City of Beaverton · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, Council · Position 1

2
Candidates: 1
Seats: Vote for one
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Our readingDraft

Both candidates want more housing choices and safer streets. One adds specific limits: public votes on new taxes and removing Flock cameras. The other leads with budget oversight and infrastructure ready for heat, smoke and storms. Ask which first-year actions each would take.

2 candidates, A–Z. Tap any position to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source.

6 more choices, below6 more choices

Where each candidate stands on four issues, in our short reading of their statements. Each position is a button; activate it to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source. Candidates appear alphabetically.
Candidate	2 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	Save to my ballot
Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets

What this office decides right now

What’s at stake

A Beaverton councilor is one of six votes beside the mayor on the budget, on the fees the council now bills through utility accounts, on whether to send a public-safety levy to voters, on police policy toward federal agents and cameras, and on the redevelopment agency’s downtown projects. The FY 2026–27 budget is $514,218,807; the term opens with a structural general-fund gap, a levy decision due by May 2027 and a city manager to hire.

Each of this office’s 6 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

Structural gap
FY 2026–27 closed a $16.2 million general-fund gap with $13.5 million in new revenue, $2.7 million in cuts (6.6 positions) and $2.5 million one-time; staff’s September 8, 2026 preview puts the FY 2027–28 deficit at $6–9 million and lists $1.8 million cut packages. Since 2022 the city has cut $11 million and 42 positions, including police officers, the bike team and crisis response.
$514 million budget
Resolution 4957 adopted the FY 2026–27 budget at $514,218,807 on June 16, 2026 with the tax levy at the $4.6180 permanent rate, the maximum; the general fund is $124.3 million with 333.72 positions, down from 340.15 the year before.
Fees and a levy
The general services fee ($9.50 a month, rising 8% a year) is budgeted at about $5.3 million and the street fee at about $3.3 million in its first year; on February 3, 2026 the council supported delaying a $0.40-per-$1,000 public-safety levy, projected at $5.3 million a year, from May 2026 to May 2027 after polling “does not show support” for a May 2026 vote.
Downtown Loop
Hall Boulevard from 1st to 3rd is estimated at $11.6 million with $5.6 million in federal earmarks and construction in 2027; the promenade planning project is $2.67 million with $2 million federal; after losing BUILD grants in 2025 and 2026, the city must decide whether to ask for $20 million in 2027 with a $13 million county match.
The shelter
The Beaverton Shelter at 11390 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway has 60 beds and opened in November 2024, built with about $4.8 million in regional supportive-housing money and $9 million in state and federal funds; operations are paid by Metro’s supportive housing tax through Washington County, not the city general fund.
City manager to hire
The council adopted a city-manager recruitment process on September 15, 2026 (Resolution 4971) with Elizabeth Coffey serving as interim; the winner of this seat will join a council choosing the administrator who writes the FY 2027–28 budget.

Where they stand · six more choices

Six choices the City of Beaverton faces

One question at a time: every candidate’s answer, A–Z, with its source. Open all to see who has said nothing about what.

Utility-bill feesKeep the new $14.50-a-month general-services and street fees on utility bills, or repeal them or send them to voters?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Rachel Philip

On July 7, 2026 the council adopted a $9.50-a-month general services fee rising 8% a year (about $5.3 million a year for the general fund, 6–1) and a street maintenance fee starting at $5 a month and rising $5 a year for three years (7–0), both billed from August 1; staff’s alternative was cutting 22–40 positions. The rate resolutions can be changed by future councils, and the city’s permanent tax rate is already at its $4.6180 maximum.

Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager
Voters decide, not fees
Said: What they said
Says raising taxes as a flat fee is inequitable and “undemocratic–and un-Oregonian,” and that if politicians want to raise taxes “they have to put it up to a vote”; testified May 5, 2026 on the proposed transportation fee.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Levy or cutsRefer a $0.40-per-$1,000 public-safety levy in May 2027, cut $1.8 million more from services, or both?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Rachel Philip

The FY 2026–27 budget closed a $16.2 million general-fund gap with $13.5 million in new revenue, $2.7 million in cuts and $2.5 million one-time; in February 2026 the council delayed a $0.40 levy (about $5.3 million a year, 42% support in polling) to May 2027. On September 8, 2026 staff previewed a $6–9 million deficit for FY 2027–28 and two $1.8 million cut packages: the mediation center and downpayment aid, or police victim services and five officers.

Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager
Public vote, corporate reform
Said: What they said
Wants every new tax proposal voted on by the people and corporate tax reform so big business pays more for infrastructure; whether she would back the May 2027 levy or which cut package she would accept is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Flock camera banAdopt an ordinance banning Flock-style license-plate readers in Beaverton?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Rachel Philip

No council item exists. Beaverton police told The Oregonian in November 2025 they do not use Flock, while the Washington County Sheriff runs seven Flock cameras bought with a $396,000 grant; a resident asked the council for a surveillance policy January 20, 2026. Oregon’s SB 1516, signed March 31, 2026, limits plate-reader data retention to 30 days statewide.

Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager
Ordinance banning Flock
Said: What they said
Would introduce an ordinance mirroring Woodburn’s and Eugene’s to ban Flock from operating in the city, calling the cameras data-harvesting.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

ICE responseGo further than the July 2026 sanctuary resolution: bar ICE staging on city property, publish a log, let police stop federal vehicles?2 of 2 on record

Ordinance 4877 codified the Sanctuary Promise on January 20, 2026, 7–0; the same night an amendment package letting police pull over federal vehicles, publishing a monthly log and referring excessive force failed 2–5 and a subcommittee was formed. On July 7, 2026 Resolution 4967 set identity checks of suspected impersonators and body-camera rules; the mayor called it “not final work.”

Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager
Log calls, film ICE
Said: What they said
Told the Valley Times she wants 911 calls about enforcement tracked and labeled and officers sent to film interactions, and would codify protections in local ordinance; testified for the sanctuary ordinance and amendments January 20, 2026.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor
Defend from overreach
Said: What they said
Would defend the city from federal overreach and keep local resources focused on protecting neighbors and services; the staging ban, public log and traffic stops are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

Downtown LoopKeep funding the downtown Loop, including a $20 million federal grant bid in 2027, and put the agency’s Beaverdam sites out to developers?2 of 2 on record

The Hall Boulevard 1st-to-3rd segment is estimated at $11.6 million with $5.6 million in federal earmarks and bids in December 2026; BUILD grant applications lost in 2025 and 2026, so the city must decide on a $20 million request in 2027 with a $13 million county match. The redevelopment agency closed on 12775 SW Beaverdam Road (5.38 acres) on August 31, 2026 and was told to seek a developer by year’s end.

Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager
Prioritize the Loop
Said: What they said
Would prioritize projects in progress such as the Beaverton Loop and the TV Highway redevelopment, with transit-oriented density downtown; the Beaverdam developer solicitation and the 2027 BUILD bid are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor
Walkable downtown crossings
Said: What they said
On the Loop’s community advisory committee she pushed to improve the downtown walking experience, citing the difficulty of crossing Farmington and Canyon with children; the Beaverdam solicitation and the BUILD bid are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

Transportation prioritiesWhat should the 20-year Transportation System Plan fund first, and how do South Cooper Mountain residents get transit?2 of 2 on record

The council reviewed draft plan policies July 7, 2026; investment scenarios come in December 2026 and adoption in December 2027. On February 3, 2026 it adopted an $11,800 supplemental transportation charge per new Cooper Mountain house, and an on-demand SPOT bus for South Cooper Mountain launched January 29, 2026 with county and state money through the 2027 school year; the nearest TriMet stop to Mountainside High is about two miles away.

Evelyn KocherLatino Network communications manager
Buses for Cooper Mountain
Said: What they said
Wants bus lines in South Cooper Mountain, TriMet expansion in the southwest, physical barriers for bike lanes on Murray, Scholls Ferry and Lombard, and zoning streamlined near MAX stations; which plan projects come first is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Rachel PhilipSoftware developer and former auditor
Safety first, slower streets
Said: What they said
Says the city is about to set 20-year transportation priorities and wants that plan to put safety first, slowing traffic near schools and parks; South Cooper Mountain transit is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

About this race

How to vote

You vote for one candidate. The county elections office lists this seat as a runoff election. How it works

Ballots mail Oct 14 · return by 8 p.m. Nov 3

What this office can do

The mayor and council set city policy, adopt the budget and oversee the city manager. One member cannot enact a proposal alone. Schools, transit and county health services involve separate governing bodies.

How this list was made

Same questions for everyone, A–Z. Each chip is our short reading of a sourced statement; we do not endorse, rank or score.

Reviewed September 18, 2026 · lines 2026-09-19.1 · AI-assisted, human review pending

Terms explained

Amendment: A proposed change to a measure before the final vote. Voting for an amendment is not the same as voting for the whole measure.
Supplemental budget: A mid-year change to the city budget after the main budget is adopted.
Appropriation: Permission to spend money on something. It does not mean the money has been spent or the result achieved.
PCEF: The Portland Clean Energy Fund: a tax on large retailers that pays for climate projects. Council has debated using its interest for other services.
Term sheet: Starting terms for a negotiation. Approving one is not a final contract.
Social housing: Housing owned by the public or a nonprofit and rented at controlled prices.
CEI Hub: The fuel-storage area along the Willamette in Northwest Portland, where Zenith Energy operates.
Ranked choice: You rank candidates in order. If your first choice is eliminated or already elected, your vote counts toward your next choice.