Tom Sollitt

What they say they would do

Wants dependable basic services and a Council that makes bureaus and contractors follow through.

• Improve permit processing, maintenance and responsiveness.
• Invest in gathering places, local businesses and neighborhoods.
• Use Council oversight to coordinate service delivery.

Our reading

• Reliable public services
• Community participation

His focus is making existing institutions respond and coordinate, and his emailed reply attaches a measure to each issue: homes preserved and occupied, response times and repeat calls, audit findings acted on, street condition and transit reliability. What remains open is what would pay for street maintenance if the repair fee ends.

Where they stand

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Tom Sollitt is on record on 8. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

• Public money and terms for renovating the Moda Center?

  Said: Says he would have voted no on the Moda term sheet: he wants the Blazers kept but says the City started from a weak position and should have secured a clear return, accountability and remedies.

  Emailed response, response source

• Raise new revenue, or hold the line on taxes and fees?

  Said: Would strengthen oversight and scrutinize contracts before raising taxes or fees.

  Campaign site, site source

• Hire more sworn officers, or invest first elsewhere?

  Said: If staffing must rise, would target investigations and specialized units; staffing should follow need, not a fixed officer total.

  Campaign site, site source

• Keep funding camp removals at current levels?

  Said: Answered no, but would pause any increase or cut until a clear accounting shows what the program spends and achieves; wants rights-of-way kept clear through a coordinated approach with the County and providers.

  Emailed response, response source

• Restrict new AI data centers in the city?

  Said: Supports restricting new AI data centers while the City sets standards for resource use, environmental impacts, infrastructure costs, community impacts and transparency; a facility meeting them with a public benefit could be considered.

  Emailed response, response source

• Expand Portland Street Response to a full 24/7 role?

  Said: Supports a 24/7 Street Response eventually, but first an operational overhaul of dispatch, coverage, recruitment and retention and a way to share the cost with the County; would consider temporarily reducing hours to relieve current staff.

  Emailed response, response source

• Keep the monthly street repair fee?

  Said: Would eliminate the monthly street repair fee, citing the equity of its largely flat charge for renters, transit users and lower-income households; would audit transportation obligations and seek outside and fairer revenue, naming no single replacement.

  Emailed response, response source

• Raise water bills to pay for the Bull Run filtration plant and system repairs?

  Said: Would not support more water-rate increases until alternatives are exhausted, through outside funding, scrutiny of remaining costs and independent oversight; says the plant is legally required and he cannot promise increases are avoidable.

  Emailed response, response source

Their answers to our questions

Rent and homes

Said: On housing, I would focus first on preserving existing naturally occurring affordable housing and making better use of the resources we already have. [...] I would introduce a standardized fiscal scorecard for significant PHB investments showing the City's full contribution including direct funding, land and waived fees alongside outside funding, cost per unit, affordability and delivery schedule. [...] We should measure success through units preserved or created, units occupied, time from completion to occupancy, City contribution per occupied and/or preserved unit, outside dollars leveraged, permitting time, and actual versus projected project cost and schedule.

Received 2026-09-22

Camps, crime and who responds

Said: My approach is to clearly define who responds to what. Police should handle situations that require police authority or present a public-safety threat. Fire/EMS should handle medical emergencies. Portland Street Response and CHAT should handle appropriate behavioral-health, welfare and non-emergency calls. [...] Recent budget decisions preserved visible police and fire staffing while reducing administrative, dispatch, technology and support capacity that those responders rely on. [...] Within my first year, I would want Council to have a clear response-allocation plan identifying which calls should be handled by police, Fire/EMS, PSR, CHAT or County resources, the staffing and support capacity required to provide those services reliably, and the cost of each response.

Received 2026-09-22

Your bills and taxes

Said: Before asking Portlanders for more money, I want to demonstrate that we are using what they already give us wisely. Within my first budget, I would introduce a budget amendment to restore the Auditor's performance-audit capacity that was reduced because of the City's financial crisis. [...] I would not set an arbitrary savings target for the Auditor. [...] My first-year benchmark would be restoring the lost audit capacity and establishing a clear process for Council and the public to see what happens with the Auditor's findings.

