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.
Draft; human review pending.
Key
Said
A campaign statement, in our summary or their words.
Voted
A recorded Council roll call.
— Not found
Not in the sources we reviewed. A research gap, not a position.
Supports continued public-safety investment, youth opportunities, housing-focused outreach and attracting family-wage employers.
Wants outreach and shelter connections expanded while public spaces stay clean and safe.
Wants continued police and fire funding to keep response times fast.
Wants transparent budgeting and state and federal grants funding roads, pipes, parks.
—not found in the sources we reviewed
Summaries are our one-line readings of what each candidate says. Issue lines are short forms of the positions in each brief, AI-drafted and awaiting human review; “—” means not found in the sources we reviewed.
Four votes that split this Council
No candidate in this race sits on Council today.
— Not foundNo featured votes are selected for this race yet.
Candidate briefs, A–Z
Mayor candidate · City of Gresham · November 3, 2026
Sue Piazza
City councilor, business coach and travel consultant.
Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The opening line “But this isn’t about me, it’s about you...” trails off with an ellipsis rather than terminal punctuation and the tagline “YOUR CITY. YOUR SAFETY. YOUR MONEY. YOUR FUTURE.” has no predicate; both are skipped. The first sentence is under 12 words, so two are shown.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our words
Emphasizes public safety, spending discipline and creating conditions for local businesses to grow.
Reduce unnecessary costs and fees.
Prioritize police and fire services and address encampments in public spaces.
Attract employers and good-paying jobs.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their words
Spending discipline
Leadership change
Her program puts management change and cost control first; the statement does not say which fees would fall, what they raise now or which services would absorb the difference.
Said: Bring a wider range of housing to Gresham, including what she calls next-level and executive housing, so people who succeed do not have to leave the city; address homelessness in a way that is both compassionate and accountable.
How
— Not in their sources
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Camps, crime and who responds
Police first, no tents
What
Said: Keep public safety the top priority: reduce crime and address homelessness without allowing tents and encampments to take over streets and parks; she cites championing the Public Safety Levy that put more police officers and firefighters on the streets.
How
Said: Build on the police and fire levy she says she led, with smart investments in police and fire and drug addiction managed so neighborhoods are safe enough for businesses to invest.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Your bills and taxes
Cut fees and costs
What
Said: Hold City Hall accountable for efficient, transparent government, lower unnecessary costs and fees, and prioritize tax dollars on critical services; she says government can do more with less.
How
— Not in their sources
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Streets, buses and air
— Not foundNot found in the sources we reviewed. That is a research gap, not a position.
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 6 questions. Sue Piazza is on record on 6. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
On record
Keep the Police, Fire and Parks Fee at $15 a month, now that the council can change it by resolution?
Said: 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.
Renew the $1.35 public-safety levy before it expires in 2029, and keep Gresham’s own fire department rather than join a district?
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.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep drawing reserves to cover a $10 million general-fund gap, or cut services or raise revenue?
Said: 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.
Stay on the new groundwater system and fix the taste and hardness complaints, with water rates rising 5% a year from 2028?
Said: 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.
Keep the camping ban with housing-focused outreach, and allow pod shelters only under the new permit code?
Said: 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.”
Go beyond the January 2026 rule-of-law resolution and declare an immigration-enforcement emergency, as residents asked?
Said: 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.
Which fees and expenditures would you reduce, and what services would be protected?
Sources (2)
Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 41Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Piazza · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Mayor candidate · City of Gresham · November 3, 2026
Said: When you elected me as Mayor, I promised to build upon the Gresham Foundation, deliver essential services, and put Gresham on a sustainable financial path.
Pamphlet p. 41
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026
Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The tagline “PROVEN LEADERSHIP. REAL RESULTS FOR GRESHAM.” (no predicate) is skipped.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our words
Supports continued public-safety investment, youth opportunities, housing-focused outreach and attracting family-wage employers.
Support police and fire capacity.
Expand youth mentoring and employment opportunities.
Connect unhoused people with shelter and mental-health care while maintaining public spaces.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their words
Continuity
Public-safety investment
He asks for four more years of the same investments, crediting his term with new officers, new employers and a 30% drop in poverty; those attributions need independent checks before assigning credit.
Said: Expand compassionate, accountability-focused homelessness responses that connect people with shelter, mental-health care and support while keeping public spaces clean and safe; his site adds permanent supportive housing and regional mental-health partnerships.
How
Said: Expanded outreach teams reaching people where they are, transitional-housing beds to move people from tents to stability, and permanent supportive housing with regional mental-health partnerships.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Camps, crime and who responds
Fund police and fire
What
Said: Continue supporting the police and fire departments to maintain fast response times and keep every neighborhood safe; he cites funding 9 new sworn officers and 12 firefighters and restoring specialty units.
How
Said: Sustained funding for first responders and neighborhood safety initiatives, with youth programs (EMOPI) as positive pathways.
Measured by
Said: Cites 9 new sworn officers and 12 firefighters funded, faster emergency response times and restored specialty units.
Your bills and taxes
Grants for roads, pipes
What
Said: Secure Gresham’s long-term financial health through transparent budgeting and efficient city operations, and bring taxpayers’ dollars back from Salem and Washington, D.C., to fund roads, pipes and parks.
How
— Not in their sources
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Streets, buses and air
— Not foundNot found in the sources we reviewed. That is a research gap, not a position.
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 6 questions. Travis Stovall is on record on 6. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
On record
Keep the Police, Fire and Parks Fee at $15 a month, now that the council can change it by resolution?
Said: 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.
Renew the $1.35 public-safety levy before it expires in 2029, and keep Gresham’s own fire department rather than join a district?
Said: 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.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep drawing reserves to cover a $10 million general-fund gap, or cut services or raise revenue?
Said: 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.”
Stay on the new groundwater system and fix the taste and hardness complaints, with water rates rising 5% a year from 2028?
Said: 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.
Keep the camping ban with housing-focused outreach, and allow pod shelters only under the new permit code?
Said: 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.
Go beyond the January 2026 rule-of-law resolution and declare an immigration-enforcement emergency, as residents asked?
Said: 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.
Which investments would your next budget prioritize, and how would you measure their results?
Sources (2)
Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 41Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
