Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, House · District 51

2
Candidates: 1
Seats: Vote for one
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Rural Clackamas County: Sandy, Estacada, Beavercreek, Mulino and Canby, and the countryside between Oregon City and Mount Hood Villages.Rural Clackamas CountyNot yours? Senate · District 13

Our readingDraft

One candidate leads with healthcare access, rural opportunity and environmental protection; the other with local development control, policing, tax restraint and parental rights. Compare how each would fund services and accommodate needed housing.

2 candidates, A–Z. Tap any position to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source.

8 more choices, below8 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 2 documented	1 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	Save to my ballot
Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads

What this office decides right now

What’s at stake

House District 51 is rural Clackamas County: Sandy, Estacada, Beavercreek, Mulino and Canby, much of it in the wildland-urban interface. A state representative is one of 60 votes on the two-year budget, on any tax increase (three-fifths) and on holding back a kicker (two-thirds). The 2027 session opens in January with a budget gap, no durable road-funding source and shelter money that runs out in June 2027.

Each of this office’s 8 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

2027–29 budget gap
Federal H.R. 1 is projected to open a gap between the cost of current programs and revenue, so the Chief Financial Office told agencies on February 10, 2026 that 2027–29 requests must be revenue-neutral. September’s forecast shows a $400 million 2025–27 ending balance, $3.46 billion in reserves (9.7% of the general fund) and no kicker due on 2028 returns.
Wildfire costs
Fires burned a record 2.5 million acres in summer 2026. HB 3940’s nicotine tax and Rainy Day Fund interest put about $63 million into two wildfire funds in 2027–29 by the Legislative Revenue Office’s estimate, and SB 83 (2025) repealed the statewide hazard map that would have driven building and defensible-space rules.
Wildfire map repeal
SB 83 (2025), passed 29–0 in the Senate and 50–1 in the House, repealed the statewide wildfire hazard map and the building-code and defensible-space requirements tied to it. Any replacement rules for homes in the wildland-urban interface would have to come from the Legislature.
Road funding
Voters repealed HB 3991’s gas-tax and fee increases in May 2026, and the 2026 session redirected existing money to close ODOT’s $297 million gap through June 2027. ODOT now projects a $200 million gap for 2027–29 and nearly 200 maintenance-job cuts; the governor’s workgroup owes recommendations for a 2027 package by year’s end.
Shelter money cliff
The statewide shelter program has $204.9 million for 2025–27, $102.5 million of it one-time money that ends June 30, 2027, and the homelessness emergency runs through January 10, 2027. The state counts 6,286 shelter beds added or kept, 5,539 people rehoused and 25,942 households kept housed since January 2023.
Data centers
About 144 data centers get roughly $450 million a year in property-tax breaks, a figure the Legislative Revenue Office called “pretty close” on September 8, 2026. Data-center deals on state land are paused through July 1, 2027, and the governor’s advisory committee owes recommendations for a 2027 bill by the end of 2026.
Tax disconnect
SB 1507 (2026) disconnected Oregon from federal H.R. 1 business tax breaks and enlarged the Earned Income Tax Credit, a net $314 million for the 2027–29 general fund by the Legislative Revenue Office’s estimate. Whether to go further, or to cut instead, is the 2027 session’s call.

Where they stand · eight more choices

Eight choices the 2027 Legislature 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.

2027 road packageVote for a 2027 transportation package that raises the gas tax and vehicle fees again?2 of 2 on record

HB 3991, passed in a September 2025 special session, raised the gas tax and vehicle fees; voters repealed those increases as Measure 120 on May 19, 2026, 83% to 17%. The 2026 session redirected existing funds to close ODOT's $297 million gap through June 2027, and ODOT says it faces a $200 million gap and nearly 200 maintenance-job cuts in 2027–29.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Road budgets insufficient
Said: What they said
Says rural roads are in disrepair and the budgets to fix them are insufficient; she does not say how she would raise the money.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
No transportation taxes
Said: What they said
Opposes the transportation package’s gas-tax, vehicle-fee and payroll-tax increases; would cut waste and prioritize road maintenance and safety instead of new taxes.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.

