In an introductory email to the Mercury shortly after he launched his campaign, Ender shared an astute and thoughtful vision for leadership in Portland. He addressed the number of challenges facing the city, including gun violence, climate change, traffic fatalities, health inequality, and a lack of economic development. These problems are all more dire for people who live in East Portland.  While many candidates and elected officials ruminate on the downstream effects of those issues, Ender wants to focus more on their root causes. He cited excessive asphalt and concrete in the built environment, jobs located far from housing, and lack of access to green space as a few examples of problems that, if addressed, will improve many other outcomes for Portlanders.  Ender’s professional background in transportation and land use planning has clearly shaped how he views Portland, both in its current state and in a more ideal future. But while he is knowledgeable about infrastructure issues, he’s not single-minded. Ender delivers effective messages, drawing on his deep community involvement in East Portland and experience working in city government. He will be a strong advocate for District 1 and a valuable member of the new City Council. Other Impressive Candidates of Note: Jamie Dunphy — You might know Dunphy best from his work advocating for independent musicians (and against a Live Nation venue) in Portland. While his dedication to Portland’s artists is admirable and important, he also has experience crafting city policy, having spent five years as senior policy director for the late Commissioner Nick Fish, among other roles. Dunphy is amiable but pragmatic, with a vast range of areas of expertise to guide him as a leader. Steph Routh — Routh is a planning wonk (we mean this as a compliment!) with years of experience in organizational leadership, communications, and community organizing. She is also very passionate, especially about issues facing people in East Portland, and is dedicated to connection and building consensus. Routh would be a dedicated advocate for the people of District 1. David Linn — Linn is a lifelong Portlander who has been deeply involved in East Portland communities, serving on neighborhood associations and as an elected school board member for the Centennial School District. He told the Mercury that community organizing is his life’s passion, and we believe it. He’s smart and can appeal to a broad coalition of people while maintaining progressive values. The Mercury Election Strike Force is news editor Courtney Vaughn, reporter Taylor Griggs, arts & culture editor Suzette Smith, and editor-in-chief Wm. Steven Humphrey.