Print edition · Portland City Council · November 3, 2026

Multnomah Commissioner · District 2

7 candidates · Ranked choice · one seat · Research reviewed September 18, 2026 · Lines edition 2026-09-19.1

Official list checked. Candidates appear alphabetically by displayed name and receive the same structure. We do not endorse, rank or score.

Back to the District 2 Commissioner list

The choice in one paragraph

Our reading

Compare the concrete mechanisms each names: performance-based contracts, housing-retention reporting, publicly owned housing, culturally specific care and coordination with employers. Broad promises of accountability are common; the differences are in what would be measured.

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.
Yes No: The vote as the word, never as color alone.
Absent: Missed that roll call.
Not on committee: Had no vote in that committee.

Every candidate, A–Z

Name	Role	Summary	Rent and homes	Camps, crime and who responds	Your bills and taxes	Streets, buses and air
Bri Williams	County mental-health consultant and social worker	Emphasizes prevention and services designed with the communities using them.	Supports affordable housing with stronger eviction prevention so families aren’t displaced.	Supports prevention, restorative justice, youth investment and survivor services for safer neighborhoods.	Wants budgets that put essential services and measurable results first.	Build the Burnside Bridge in stages; community-led CEI Hub action; data-center moratorium.
Bruce Broussard	Retired veterans-service nonprofit administrator	Emphasizes resource management, veterans and support for low-income residents.	Wants homeless veterans’ benefits, housing, mental-health and medical care addressed.	Wants resources managed properly to address camps, mental illness and drug use.	Wants better resources for low-income residents as living costs outpace wages.	not found in the sources we reviewed
Herman Greene	Pastor and former school-board member	Connects stable housing with employment and measurable service performance.	Wants measurable housing-retention goals and performance-based contracts, with results published.	Wants crisis response, treatment and housing coordinated, with safety outcomes reported publicly.	Wants performance-based contracts, published spending and county investments tied to jobs.	not found in the sources we reviewed
Nabil Zaghloul	County human-services program director	Proposes housing-retention tracking and a public county performance report card.	Wants housing retention reported at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months for every program.	Wants reintegration tracked, neighborhood safety networks funded, clinicians instead of police for crises.	Proposes a public county report card on spending and results, outcome-based funding.	Fund the Burnside Bridge; insure and secure the CEI Hub; data-center moratorium.
Nathan Ong Norris	Hazardous-waste technician and organizer	Identifies as a democratic socialist and favors expanded public provision and climate accountability.	Supports social housing (publicly owned), eviction prevention and anti-displacement measures.	Housing first without tests; press jails on solitary; ambulances and fuel risks count too.	Wants service cuts and giveaways to billionaires stopped, public services expanded.	Wants the Climate Justice Plan implemented, polluters held accountable, no CEI Hub expansion.
Serena Cruz	Former county commissioner and COO	Wants to align housing, treatment and family services around more effective administration.	Wants County, City and Metro aligned from crisis stabilization to recovery housing to homes.	Wants people out of the ER–jail–shelter–street cycle through connected crisis care.	Wants the county to grow its tax base rather than cut or tax more.	Wants Climate Justice Plan goals owned, costed and scheduled, and heat pumps for renters.
Tony Robertson	State civil-rights division manager	Wants agencies to coordinate better and demonstrate what taxpayer spending achieves.	Wants vacant units filled through property-owner partnerships and faster housing placements.	Wants behavioral-health access sped up through provider, insurer and health-system partnerships.	Wants public spending dashboards, clear spending plans and options for local tax relief.	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

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Bri Williams

County mental-health consultant and social worker.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: I’m a lifelong District 2 resident, social worker, and community advocate. I believe our County works best when the people most affected are in decision-making positions.

Pamphlet p. 35

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 35 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. 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 prevention and services designed with the communities using them.

Strengthen eviction prevention and affordable housing.
Expand culturally specific behavioral-health services.
Invest in youth, restorative justice and survivor services.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Prevention
Community-designed services

Her safety approach emphasizes preventing harm and stabilizing families through culturally specific services; the statement lists commitments without costs or the order in which they would be funded.