Kicker refundLet the state keep part of a future kicker refund for wildfire or other one-time needs?0 of 2 on recordNot found: Darla Mead, Matt Bunch

The 2026 kicker returned about $1.4 billion; holding any of it back takes a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The September 2026 forecast puts 2025–27 personal income taxes $526 million under the kicker threshold, so no refund is due on 2028 returns; a 2026 bill to change how the kicker is calculated (HB 4125) had a hearing February 2 and died in committee.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Budget gap: taxes?Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?2 of 2 on record

The state's Chief Financial Office told agencies on February 10, 2026 that federal H.R. 1 opens a gap between current programs and revenue, and that 2027–29 requests must be revenue-neutral. In February 2026 the Legislature passed SB 1507, disconnecting from H.R. 1 business tax breaks to raise about $314 million for 2027–29 while enlarging the Earned Income Tax Credit; reserves stand at $3.46 billion.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Find budget improvements
Said: What they said
Would bring accounting skills to finding budget improvements and wants schools funded beyond federal dollars; she does not say whether she would raise revenue.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Voted no on disconnect
What they did
Voted no on SB 1507 on February 25, 2026; his statement says he is fighting to protect tax relief, including eliminating state taxes on tips and overtime.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

Data-center limitsMake data centers pay their own way: separate power rates, an end to tax breaks, or a pause on new ones?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Matt Bunch

Oregon has about 144 data centers and roughly $450 million a year in property-tax breaks, a figure the Legislative Revenue Office called “pretty close” on September 8, 2026. The 2025 POWER Act (HB 3546) put them in their own electricity rate class; the governor paused data-center deals on state land through July 1, 2027 and will bring the 2027 session a statewide framework.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Rules insufficient now
Said: What they said
Says data centers are being built in rural neighborhoods where they deplete fresh water and that existing regulations are insufficient to manage them.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Shelter fundingKeep paying for state-funded shelter beds and the homelessness emergency after June 2027?2 of 2 on record

The statewide shelter program created by HB 3644 (2025) has $204.9 million for 2025–27, half of it one-time money that expires June 30, 2027; Executive Order 26-01 extends the homelessness emergency through January 10, 2027. The state counts 6,286 shelter beds added or kept and 5,539 people rehoused from January 2023 through September 2025.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Pathways to stable housing
Said: What they said
Wants pathways from subsidized housing and rental assistance to long-term stable housing; she does not address shelter funding.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Community-based, no bureaucracy
Said: What they said
Calls growing homelessness a serious concern and wants community-based solutions without new bureaucracy; he does not say whether to renew state shelter money.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

Drugs: deflectionKeep the 2024 approach of recriminalized possession plus county deflection programs, and fund them in 2027–29?0 of 2 on recordNot found: Darla Mead, Matt Bunch

HB 4002 (2024) made drug possession a misdemeanor again on September 1, 2024 and created county deflection programs, run by 28 counties and six tribes in the first cycle and funded with $40 million for 2025–27. Through August 4, 2025 the state logged 2,096 deflection events: 1,308 people entered a program, 277 completed one and 630 did not.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Wildfire moneySpend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Matt Bunch

Fires burned a record 2.5 million acres in Oregon in summer 2026. HB 3940 (2025) taxes oral nicotine and moves 20% of Rainy Day Fund interest into two wildfire funds, which the Legislative Revenue Office put at about $43 million for 2025–27 and $63 million for 2027–29, and raises the timber harvest tax; SB 83 (2025) repealed the statewide wildfire hazard map.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Mitigate disasters
Said: What they said
Says her family evacuated in the 2020 fires and she will fight for solutions that mitigate natural disasters; she does not say how much the state should spend or how to pay.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Sanctuary lawKeep adding state limits on federal immigration enforcement, on top of Oregon's sanctuary law?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Darla Mead

Oregon's 1987 sanctuary law and the 2021 Sanctuary Promise Act bar public resources for immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. The 2026 session passed eight more bills, signed April 9, 2026, including HB 4138, which requires officers to identify themselves and limits masks (House 36–19, Senate 18–10), and SB 1570, which requires hospitals to set policies for law-enforcement visits.

Darla MeadOncology nurse and foster parent
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Matt BunchCandidate for House District 51
Voted no: HB 4138
What they did
Voted no on HB 4138 on February 24 and March 6, 2026, the bill requiring officers to identify themselves and limiting masks.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

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 Legislature adopts state laws, taxes and budgets, including school funding, healthcare, housing rules and transportation. Most legislation needs both chambers and the governor, or a veto override. An individual legislator cannot order a local agency to act.

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.