City of Gresham · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, Council · Position 4

4
Candidates: 1
Seats: Vote for one
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Our readingDraft

All four share broad affordability goals but reach for different tools: long-term infrastructure planning, emergency resilience, recovery services, and workforce pathways. Ask which tool comes first and what it would cost.

4 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	4 of 4 documented	3 of 4 documented	4 of 4 documented	2 of 4 documented
Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst	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?2 of 4 on recordNot found: Krestina Aziz, Teo Ramirez

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.

Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner
Move to voter approval
Said: What they said
Would not raise the $15 fee or eliminate it without a replacement; prefers moving from the Council-imposed fee to voter-approved funding, with parks considered separately from police and fire.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner
Fees off residents
Said: What they said
Would keep “unnecessary fees and costs off residents” while encouraging responsible growth; does not name the $15 Police, Fire and Parks Fee or say whether it should change.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst
Not 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 4 on recordNot found: Joshua Al-jaouni, Krestina Aziz, Teo Ramirez

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.

Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner
Study district, then levy
Said: What they said
Open to a regional fire district if an honest cost-benefit analysis shows it makes financial sense without degrading service; would use that and the current levy’s results to set any renewal request.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst
Not 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?1 of 4 on recordNot found: Joshua Al-jaouni, Krestina Aziz, Teo Ramirez

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.

Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner
Reserves for one-time only
Said: What they said
Says reserves may suit one-time costs but cannot be the long-term answer to a structural deficit; would look first for efficiencies and coordinated projects, and grow the revenue base through economic development.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Groundwater and ratesStay on the new groundwater system and fix the taste and hardness complaints, with water rates rising 5% a year from 2028?3 of 4 on recordNot found: Teo Ramirez

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%.

Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner
Accounting before rates
Said: What they said
Would have kept Bull Run as the main source with groundwater as backup; before more rate increases wants an accounting of what they pay for and a systemwide fix for taste and hardness, not home filters.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner
Listen on water
Said: What they said
Says he will always listen when issues arise, “like the current water concerns,” and work with the community on practical solutions; no position on the system, treatment or rates.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner
Accountability on wells
Said: What they said
Lists accountability in city decisions, “including the transition to water wells,” under transparent government; no position on keeping the system, changing treatment or the 2028–32 rates.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Camping and sheltersKeep the camping ban with housing-focused outreach, and allow pod shelters only under the new permit code?3 of 4 on recordNot found: Krestina Aziz

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.

Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner
Keep ban, pods doubtful
Said: What they said
Supports keeping the camping restrictions with housing-focused outreach and services before enforcement; very wary of pod shelters but not categorically opposed, if siting, management and a real path to housing are shown.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner
Treatment with expectations
Said: What they said
Says compassion and accountability must go together: connect people to treatment, recovery, mental-health resources and stable housing “while maintaining clear expectations.” The camping code and pod-shelter permits are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst
Regional housing pathways
Said: What they said
Would connect people to addiction and mental-health support, shelter and long-term housing pathways with regional coordination and clear accountability; the camping code and pod-shelter permits are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

Immigration enforcementGo beyond the January 2026 rule-of-law resolution and declare an immigration-enforcement emergency, as residents asked?2 of 4 on recordNot found: Joshua Al-jaouni, Krestina Aziz

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.

Gregory SchroederInfrastructure program manager and planning commissioner
No emergency declaration
Said: What they said
Agrees with the City Attorney that Gresham’s role is limited by state and federal law; opposes a local emergency that would not change the City’s legal authority or conditions on the ground.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Joshua Al-jaouniPastor and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Krestina AzizCourt interpreter and business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Teo RamirezLocal-government analyst
Reaffirm sanctuary promise
Said: What they said
Organized residents’ testimony and asked the council to publicly reaffirm the Sanctuary Promise Act, fund bilingual rights education, expand staff training and set a communication process for federal operations; an emergency declaration is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

About this race

How to vote

You vote for one candidate. 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.