City of Gresham · November 3, 2026
Portland City Council, Mayor
- 2
- Candidates
- 1
- Seats
- Vote for one
- Method
- Nov 3
- Due 8 p.m.
Our readingDraft
Both put police, fire and business growth first. One case rests on continuing current investments and youth programs; the other on new leadership, spending scrutiny and lower fees. Ask each which budget lines would actually move.
| Candidate | 2 of 2 documented | 2 of 2 documented | 2 of 2 documented | 0 of 2 documented | Save to my ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Homes | Safety | Money | Streets | |
 | Homes | Safety | Money | Streets |
What this office decides right now
What’s at stake
Gresham’s mayor presides over the seven-member council that adopts the budget, sets the $15 public-safety fee and utility rates, writes the camping and shelter codes and decides whether to send the police-and-fire levy back to voters, and directs the new city manager. The FY 2026/27 budget is $924,981,292; the term runs through the levy’s 2029 expiry, a widening general-fund gap and a decision on the fire department’s future.
Each of this office’s 6 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.
General-fund gap
FY 2026/27 general-fund spending exceeds revenue by about $10 million, covered from fund balance, which the April 2026 forecast shows falling from $30.4 million to $20.4 million this year; the structural gap grows from $8.2 million to $30.8 million a year by FY 2030/31 even if the levy is extended. Police and fire take more than 90% of general-fund revenue.
Levy expires 2029
The five-year public-safety levy of $1.35 per $1,000 (about $13.6 million in FY 2026/27) sunsets June 30, 2029 unless voters renew it; it funds 40 of the city’s 183 budgeted police positions and 33 fire positions. The budget message says renewal must be decided “over the next couple of years,” while a regional task force weighs fire-district models.
Thin staffing
Gresham budgets 134 sworn officers for 115,739 residents, 1.16 per 1,000, the lowest of its comparison cities except Salem, and 130 sworn firefighters serving 148,268 people. Fire’s 90th-percentile response time was 11 minutes 20 seconds against an 8-minute standard when the council reviewed fire-service options in October 2025.
Utility rates locked in
On June 2, 2026 the council set water rates to rise 5% each January from 2028 through 2032, wastewater 6% and stormwater 6.75%, about $8.12 a month more combined for a typical single-family home in 2028, after the March 30 switch to groundwater financed by roughly $34 million in federal loans.
Eight shelters, no pods
The city counts eight permanent homeless shelters and no pod-style shelters; the code adopted March 3, 2026 caps a pod site at 30 units and keeps it 1,000 feet from schools and parks. The outreach team housed 155 people last year and the latest point-in-time count found 20 people unsheltered in Gresham.
$381 million urban renewal
The council adopted a roughly 900-acre Downtown/Civic urban renewal area on September 2, 2025 that plans about $381 million of investment over 30 years from property-tax growth that would otherwise reach the general fund; the next council appoints the agency’s board and picks its first projects.
Where they stand · six more choices
Six choices the City of Gresham 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.
Public-safety feeKeep the Police, Fire and Parks Fee at $15 a month, now that the council can change it by resolution?2 of 2 on record
The fee is $15 a month per home or business unit, 95% to police and fire and 5% to parks, budgeted at $8,507,000 for FY 2026/27. On February 17, 2026 the council moved the amount out of city code (Council Bill 03-26) so it can be changed by resolution rather than ordinance, and set it at $15 by Resolution 3684. No change has been proposed since.
- Sue PiazzaCity councilor and business coachKept $15, cut fees
What they did
Voted yes February 3 and 17, 2026 to move the fee into a resolution and keep it at $15; her campaign promises to lower “unnecessary costs and fees” without naming which ones.
- Travis StovallIncumbent mayor and business ownerVoted to keep $15
What they did
Moved the first reading of Council Bill 03-26 on February 3, 2026 and voted yes February 17 to move the fee into a resolution and keep it at $15 a month; his campaign is silent on changing it.
Levy and fire districtRenew the $1.35 public-safety levy before it expires in 2029, and keep Gresham’s own fire department rather than join a district?2 of 2 on record
Measure 26-247 (May 2024, 56% yes) levies $1.35 per $1,000 of assessed value through June 30, 2029, about $13.6 million in FY 2026/27, funding 40 police and 33 fire positions. The June 2026 budget message says the levy “will need to be renewed by the voters”; the East County Fire Service Taskforce is weighing district models, and on May 5, 2026 the council leaned against a Clackamas Fire District 1 model.
- Sue PiazzaCity councilor and business coachChampioned the levy
Said: What they said
Says she championed the 2024 levy that put more officers and firefighters on the streets; nothing on renewal or a fire district, and the May 5, 2026 minutes do not record her speaking on the district models.