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 35 ↗Williams · campaign home ↗Williams · Meet Bri ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Prevent evictions

What: Said: Affordable housing with stronger eviction prevention so families aren’t pushed out, and solutions that prevent displacement and support renters and homeowners staying rooted in their neighborhoods.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Prevention-first safety

What: Said: Safer neighborhoods through investment in restorative justice, holistic health, prevention, youth, community-based solutions and services for survivors, plus behavioral-health and culturally specific services that meet people where they are.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Taxes and the budget gap

Essential services first

What: Said: Responsible budgeting that prioritizes essential services and programs that deliver measurable results, in a government that is transparent, accountable and accessible to every community.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges and air

Burnside, community voice

What: Said: Supports moving the Burnside Bridge replacement forward with partners, staged to limit disruption; treats the CEI Hub (the riverside fuel-tank hub) as an environmental-justice and public-health issue, deferring to experts and affected neighbors; supports a data-center moratorium.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 13 questions. Bri Williams is on record on 6, with 7 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Said: Says shelters were lost because one-time money paid for long-term services; wants reliable funding and permanent housing for households at 0–30% of median income; she does not say whether to close shelter beds.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Said: Wants the county to run services (transitional housing, hotel vouchers, utility help, wraparound care) and the city to handle infrastructure; she does not say whether the agreement should be rewritten so one government runs shelters.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Said: Would stretch existing dollars, keep core services intact and find new funding sources, including for prevention work; she does not say whether to cut administration first.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Said: Would expand Preschool for All’s inclusion and culturally responsive mental-health supports, which she says lost their contract in the budget; she was the program’s first culturally specific consultant and did not address the tax delay.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Said: Personally disagreed with putting county money into the Moda Center but says that is past; now wants Albina Vision Trust and 1803 Fund benefits, minority contractors, and prevailing and living wages for builders and arena workers.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Said: Would continue the county’s sanctuary laws and keep ICE out of county buildings, keep educating communities on immigration law, and work with state legislators and senators so immigrant neighbors are safe.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

How would you evaluate prevention programs and choose between competing service needs?

Sources (4)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 35Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Williams · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Williams · Meet BriCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
City Club of Portland · Multnomah County District 2 debate (September 24, 2026)Candidate statement · September 24, 2026; transcript read September 25, 2026The candidate's own remarks at a public debate, read from a transcript; speaker attribution is the Lab's, from self-references and the moderator's order. Claims are not independently verified.

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Bruce Broussard

Retired veterans-service nonprofit administrator, veteran and former newspaper publisher.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: Together we can implement real solutions that improve the quality of living in our communities.

Pamphlet p. 34

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 34 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The “COMMUNITY SERVICE:” list and the run-in label “TOGETHER WE CAN DO BETTER:” that precede it are 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

Emphasizes resource management, veterans and support for low-income residents.

Improve responses to homelessness, mental illness and drug use.
Address living costs that outpace wages.
Apply community and veterans-service experience.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Resource management
Veterans and seniors

His statement offers broad priorities, a long service history and a promise to meet residents in person; it names no specific program change, cost or measure.

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 34 ↗Broussard · campaign site (listed on his County filing) ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

House homeless veterans

What: Said: Solve the county’s homeless-veteran problem by addressing veterans’ benefits, housing, mental-health care and access to medical care, continuing work he says he already does one veteran at a time.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Manage resources for camps

What: Said: Manage the right resources properly to address homeless camps, people with mental illness and drug-affected individuals.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Taxes and the budget gap

Resources for low-income

What: Said: Living costs have greatly outpaced wages and low-income residents need better resources; he says owning businesses and volunteering gave him a different perspective on spending tax dollars, which are the public’s money.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges 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 13 questions. Bruce Broussard is on record on 0, with 13 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

Which program would you change first, and what result would you measure?

Sources (2)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 34Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Broussard · campaign site (listed on his County filing)Candidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Herman Greene

Pastor, nonprofit leader and former Portland Public Schools board member.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: District 2 deserves a county government that delivers. I am a father, pastor, small business owner, community leader and longtime District 2 resident.

Pamphlet p. 34

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 34 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. 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

Connects stable housing with employment and measurable service performance.

Use housing-retention targets and performance-based contracts.
Link county investments to jobs and apprenticeships.
Coordinate crisis response, treatment and housing.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Measured results
Jobs as housing policy

His accountability tools (retention targets, performance-based contracts, published timelines and outcomes) are more specific than a general promise of transparency; their bite depends on targets and consequences he has not set.

