In 2022, Portland residents voted to drastically change the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked-choice voting to expand the city council from five seats to 12.  Another change is the creation of four geographic districts, with voters in each district electing three candidates to represent them on the new council. “Think Out Loud” is hosting a series of events throughout Portland to help voters meet the district candidates. They were invited based on the number of individual donors who contributed to their campaigns. On Oct. 9, we held a District 3 candidates forum at Gigantic Brewing Hawthorne Pub. We partnered with the Urban League of Portland for the event which they live streamed on Facebook.  District 3 covers most of Southeast Portland, west of I-205. It includes the neighborhoods of Mt. Tabor, Sunnyside, Montavilla and Woodstock. It also includes some neighborhoods in Northeast which cross Sandy Boulevard such as Rose City Park and Roseway. The D3 candidates we spoke to include: Rex Burkholder, Jesse Cornett, Daniel DeMelo, Chris Flanary, Theo Hathaway Saner, Harrison Kass, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo, Steve Novick, Jon Walker and Luke Zak.  

At the annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, boaters attempt to cross a watercourse in Tualatin using only a giant pumpkin as their vessel. The regatta will happen on Sunday.Jim Sherwood is an extreme gardener and one of the founders of the festival. He recently won the National Pumpkin Weigh Off in California by growing a nearly 2,500-pound pumpkin. Gourd grower Gary Kristensen has competed in the regatta since 2013. Earlier this month, he attempted to break a Guinness world record by paddling a pumpkin nearly 46 miles along the Columbia River. Sherwood and Kristensen join us to share more on the regatta, pumpkin paddling and what it’s like to grow these giants.

For more than a decade, Tigard has been working on revitalizing its downtown. City leaders, small business owners and the nonprofit Tigard Downtown Alliance have worked together to bring more foot traffic to the city’s core. We hear more about the effort and the work that’s still to come from Kevin Bates, an owner of Symposium Coffee and the president of the alliance.

Voters in Washington will soon get their ballots in the mail for the general election, with voting opening on Friday. About half of the statewide races in Washington are open contests this year. That includes the governor’s race where Democratic candidate and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is facing Dave Reichert, a former U.S. Representative and sheriff of King County. Reichert is emphasizing his law enforcement credentials on the campaign trail, while trying to shore up support among voters who identify as moderates. During the second gubernatorial debate last month, the two candidates clashed over crime and public safety, the state’s abortion protections and education policies.   Four statewide initiatives are also on the Washington ballot this year. They include I-2117 which if passed, would repeal Washington’s landmark Climate Commitment Act. The law, which went into effect last January, establishes a cap-and-invest program that requires refineries and other polluters to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions with a target of phasing them out by 95% by 2050. The CCA has raised $2 billion so far to fund statewide efforts to mitigate climate change, including making free bus rides for youth, issuing $200 utility credits for low and middle-income households, and expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Jeanie Lindsay is the Olympia correspondent for our partner station, KUOW. She joins us to talk about the Washington governor’s race, the initiatives on the ballot and the issues that are top of mind for the state’s voters.  

Measure 117 on the Oregon ballot  would implement a system of ranked choice voting for all federal and statewide races in Oregon by 2028. The Yes campaign says it’s an idea whose time has come. Portland voters passed a new system of government which includes electing the mayor and city council members using RCV. And Multnomah county will soon be choosing elected officials this way as well.Opponents of the measure raise a range of concerns, from county clerks who say there’s no infrastructure or funding to support this major voting change, to those who don’t agree that ranking candidates leads to a more democratic result compared to the traditional winner-take-all method.Sara Wolk is the executive director of the Equal Vote Coalition that opposes Measure 117, and Isabela Villarreal with the Next Up Action Fund, formerly known as The Bus Project, who is campaigning for the measure. They both join us to discuss Measure 117.

Administrative law judge Vadim Mozyrsky and public policy director Meghan Moyer rose to the top of a five-person primary race this spring for the District 1 seat on the Multnomah County Commission. Neither, however, received at least 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff for the general election in November.  We’ll hear from both candidates about how they hope to represent the district, which covers all of Multnomah County west of the Willamette River, as well as parts of Southeast Portland. We’ll also hear their stance on the biggest issues facing the county, including homelessness, public safety, addiction and mental health.

Oregon voters will decide the fate of five statewide ballot measures this November, including Measure 118. Also known as the “Oregon Rebate,” it would impose a 3% tax on a company’s sales above $25 million in Oregon. That money would then be distributed evenly to every Oregonian – roughly $1600 per person – regardless of age or income, starting in 2026 as either direct payments or tax credits. Proponents of Measure 118 claim that it would slash child poverty in the state by half while making large corporations pay “their fair share” in taxes. Opposition to the measure is being led by the No on Measure 118 campaign which argues that it would make the state less attractive for businesses and lead to higher prices for consumers. A recent analysis prepared by the Legislative Revenue Office has also raised concerns that the measure could have a negative effect on revenue the state relies on to pay for education and other services.  Joining us for a debate about Measure 118 is Stacey Rutland, an advisor to the Oregon Rebate campaign, and Angela Wilhelms, President and CEO of Oregon Business & Industry. 

While the fate of the nation seems to ride on which of the major party presidential candidates will win the November election, the stakes are arguably as high for Congressional races around the country. The result of a couple dozen of them - including a few in Oregon - will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the House. In the 4th District, Val Hoyle is a first-term incumbent Democrat who’s fending off a challenge from Republican candidate Monique DeSpain. They join us for back-to-back interviews outlining the defining issues of their race and why voters should send them to Congress to represent the Oregonians in District 4.

New data from the Oregon Department of Education show that students in the state are still struggling with reading, math and science as they still have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. Test results show that less than half of students tested are proficient in English language arts and less than a third are proficient in math. Charlene Williams is the director of ODE. She joins us to share more on the results and what can be done at the state level.

For the first time, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been found in Oregon. Emilio DeBess is the state public health veterinarian based at the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division. He says the insects are a national concern ”because they can carry and transmit various diseases that can have serious health consequences such as Zika virus, chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever.” The insect was found this summer in Jackson County while officials were monitoring other kinds of mosquitoes. Officials are continuing surveillance and OHA is working with other states to learn more about it. Infection risk from the mosquito is currently low. The insect, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, was found in California in 2013 and has been progressing northward since. DeBess joins us with more on this mosquito, why it’s important to track these insects with county and federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and how changing climates are playing a role in the insect’s spread.