Received 2026-09-22

Streets, buses and air

Said: My priority after becoming elected is maintaining what we already have before committing to new projects until new funding sources can be identified. [...] I would also work with the PCEF Committee to determine whether existing voter-approved climate funding can be more strategically allocated, within its approved purpose, toward transportation and air-quality needs. If the public's direction needs to change, I would take that question back to voters rather than have Council circumvent it. I would restrict spending on projects without a clear public benefit, sustainable funding source and measurable outcome.

Received 2026-09-22

Moda Center deal

Said: I would have voted no on adopting the proposed Moda Center renovation term sheet. I support keeping the Trail Blazers in Portland, but I believe the City should have started from a much stronger negotiating position. [...] Given the scale of the public investment, we should have secured a clear, material return for Portland, along with stronger accountability and remedies.

Received 2026-09-22

Clearing camps

Said: No. I would pause any discussion about increasing or reducing funding until we have a clear accounting of the program in order to right-size funding. [...] I agree that we need to keep rights-of-way clear, but this has become a contentious point for our community that has raised some legitimate concerns.

Received 2026-09-22

Data centers

Said: I support restricting new AI data centers in Portland. [...] I would support restrictions while we develop clear standards around resource use, environmental impacts, infrastructure costs, community impacts, and transparency. If a proposed facility can demonstrate that it meets those standards and provides a meaningful public benefit, that should be part of the conversation.

Received 2026-09-22

Street Response

Said: I support eventually making Portland Street Response a 24/7 service, but simply adding City funding to the existing system isn't sustainable. PSR needs an operational overhaul, including dispatch, geographic coverage, recruitment, and retention. [...] I would also consider temporarily reducing hours to alleviate the burden on current staff rather than continuing to stretch the system beyond its capacity.

Received 2026-09-22

Street repair fee

Said: I would eliminate the monthly street repair fee. [...] I don't want to pretend I have a single replacement funding source that solves this overnight. [...] This is exactly why I would want to undertake the hard work of auditing our transportation obligations, finding efficiencies, pursuing outside funding and partnerships, and identifying more equitable revenue options rather than defaulting to another fee.

Received 2026-09-22

Which measurable service targets would you put in the next budget?

Said: Before we can consider measurable service targets we need to know what we can actually afford. I can identify general areas where the city should measure, such as permitting timelines, call and response times, street and sidewalk maintenance, 311, housing and homelessness outcomes, infrastructure condition, and major project delivery. [...] Every major service should have a credible baseline, a measurable target, an accountable owner, and an identified cost. [...] Requests for additional funding should identify the capacity it would restore or add and the measurable improvement residents should expect in return.

Received 2026-09-23

Climate, transportation and environmental health

Said: I support continued investment in clean energy, energy efficiency, building electrification and climate resilience, including through the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund. [...] I support reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and addressing the risks of the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub, especially given Portland’s earthquake risk. I also support protecting our tree canopy, restoring natural areas and waterways, including Portland Harbor, and preparing neighborhoods for extreme heat and other climate impacts. [...] Whether it is a data center or a facility like Zenith, the public should understand the energy and water use, environmental and safety risks, infrastructure costs and commitments being made. There should not be secret deals or NDAs that prevent meaningful public scrutiny.

Received 2026-09-23

Accomplishments

Said: Legendary Makers Market: In 2023, I founded and produced the event through Asian American Town, leading the concept, partnerships, programming and production. The 2023 debut started with a $0 budget, brought together more than 100 AAPI vendors, and was presented in partnership with the Portland Night Market. The event grew substantially in its second year, more than 200 vendors and partners and an estimated 35,000 attendees with support from the City of Beaverton. [...] I Hope You Get Rich: In 2025, I founded and produced Oregon’s first Asian American pitch competition inspired by Pitch Black and Pitch Latino [...] It also started with a $0 budget.

Received 2026-09-23

Water rates

Said: I would not support additional rate increases without first exhausting meaningful alternatives to reduce the burden on ratepayers. [...] I can't promise that rate increases can be avoided given the commitment the City has already made, but I can promise that I would treat reducing the burden on ratepayers as a priority and require clear, independent accountability for the remaining work.

Received 2026-09-22

Council votes

No Council vote yet. That is not a judgment about experience.

A question the evidence leaves open

If the street repair fee ends, what would pay for street maintenance until other revenue is found?