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 34 ↗Greene · campaign home ↗Greene · priorities ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Housing-retention targets

What: Said: Set measurable housing-retention goals, use performance-based contracts, publish timelines, spending and results, and connect housing placements to mental-health, addiction-recovery and workforce services so fewer people return to the streets.
How: Said: Connect housing programs with mental-health, addiction-recovery and workforce services and tighten coordination between providers and county agencies to reduce repeat homelessness.
Measured by: Said: Fewer people returning to the streets and more families regaining stability, judged against published housing-retention goals; no target number is given.

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Coordinate crisis response

What: Said: Coordinate crisis response, treatment and housing, intervene earlier to reduce repeat crises, support frontline workers with better systems, and publicly report safety outcomes.
How: Said: Strengthen coordination between crisis-response teams and service providers and improve access to mental-health and addiction treatment, addressing the root causes of crisis.
Measured by: Said: Fewer repeat emergency calls and repeated emergencies, with safety outcomes reported publicly.

Taxes and the budget gap

Pay contracts for results

What: Said: Government must be accountable to the people it serves: measurable results, performance-based contracts, published timelines and spending, and county investments connected to job creation and living-wage careers.
How: Said: Partner with employers, labor and apprenticeship programs, expand workforce-training partnerships and remove barriers to work so county investments create jobs.
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges 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 13 questions. Herman Greene is on record on 1, with 12 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Said: Wants performance-based contracts and published timelines, spending and results for housing programs; his pamphlet does not mention the Homeless Services Department's leadership, Sunstone Way or outside audits.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

What would happen to a contract that repeatedly misses its housing-retention target?

Sources (3)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 34Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Greene · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Greene · prioritiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Nabil Zaghloul

County social and economic services program director.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: I’ve spent 32 years serving Multnomah County residents on the frontlines.

Pamphlet p. 36

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 36 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The heading “A COUNTY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE” is skipped. The first sentence is under 12 words, but the section label “HOW TO FIX IT:” follows it directly, so a second sentence cannot be added without eliding the label; the excerpt stops at one sentence.

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

Proposes housing-retention tracking and a public county performance report card.

Publish housing retention at three, six, nine and twelve months.
Combine housing, treatment and employment for sustained recovery.
Introduce homelessness-reduction and accountability legislation.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Prevention first
Retention tracking

He makes continued stability, not initial placement, the test of success and would tie contracts to it; the program results he cites are his own claims pending independent checks.

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 36 ↗Zaghloul · campaign home ↗Zaghloul · homelessness ↗Zaghloul · behavioral health ↗Zaghloul · public safety ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Track housing retention

What: Said: Introduce a Multnomah County Homelessness Reduction Act that puts prevention first, publicly report housing retention at three, six, nine and twelve months for every County-funded program, and expand the county’s master-lease model with landlords.
How: Said: Require quarterly retention reporting in every nonprofit contract, expand the Supportive Housing Alliance (the county master-leases blocks of units and chooses the tenants), and fund prevention as a frontline strategy.
Measured by: Said: Retention at three, six, nine and twelve months; he cites a prevention program that kept 2,800 households housed with over 90% still housed a year later, and 75 families rehoused last year, all still housed.

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Track reentry, fund youth

What: Said: Track whether people leaving the justice system actually reintegrate (find work, stay housed, stay out), invest in what Cully residents asked for (cameras, community safety networks, youth programs), and add behavioral-health professionals so police stop responding to mental-health crises.
How: Said: Rebuild addiction treatment around 12-to-24-month programs combining housing, treatment and employment, and expand youth programs like the one he says he runs in Cully on redirected funds and volunteers.
Measured by: Said: Treatment completion, housing stability and movement toward self-sufficiency measured for every program; reintegration after release tracked as standard.

Taxes and the budget gap

Public report card

What: Said: Introduce a Multnomah County Accountability and Results Act: a public County Report Card showing what the county spends, what works, what doesn’t and where it must improve, with programs funded by measured outcomes and county wages that keep up with Portland’s cost of living.
How: Said: Prioritize and, when the budget permits, expand programs with strong retention rates; require quarterly outcome reporting in every nonprofit contract.
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges and air

