Michael Jordan is nailing it on his way out: most city work isn’t sexy, but council dysfunction makes even basic operations harder than they should be (my summary). Until Portland focuses on being operational again, all the “big ideas” are just distractions, and a waste of precious time.

Since price fixing in the rental market was already illegal, calling this a big win feels… generous. But hey, if we’re padding the stats, might as well go for the hat trick and ban murder and embezzlement too.

I testified at Portland City Council this morning. It always feels a bit like entering the lion's den. One of the testifiers after me made a point to knock my outfit. If you're reading this, know I actually put a lot of thought into this blazer, and my wife said I looked nice.

We’re entering another PDX winter. The Mayor’s worked all year to create safe shelter so people don’t have to freeze in tents. Why does the DSA think that’s cruelty? Letting people suffer outside isn’t compassion and honestly, I think some people view it as leverage. portlanddsa.org/portland-dsa...

My thought on “social housing”: I’m all for more permanently affordable housing in Portland. But with a $600M parks backlog, 40% of the property tax base getting compressed, and income tax revenue leaving the city, how exactly do we pay for and sustain it?

This analogy of Vienna treating housing “like parks” rubs me the wrong way. Portland has run parks for 100+ years and they are underfunded, under-maintained, and under-performing. Why would housing be different?

Councilor Avalos says homeownership shouldn’t be a path to wealth. Easy to say when you can invent a new form of government, create a 6-figure gig, and fly to Vienna for models that won’t work here. For someone who talks so much about privilege, she should really check hers.

So let me get this straight: past council coalitions = corruption. Coalitions of Avalos + friends = ‘democracy at work.’ Got it.

www.portland.gov/council/dist...

Gaslighting much? Councilor Dumphy says “…don’t believe for a second that the private sector will ever build enough [housing] in order to have rents to go down”. Several cities that increased supply saw rents go down. Austin is the best example. www.instagram.com/reel/DM_WFFf...

Who woulda thunk, supply and demand are related. Why didn’t I think of that?! The answer to Portland’s housing affordability crisis does not need a long drawn out “theory of change”. It just needs more units built. This is not rocket science folks. reason.com/2025/07/22/r...

I applaud council tackling the housing crisis in pdx, however this "Unified Housing Strategy" is sus. Seems like it's being developed based on vibes, not reality. Let me re-write it for them: "Identify barriers to building housing, and remove them". The rest is fluff.

I think Clackamas County fumbled by not appointing Christine Lewis to the board of commissioners. Based on the public deliberation of the board, it is the equivalent of passing on an excellent chef because they shine on the line. Bummer.