- Travis StovallIncumbent mayor and business ownerLevy results, no district
What they did
Says the levy funded 9 new officers and 12 firefighters and would keep supporting police and fire; said May 5, 2026 a Clackamas Fire District 1 model “does not appear to be a strong consideration for Gresham.” Renewal unsaid.
General-fund gapKeep drawing reserves to cover a $10 million general-fund gap, or cut services or raise revenue?2 of 2 on record
Resolution 3713 adopted the FY 2026/27 budget at $924,981,292 on June 9, 2026 by a 4–2 vote. General-fund spending exceeds revenue by about $10 million, covered from fund balance, and the April 2026 forecast shows the structural gap growing from $8.2 million to $30.8 million a year by FY 2030/31 even with the levy extended. Police and fire take more than 90% of general-fund revenue.
- Sue PiazzaCity councilor and business coachVoted no on budget
What they did
Voted no June 9, 2026 on Resolution 3713 adopting the FY 2026/27 budget (4–2); the minutes record no reason. Told a September chamber forum the city should operate with a responsible fiscal mindset.
- Travis StovallIncumbent mayor and business ownerVoted for budget
What they did
Voted yes June 9, 2026 to adopt the $924,981,292 budget, which covers a roughly $10 million general-fund gap from fund balance; told a September chamber forum the city must operate “at the speed of business.”
Groundwater and ratesStay on the new groundwater system and fix the taste and hardness complaints, with water rates rising 5% a year from 2028?2 of 2 on record
Gresham and Rockwood Water switched to 100% groundwater on March 30, 2026, ending Bull Run purchases, with Gresham’s roughly $34 million share financed by federal WIFIA loans. Chlorine-taste and hardness complaints followed, and on September 1 the city said it was hiring a water-quality consultant. On June 2, 2026 the council set water rates to rise 5% each January from 2028 to 2032, wastewater 6% and stormwater 6.75%.
- Sue PiazzaCity councilor and business coachRates yes, fix taste
What they did
Moved and voted for the 2028–32 rate increases June 2, 2026; on September 1 asked staff about chlorine odor, a return to chloramine and treatment costs, and has held listening sessions on water quality.
- Travis StovallIncumbent mayor and business ownerGroundwater, rates set
What they did
Voted yes June 2, 2026 on the 2028–32 rate schedule; said in April the groundwater project was “on time and on budget” and would bring “smaller rate increases, not larger ones,” and led July’s town hall on complaints.
Camping and sheltersKeep the camping ban with housing-focused outreach, and allow pod shelters only under the new permit code?2 of 2 on record
City code bars camping on public property, with no penalty for a homeless person unless shelter was offered first. Council Bill 02-26, adopted unanimously March 3, 2026 and effective April 1, sets rules for pod-style shelters: up to 30 units, no tents, not within 1,000 feet of schools or parks. The city counts eight permanent shelters and no pod shelters; its outreach team housed 155 people last year.
- Sue PiazzaCity councilor and business coachNo tents, permitted pods
What they did
Moved the first reading of the pod-shelter code February 3, 2026 and voted for it; says she would address homelessness “without allowing tents and encampments to take over our streets and parks.”
- Travis StovallIncumbent mayor and business ownerPod code, accountability
What they did
Voted for the pod-shelter code February 3 and March 3, 2026; would expand “compassionate, accountability-focused solutions” that connect people with shelter and mental-health care while keeping public spaces clean and safe.
Immigration enforcementGo beyond the January 2026 rule-of-law resolution and declare an immigration-enforcement emergency, as residents asked?2 of 2 on record
After 26 speakers on December 9, 2025 and 10 on January 6, 2026 asked for an emergency declaration, the council on January 20, 2026 unanimously adopted Resolution 3681 reaffirming the rule of law and calling for federal immigration reform instead. In February 2026 the mayor signed the Oregon mayors’ letter asking for a pause in federal enforcement.
- Sue PiazzaCity councilor and business coachResolution, not emergency
What they did
Voted for Resolution 3681 January 20, 2026 after urging “careful consideration to avoid causing additional harm” and constructive talks with federal partners; in October 2025 asked whether sanctuary status could cost federal grants.
- Travis StovallIncumbent mayor and business ownerResolution plus pause letter
What they did
Recommended on January 6, 2026 that the council consider a resolution aligned with residents’ requests, voted for Resolution 3681 on January 20 rather than an emergency declaration, and in February signed the mayors’ letter seeking a pause in enforcement.
About this race
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.
- 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.