Bridge, fuel-hub safety

What: Said: Supports finishing the Burnside Bridge with federal, City, Metro and regional money; on the CEI Hub (the riverside fuel-tank hub) wants stronger safety measures, operators insured so taxpayers don’t pay, and emergency plans for nearby neighborhoods; supports a data-center moratorium.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 13 questions. Nabil Zaghloul is on record on 8, with 5 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Said: Notes many of the 600 beds being cut were already empty and says the answer for people who refuse shelter is sustained behavioral-health and addiction treatment, not more shelters, with prevention funded first.
Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Said: Says the City and County lack a strategic partnership with shared goals and metrics, and would consolidate overlapping homelessness, behavioral-health and public-safety services; he does not say which government should run shelters.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Said: Would require quarterly housing-retention reporting in every nonprofit contract and publish it; he does not address fiscal monitoring, outside audits or the department's leadership after Sunstone Way.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Said: Wants multi-year funding for 12-to-24-month programs combining housing, treatment and employment as the standard for people with overlapping needs; he does not mention the 2027 center or detox beds.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Said: Would budget for outcomes instead of history, stop funding long-term obligations with one-time money, and move money to prevention that proves it cuts later costs; he does not say whether to cut administration first.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Said: Calls Preschool for All one of the county’s best investments but wants accountability, financial sustainability, better behavioral-health care, and the tax thresholds indexed to inflation so middle-income earners are not pulled in; he did not address the delay.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Said: Not in support of a blank check; with the City, County and state moving ahead, wants jobs, community investment and small-business benefit in return; cites a campaign door-knocking survey he says found 44% of District 2 opposed.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Said: Says public safety is underfunded and corrections understaffed, and wants accountability for crimes, youth violence prevention and reentry services; he does not say whether to keep both jails at current capacity.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

What data would be independently checked, and how would reports protect client privacy?

Sources (6)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 36Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Zaghloul · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Zaghloul · homelessnessCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Zaghloul · behavioral healthCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Zaghloul · public safetyCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
City Club of Portland · Multnomah County District 2 debate (September 24, 2026)Candidate statement · September 24, 2026; transcript read September 25, 2026The candidate's own remarks at a public debate, read from a transcript; speaker attribution is the Lab's, from self-references and the moderator's order. Claims are not independently verified.

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Nathan Ong Norris

Hazardous-waste technician, union member and community organizer.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: I’m a third generation Asian-American, union member, and community organizer. My parents raised my sister and I in Portland on one income.

Pamphlet p. 36

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 36 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The slogan “A Democratic Socialist standing up for you, and your neighbors” (no terminal punctuation) is 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

Identifies as a democratic socialist and favors expanded public provision and climate accountability.

Support Preschool for All, social housing and libraries.
Implement the Climate Justice Plan and hold polluters accountable.
Reduce CEI Hub risks and prevent expansion.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Democratic socialist
Climate justice

He treats public services and climate protection as promises society keeps to each other; his platform lists what to expand (preschool, social housing, libraries) without naming the recurring revenue.

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 36 ↗Ong Norris · campaign home ↗Ong Norris · platform ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Social housing

What: Said: Safe and stable housing is one of society’s promises: eviction prevention, anti-displacement and housing-stability measures, regional social housing (publicly owned, mixed-income homes) and community benefits agreements.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Housing first, no tests

What: Said: Supports housing first without sobriety or other tests; would press the sheriff on jail conditions and the overuse of solitary confinement; counts ambulance response times, firefighters’ conditions and fuel and chemical storage as public safety.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Taxes and the budget gap

Expand public services

What: Said: The county cuts services while giving money and land to billionaires, which must stop; expand the common good instead: Preschool for All, social housing, public libraries and critical infrastructure, with affordable utilities.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges and air

Climate Justice Plan

What: Said: Implement the county’s Climate Justice Plan, hold polluters accountable, keep utilities affordable with oversight of private utility companies, cut greenhouse-gas emissions, and mitigate the risks of the CEI Hub (the riverside fuel-tank hub) while preventing its expansion.
How: Said: Oversight of private utility companies and reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, alongside emergency management, community resilience and critical-infrastructure improvements.
Measured by: Not in their sources

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 13 questions. Nathan Ong Norris is on record on 6, with 7 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Said: Says the fastest way to cut homelessness is keeping people in their homes through eviction prevention and utility relief, with housing first; he does not say whether to close shelter beds.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Said: Says billionaires and oil companies are not struggling and the county should go get what it needs from them; backs a downtown vacancy tax; he does not address cutting administration.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Said: Signed a pledge to reject any further delays in fully funding Preschool for All, support the full voter-approved tax rate and vote against any action that limits or reduces the program.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Said: Says the county belongs at the table on the renovation but promised too much for too little in return, leaving jobs, better streets or power-bill relief unsecured; says the arena should have been a community center first.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Said: Would first ask why the jails miss the standards in the county’s own audit and why solitary confinement is still overused; counts ambulance times and fuel storage as public safety; he does not address jail capacity.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Said: Would keep ICE out of county buildings, off the streets and out of the county.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

What recurring revenue would support expanded services without weakening existing ones?

