City of Gresham · November 3, 2026
Portland City Council, Council · Position 6
- 2
- Candidates
- 1
- Seats
- Vote for one
- Method
- Nov 3
- Due 8 p.m.
Our readingDraft
One candidate’s case is continuity in public safety, housing-focused outreach and economic development; the other has no reviewed platform yet, which is a research gap rather than a position. Ask both what they would change first.
| Candidate | 1 of 2 documented | 1 of 2 documented | 0 of 2 documented | 1 of 2 documented | Save to my ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityFiling statement only | 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: Daniel Miller
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.
- Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
- Janine GladfelterIncumbent councilor and business relationship managerVoted to keep $15
What they did
Seconded the first reading February 3, 2026 and moved the February 17 consent vote that kept the fee at $15 and made it changeable by resolution; no campaign statement 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?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Daniel Miller
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.
- Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
- Janine GladfelterIncumbent councilor and business relationship managerLevy, no Clackamas model
What they did
Says she fought for the levy that funded 40 police and 33 fire positions and wants specialty teams restored; on May 5, 2026 opposed “any option that could reduce public safety,” including the Clackamas district model. Renewal unsaid.
General-fund gapKeep drawing reserves to cover a $10 million general-fund gap, or cut services or raise revenue?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Daniel Miller
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.
- Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
- Janine GladfelterIncumbent councilor and business relationship managerMoved the budget
What they did
Moved and voted for Resolution 3713 adopting the FY 2026/27 budget June 9, 2026, with its roughly $10 million draw on general-fund balance.
Groundwater and ratesStay on the new groundwater system and fix the taste and hardness complaints, with water rates rising 5% a year from 2028?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Daniel Miller
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%.
- Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
- Janine GladfelterIncumbent councilor and business relationship managerVoted for rates
What they did
Voted yes June 2, 2026 on the water, wastewater and stormwater rate schedule for 2028–32 and the Lusted Water District wholesale agreement; no statement found on the taste and hardness complaints.
Camping and sheltersKeep the camping ban with housing-focused outreach, and allow pod shelters only under the new permit code?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Daniel Miller
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.
- Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
- Janine GladfelterIncumbent councilor and business relationship managerPod code, outreach
What they did
Voted for the pod-shelter code February 3 and March 3, 2026; wants the seven-day housing-focused outreach team strengthened “while enforcing codes so our streets and sidewalks stay clean and safe.”
Immigration enforcementGo beyond the January 2026 rule-of-law resolution and declare an immigration-enforcement emergency, as residents asked?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Daniel Miller
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.
- Daniel MillerListed by the city’s election authorityNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
- Janine GladfelterIncumbent councilor and business relationship managerResolution, not emergency
What they did
Said January 6, 2026 she supported moving forward with a resolution, then seconded and voted for Resolution 3681 on January 20 in place of an emergency declaration.
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.