City of Oregon City · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, Commission

4
Candidates: 2
Seats: Two commission seats
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Our readingDraft

Two seats. The candidates differ on urban renewal, business incentives, parks and how City Hall is run. Compare the mechanism and the funding behind each promise.

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	2 of 4 documented	3 of 4 documented	4 of 4 documented	3 of 4 documented
Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair	Homes	Safety	Money	Streets

What this office decides right now

What’s at stake

An Oregon City commissioner is one of five votes on a two-year budget ($319,019,000 for 2025–27), the tax rate and the $6.50 public-safety fee, urban renewal and downtown rules, and the hiring of the city manager. Two seats are open at once; the winners join a commission whose general fund runs a deficit every year of the forecast, with the urban-renewal district’s future, a possible parks bond and the Willamette Falls riverwalk ahead.

Each of this office’s 6 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

Deficits every year
The 2025–27 budget’s general-fund forecast shows spending exceeding revenue in every year from FY 2026 ($624,400) through FY 2031 ($1.5 million), with the ending balance falling from $15,191,400 to $7,781,800; the Budget Committee heard in April 2025 that the fund was “structurally imbalanced regardless” and that a hiring freeze was in place.
Tax rate and fee
The 2025–27 rate is $4.489 per $1,000, an $0.08 increase worth about $657,000 that paid for one police officer and one code officer, the first increase since 2013; each 10 cents raises about $500,000 a year. The $6.50-a-month Community Safety Advancement Fee brings in about $1.27 million a year, and staff flagged new revenue as a future discussion in February 2026.
46 sworn officers
Police is the general fund’s largest department at $30.0 million, 44% of spending, with 46 sworn and 15 non-sworn positions; the police union told the Budget Committee in April 2025 that no full-time patrol position had been added since 2017.
$12.5 million riverwalk
The city holds a $12.5 million state lottery-bond grant for a riverwalk the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde design and build on their 23-acre former Blue Heron mill site, with the first segment between 3rd and 4th streets under way since a May 28, 2026 groundbreaking; if public access ever lapses and the state claws back money, the city and tribe repay equally.
Urban renewal’s future
The urban-renewal district takes in about $3.2 million a year in tax increment; closing it would return about $900,000 a year to the general fund. Voters rejected $44 million of agency borrowing in May 2023 under Charter Section 59, and in 2025 the agency weighed a new measure, repeal, closure or litigation before settling on a 25% collection rate and property sales.
Caring Place opens
The Homeless Solutions Coalition’s $28 million Caring Place at 1516 Main Street will house The Father’s Heart, LoveOne and county housing access; the city estimated $613,793.75 in development charges, and on May 20, 2026 the commission considered a memorandum to move its Caring Court there. The outcome is not yet in published minutes.

Where they stand · six more choices

Six choices the City of Oregon City 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.

Data-center moratoriumAdopt a temporary moratorium on data centers while the city rewrites its code?1 of 4 on recordNot found: Betty Mumm, Gordon J Lawrence, Paul Espe

At the September 8, 2026 work session Commissioner Marl proposed a data-center moratorium and reported unanimous support from colleagues for moving forward; no ordinance has been published and none is on the September 16 or October agendas. State law allows a 120-day moratorium only on a finding of compelling need, and Clackamas County held its own moratorium hearing September 15, 2026. No data center operates in the county.

Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney
No to data centers
Said: What they said
Says “No to data centers” alongside yes to historic preservation, and would make the North End a solar-generation district.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Budget and tax rateClose the general fund’s structural gap by raising the property-tax rate or the $6.50-a-month public-safety fee, or by cutting?3 of 4 on recordNot found: Paul Espe

The 2025–27 budget ($319,019,000) was adopted June 4, 2025 with the tax rate raised 8 cents to $4.489 per $1,000, the first increase since 2013, worth about $657,000 for a police officer and a code officer. The general-fund forecast still shows spending outrunning revenue every year through 2031, with the ending balance falling from $15.2 million to $7.8 million; the Community Safety Advancement Fee is $6.50 a month, about $1.27 million a year, and the commission reviewed restructuring it in February 2026.

Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner
Careful review of costs
Said: What they said
Says proposals that increase residents’ financial burden deserve careful review and taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely while protecting essential services; the rate, the fee and any cuts are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer
Tax base through development
Said: What they said
Says the city cannot fund services without a tax base and cannot build one by blocking development; the rate, the fee and any cuts are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney
Restore renewal dollars
Said: What they said
Would fully fund police by restoring tax dollars diverted to urban renewal; the tax rate, the $6.50 fee and any cuts are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Caring Place and exclusionsMove the city’s Caring Court into the Caring Place services hub, and keep the downtown civil-exclusion zone?2 of 4 on recordNot found: James Nicita, Paul Espe

The Homeless Solutions Coalition’s Caring Place at 1516 Main Street, a $28–30 million hub for The Father’s Heart, LoveOne and county housing services, broke ground September 8, 2025; on May 20, 2026 the commission took up a memorandum to co-locate the city’s Caring Court there. On December 3, 2025 the commission adopted Ordinance 25-1016 creating a downtown civil exclusion zone, 5–0. The police budget holds 46 sworn officers.

Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner
Report Father’s Heart costs
Said: What they said
Asked the commission October 15, 2025 to report the police hours spent on calls at The Father’s Heart so the Caring Place could see how much has been spent; the Caring Court move and the exclusion zone are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer
Strengthen services
Said: What they said
Would pursue solutions that improve housing opportunities and strengthen services and community resources for people who are homeless; the Caring Court move and the exclusion zone are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Urban renewal’s futureKeep the urban-renewal district (about $3.2 million a year in tax increment) and try again to loosen the charter’s voter-approval rule, or wind it down?1 of 4 on recordNot found: Betty Mumm, Gordon J Lawrence, Paul Espe

Charter Section 59, adopted by voters in 2012, requires voter approval before the urban renewal agency borrows; voters rejected $44 million of borrowing in May 2023. In 2025 the agency, chaired by Commissioner Marl, weighed a new measure, repeal, closing the district (about $900,000 a year to the general fund) or a lawsuit, then set a 25% collection rate for 2026–27 and began selling agency-owned houses. A citizen petition for a charter office of city attorney got a ballot title in February 2026 but is not on this ballot.

Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney
Keep voter approval
Said: What they said
Wrote the 2012 right-to-vote amendment and says he led the 2023 and 2025 opposition to agency plans to extinguish it; if urban renewal continues, would prioritize small citizen-designed projects. Closing the district is unsaid.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Abernethy Bridge and tollsGive ODOT five more years, to 2031, to stage I-205 bridge work in two riverfront parks, and keep pressing the state to strike tolling from statute?0 of 4 on record

Voters approved four years of temporary ODOT use of parts of Jon Storm Park and Sportcraft Landing in November 2018 (over 78% yes); that expires in September 2026, and ODOT asked in March for an extension to September 15, 2031, which the commission weighed May 20, 2026 with a letter of agreement on quarterly check-ins and local projects. On January 7, 2026 the commission voted 5–0 that tolling language should be permanently stricken from state statute.

Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Pool and parks bondAsk voters for a parks bond to build a new aquatic center and rebuild the End of the Oregon Trail center?3 of 4 on recordNot found: Betty Mumm

On February 18, 2026 the commission approved a $399,932 architecture contract for concept plans for both facilities, drawing $99,932 from an $8.6 million parks system-development-charge contingency; open houses ran in June 2026, and the 2027 community survey will ask which funding methods residents support. The commission’s budget chair listed a potential parks bond as a coming-biennium topic in May 2025; the pool is about 60 years old.

Betty MummFormer city commissioner and small-business owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Gordon J LawrenceContracting-business owner and civic volunteer
More attention to parks
Said: What they said
Would give more attention to parks, recreation and the city’s natural assets; a bond for the pool and the trail center is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
James NicitaHistorian; retired attorney
Metro partnership for parks
Said: What they said
Wants first-rate parks and a partnership with Metro to make Water Board Park a regional park; a bond for the pool and the trail center is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Paul EspeUrban planner and planning-commission chair
Improve parks services
Said: What they said
Would maintain, improve and increase existing services including public parks; a bond for the pool and the trail center is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

About this race

How to vote

Two seats; follow the instruction printed on your ballot. 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.