Sources (4)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 36Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Ong Norris · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Ong Norris · platformCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
City Club of Portland · Multnomah County District 2 debate (September 24, 2026)Candidate statement · September 24, 2026; transcript read September 25, 2026The candidate's own remarks at a public debate, read from a transcript; speaker attribution is the Lab's, from self-references and the moderator's order. Claims are not independently verified.

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Serena Cruz

Former county commissioner and COO

Former county commissioner and chief operating officer; nonprofit and construction-business experience.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: Local government CAN work better for people in North and Northeast Portland.

Pamphlet p. 35

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 35 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims.

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

Wants to align housing, treatment and family services around more effective administration.

Coordinate housing, treatment and supportive services.
Make preschool effective and accessible.
Support small businesses and paths from renting to ownership.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Operational experience
Integrated services

She presents county operating experience as the way to align housing, treatment and preschool delivery; much of her plan runs through partners the county does not control (the City, Metro, the Legislature, a charter change).

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 35 ↗Cruz · campaign home ↗Cruz · issues ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Crisis to housing pipeline

What: Said: Align the County, City and Metro so the highest-need neighbors get behavioral-health support that connects crisis stabilization to recovery housing to a home of their own; she cites leading Bridges to Housing across four counties and building land-trust homes.
How: Said: Advocate higher-density zoning where transit already runs (North Interstate, for example) through the 2027 legislative session, and align County, City and Metro around one response instead of finger-pointing.
Measured by: Said: Points to 11,000 people housed in four years with 83% still housed two years later, and to her Bridges to Housing record: domestic-violence reports down from 36% to under 10% over five years.

Crisis care, jail and deflection

End ER–jail–street cycle

What: Said: Stop highest-need neighbors cycling through emergency rooms, jails, shelters and the streets by connecting crisis stabilization to recovery housing; she says about 9% of the Medicaid population is homeless with untreated illness and drives 40% of system costs.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Taxes and the budget gap

Grow the tax base

What: Said: The county cannot cut or tax its way out of a structural deficit she puts at $33 million by 2030; grow the tax base by partnering in Portland’s economy, require project labor and community benefits agreements on County-funded projects, and condition Moda Center money on a payment in lieu of taxes.
How: Said: Treat the Moda Center renovation as economic development: public dollars tied to a project labor agreement, a community benefits agreement naming Albina Vision Trust, a 20-year Blazers commitment and an annual payment in lieu of taxes.
Measured by: Said: Names the gap to close: property and business income taxes are 72% of the General Fund, an $11 million hole was closed this summer and the structural deficit grows to $33 million by 2030.

Roads, bridges and air

Costed climate plan

What: Said: Give every Climate Justice Plan goal a named owner, a cost and milestones; protect rental assistance, expand renter access to heat pumps, send cooling and clean-air money first to low-canopy neighborhoods, hold the county to its fossil-fuel-free building resolution, and press DEQ and the City on the fuel hub and Zenith’s 2027 deadline.
How: Said: Lower the threshold for the county’s Clean Air Construction Standard, extend the fossil-fuel-free building resolution to resilience standards for emergency shelters, and file formal comment on DEQ’s seismic review of the fuel hub.
Measured by: Said: Zenith’s October 2027 deadline to end crude-oil handling enforced by the City and DEQ; cooling and clean-air investments reaching Parkrose and Argay Terrace first.

