City of Gresham · November 3, 2026
Portland City Council, Council · Position 2
- 2
- Candidates
- 1
- Seats
- Vote for one
- Method
- Nov 3
- Due 8 p.m.
Our readingDraft
Compare how each candidate would combine public-safety spending, housing development and budget discipline, and which of the three would give way when they compete for the same dollars.
| Candidate | 2 of 2 documented | 2 of 2 documented | 2 of 2 documented | 2 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
A Gresham councilor is one of seven votes on the budget, the $15 public-safety fee, utility rates, the camping and shelter codes and whether to send the police-and-fire levy back to voters, and the council hires and directs the 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?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Will DelPlato
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.
- Heather Coleman-CoxNetwork engineerKeep fee at $15
Said: What they said
Supports keeping the Police, Fire and Parks Fee at $15 a month; if Council considers changing it, residents should get a say and see how it would affect bills and services.
- Will DelPlatoRetired nurse and Army veteranNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
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?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Will DelPlato
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.
- Heather Coleman-CoxNetwork engineerRenew; join a district
Said: What they said
Supports renewing the levy, and supports moving toward a fire district shared with Fairview, Wood Village and Troutdale, saying shared responsibility would make funding more sustainable while keeping strong fire service.
- Will DelPlatoRetired nurse and Army veteranNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
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.
- Heather Coleman-CoxNetwork engineerStop drawing reserves
Said: What they said
Would not keep using reserves for a gap that returns every year, nor jump to cutting services; wants staff to lay out the causes, savings and revenue options, then decide in public.
- Will DelPlatoRetired nurse and Army veteranSmall cuts now
Said: What they said
Says the budget shortfall is growing and the city should “act now with small, early changes rather than waiting until we’re forced into painful ones,” reviewing spending for efficiencies rather than relying on reserves.
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%.
- Heather Coleman-CoxNetwork engineerStay on groundwater
Said: What they said
Says the investment in moving from Bull Run to groundwater is too great to reverse and the switch looks logical on cost; wants residents to report sight, smell or taste problems, and says the switch needed louder notice.
- Will DelPlatoRetired nurse and Army veteranKeep groundwater
Said: What they said
Would keep the groundwater system, saying there is no viable alternative and costs will be better controlled than buying Portland’s water; wants honest answers on taste, odor and hardness, promotion of free testing and a responsive fix.
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.
- Heather Coleman-CoxNetwork engineerPods, with conditions
Said: What they said
Supports keeping parks and public spaces safe and available with continued outreach toward shelter and housing; open to pod shelters under the new permit code once operator, siting, neighbor impact and housing results are clear.
- Will DelPlatoRetired nurse and Army veteranNo permissive camping
Said: What they said
Does not support Portland-style permissive camping policies; he does not address outreach or the pod-shelter permit code.
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.
- Heather Coleman-CoxNetwork engineerOpen to an emergency
Said: What they said
Was part of a community group that backed the rule-of-law resolution; open to an emergency declaration if it would give the City a practical way to better protect residents.
- Will DelPlatoRetired nurse and Army veteranFocus stays local
Said: What they said
Says he is keeping his focus local, on Gresham’s budget, safety and services; he does not say whether to declare an immigration-enforcement emergency.
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.