Heather Coleman-Cox

What they say they would do

Proposes public-safety investment, neighborhood redevelopment and more opportunities for local businesses.

• Put vacant properties back into use and expand housing choices.
• Invest in utilities and parks.
• Support first responders and community approaches to safety.

Our reading

• Neighborhood revitalization
• Safety with trust

She connects housing, infrastructure and safety investment to economic opportunity; delivering all four priorities means choosing among competing capital needs she has not ranked.

Where they stand

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 6 questions. Heather Coleman-Cox is on record on 6. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

• Keep the Police, Fire and Parks Fee at $15 a month, now that the council can change it by resolution?

  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.

  Emailed response, response source

• 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: 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.

  Emailed response, response source

• Keep drawing reserves to cover a $10 million general-fund gap, or cut services or raise revenue?

  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.

  Emailed response, response source

• Stay on the new groundwater system and fix the taste and hardness complaints, with water rates rising 5% a year from 2028?

  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.

  Emailed response, response source

• Keep the camping ban with housing-focused outreach, and allow pod shelters only under the new permit code?

  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.

  Emailed response, response source

• Go beyond the January 2026 rule-of-law resolution and declare an immigration-enforcement emergency, as residents asked?

  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.

  Emailed response, response source

Their answers to our questions

Rent and homes

Said: I serve as VChair on the City of Gresham Community Development and Housing Committee. In this role we identify programs that support pathways to homeownership, rental assistance, home mending, adapting and DIY programs. [...] I would like to support bringing the vacant storefronts back to life with thriving new business or the expansion of existing business.

Received 2026-09-23

Camps, crime and who responds

Said: I strongly support equipping our first responders with all of the tools, resources and personnel they need to keep our city safe; in addition supporting community partners that work with law enforcement to identify what strategies work to decrease crime, and listen to the professionals combatting homelessness and understand what strategies they recommend to aid in housing our houseless residents.

Received 2026-09-23

Your bills and taxes

Said: As Chair of the City of Gresham Public Safety Levy Committee it is the task of this committee to hold the city accountable for the tax dollars they are collecting to fund this levy. This is accomplished through quarterly meetings with city staff and first responder leaders. We then take this information and report out to the public. We ensure each dollar spent is directly tied to the language of the levy that voters passed.

Received 2026-09-23

Streets, buses and air

Said: When I talk about sustainable growth, I mean bringing good jobs to Gresham while making sure our roads and other infrastructure can support that growth and our natural resources are protected.

Received 2026-09-23

Levy and fire district

Said: I wholeheartedly support renewing the levy and beginning to make the case transparent for residents right now as to why we need to continually fund the public safety levy.

Received 2026-09-23

Groundwater and rates

Said: The financial investment to move from Bull Run water to groundwater is much too great to retract. I encourage residents to sound the alarm if something is terribly off with their water (sight, smell, taste) so the city can remedy it. [...] The move to groundwater seems logical. Nonetheless, the notification of the switch should have come with a lot more noise and information.

Received 2026-09-23

Public-safety fee

Said: I support keeping the Police, Fire and Parks Fee at $15 a month. Residents deserve to know what they are paying for and how this fee works alongside the fire and police levy. If Council considers changing the amount, I believe residents should have a chance to weigh in.

Received 2026-09-23

General-fund gap

Said: I would not continue using reserves to cover a gap that comes back every year. That money will run out, and we still need it for unexpected needs. I also would not jump to cutting services residents rely on. I would want staff to walk us through what is causing the gap, where we can save money, and what other revenue options would mean for residents. Then Council needs to make those decisions in public and explain them clearly.

Received 2026-09-23

Camping and shelters

Said: I support keeping our parks and public spaces safe and available for all residents. I also understand the need to keep reaching out to people experiencing homelessness and help connect them with shelter and a path to stable housing. I am open to pod shelters under the new permit process, but I would want to know who would run them, where they would go, how they would affect nearby residents, and whether they would help people move into housing.

Received 2026-09-23

Keep Gresham’s own fire department, or join a district?

Said: I have met with Gresham Fire, who is currently outsourced to Fairview, Wood Village and Troutdale. I also met with the Mayor of Wood Village, Jairo Rios-Campos; I support moving toward a fire district. A committee is already formed with this endeavor in mind. I believe sharing the responsibilities across the communities being served will produce more sustainable funding while maintaining strong fire and emergency services.

Received 2026-09-23

Immigration enforcement

Said: I am a part of one of the community groups that supported the mayor and city council to produce the rule of law resolution. I support our local police focusing on keeping our city safe. I am open to an emergency declaration if it would give the City a practical way to better protect our residents.

Received 2026-09-23

A question the evidence leaves open

Which vacant-property or infrastructure initiative would you prioritize and fund first?