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 13 questions. Serena Cruz is on record on 8, with 5 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Said: Wants the County, City and Metro aligned around one coordinated response instead of finger-pointing; she does not say whether one government should run all shelters when the agreement expires.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Said: Wants behavioral-health support that connects crisis stabilization to recovery housing so the highest-need Medicaid patients stop cycling through ERs and jails; she does not mention the 2027 center or detox beds.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Said: Says the county cannot cut or tax its way out of a structural deficit she puts at $33 million by 2030; the fix is partnering in Portland's economy to grow the tax base.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Said: Not yet satisfied: says the program has more seats than enrolled children but not in the right places and hours, must cover children with special needs, and should explain its high reserves; she did not address the 2028 delay.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Said: Supports public dollars to keep the Blazers and the Fire in Portland, conditioned on a project labor agreement, a community benefits agreement naming Albina Vision Trust, a 20-year commitment and an annual payment in lieu of taxes.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Said: Says the jails have a staffing challenge that must be fixed so families can visit and defense lawyers can meet clients; she does not say whether to keep both jails at current capacity.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Said: Would protect the county’s sanctuary efforts and prepare employees for ICE arriving; as a commissioner she challenged the sheriff’s office over money from the U.S. Marshals Service, which ended.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Said: Supports a charter amendment creating an appointed county administrator, hired by the full Board through an open search, to run daily operations against performance measures while the elected chair and commissioners set policy.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

What would change in contracting and oversight compared with your previous county roles?

Sources (3)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 35Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Cruz · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Cruz · issuesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.

District 2 Commissioner candidate · Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Tony Robertson

BOLI civil-rights division manager with housing and workforce experience.

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet

In their words

Said: Born in North Portland and raised in NE Portland, Tony is deeply connected to our community.

Pamphlet p. 37

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 37 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The heading “ROOTED HERE, READY TO SERVE N/NE PORTLAND” 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

Wants agencies to coordinate better and demonstrate what taxpayer spending achieves.

Improve housing, homelessness and behavioral-health services.
Strengthen economic opportunity and relationships with small businesses.
Make public spending more transparent.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Cross-agency coordination
Fiscal transparency

He would make the county, city and state work as one system and open the county’s books; his priorities page commits to exploring, evaluating and partnering more than to any costed program.

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 37 ↗Robertson · campaign home ↗Robertson · priorities ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Fill vacant units

What: Said: Partner with property owners so vacant housing is not left empty while neighbors are on the street, remove barriers that slow placements, protect money for rent assistance, outreach and placement, and hold housing programs accountable for results rather than processes.
How: Said: Expand technical assistance to contracted providers, evaluate county rules that get in the way of help, and protect dollars for rent assistance, street outreach and housing placement.
Measured by: Not in their sources

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Faster behavioral care

What: Said: Preserve and creatively expand behavioral-health services so people get care when they are ready, with coordination across health, housing, insurers and community providers, and fair wages and safe staffing for the mental-health workforce.
How: Said: Partnerships with mental-health providers, insurers and health systems to speed access, stronger rates and safe conditions for providers, and referral and exit-plan fixes with the state and city.
Measured by: Not in their sources

Taxes and the budget gap

Open the county books

What: Said: Demand clear spending plans, measurable outcomes and real transparency for every program the county funds, including the Preschool for All reserve (he puts it at $610 million) and housing contracts where placements lag; explore local tax relief across jurisdictions.
How: Said: More frequent public spending dashboards and budget information, earlier public input in the budget process, and a cross-jurisdiction review of the local tax structure for relief options.
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges 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 13 questions. Tony Robertson is on record on 3, with 10 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

Close shelter beds to keep people in housing as homeless-services money falls?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Back extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep and tighten the drug deflection center, or halt it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the 2027 Recovery Pathways Center on schedule and fund more detox and treatment beds around it?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Close the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Up to $101.6 million in county money for the Moda Center renovation?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep both jails at their current funded capacity as the General Fund shrinks?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the county's sanctuary code and refuse ICE detainers under federal pressure?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Drop the two-paramedic ambulance rule for good?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Move day-to-day county management from the elected chair to an appointed administrator?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Rewrite the city-county homelessness agreement so one government runs shelters?
Said: Would evaluate the county's shared formal agreements to clarify roles and responsibilities and rebuild fractured relationships with other governments; he does not say whether one government should run shelters.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Tighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?
Said: Demands clear spending plans, measurable outcomes and transparency for every program the county funds, including housing contracts where placements lag; he does not mention outside audits or Sunstone Way.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?
Said: Demands a clear spending plan and measurable outcomes for the Preschool for All reserve, which he puts at $610 million; his site does not say whether the tax increase should stay delayed to 2028.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

Which coordination failures would you fix first, and how would the public track progress?

Sources (3)

Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 37Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Robertson · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Robertson · prioritiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.