Think Out Loud

Even if you’re among the county’s most engaged and informed voters, there’s a lot to keep track of this election cycle. And that’s not even counting the recent fires at ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington. With Election Day less than a week out, we invited Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott on to give us the latest about ballot security, ranked choice voting returns and updates, how to make sure you’re meeting the postmark deadline and to answer other frequently asked questions.

From grocery stores to breweries, we are taking our pet dogs to places more and more. But do our furry companions actually enjoy being dragged alongside our own adventures to cafes and bookstores? Tove Danovich is a Portland-based writer and author of “Under the Henfluence.” She wrote a recent opinion piece arguing that maybe we should leave our dogs at home more often. She joins us to share more on her reasoning and the effects taking a dog to public spaces can have not only on our dogs, but the world around them. 

Sam Adams and Shannon Singleton are in a runoff to represent North and Northeast Portland, District 2, on the Multnomah County Commission. Neither candidate got over 50% in the May primary. The seat opened up when Susheela Jayapal stepped down last fall to run for Congress. Sam Adams is a former mayor of the city of Portland and previously held a position within Mayor Wheeler’s office. Shannon Singleton, a trained social worker, is the former interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless. They join us to share why they’re running and what they want to accomplish if elected.

In 2022, Portland residents voted to overhaul the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked choice voting to expand the number of seats on city council from five to 12. Another major change is the creation of four geographic districts in the city. Voters within each district will now elect three candidates to represent them on the new council. Thirty registered candidates are competing in District 4, which includes all of Portland west of the Willamette River, including Downtown, the Pearl District, Multnomah and Hillsdale neighborhoods. It also contains the inner southeast neighborhoods of Sellwood-Moreland, Eastmoreland, Reed and Ardenwald.  On Oct. 24, “Think Out Loud” convened a D4 candidates forum at John’s Marketplace in Multnomah Village. We invited the 13 candidates with the largest number of individual donors who contributed to their campaigns. They include: Eli Arnold, Olivia Clark, Lisa Freeman, Mitch Green, Chris Henry, Ben Hufford, Chad Lykins, Tony Morse, Stanley Penkin, Moses Ross, Sarah Silkie,  Bob Weinstein and Eric Zimmerman. 

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. District 2 covers most of North and Northeast Portland, including neighborhoods such as Irvington, St. John’s, Kenton and Cully. On Oct. 17, “Think Out Loud” convened a District 2 candidates forum at Oakshire Beer Hall. Candidates were invited to participate based on the number of individual donors that contributed to their campaign. They include: Marnie Glickman, Mariah Hudson, Sameer Kanal, Debbie Kitchin, Mike Marshall, Tiffani Penson, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Dan Ryan, Jonathan Tasini, Nat West and Nabil Zaghloul. 

More than 30 years ago, a group of Portlanders created their own skatepark without any permission under the Burnside Bridge. The Burnside Skatepark is credited as the first do-it-yourself, or DIY, skatepark project that sparked a wave of new skateparks being built across the country. The park turns 34 on Halloween. Jaymeer is a board member and muralist for the Burnside Skatepark. He joins us to share more on the history and impact the park has had in Portland and around the world. 

The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria is undergoing a $30 million renovation. Work began in March and is expected to wrap up in September 2026. The expansion project will include remodeled gallery space, a new 24,500 square-foot facility and hundreds of boats and artifacts currently not on display. It will also feature two new Indigenous exhibits: a photography display focused on the Chinook Indian Nation, and a permanent exhibit on the maritime cultures of Indigenous people up and down the Northwest coast, from Alaska to Oregon. Bruce Jones is the executive director of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. He joins us with more details on the expansion.

Daniel Bolen, an agricultural science and technology instructor in Elgin, has advocated for his program. His district received $250,000 from the Oregon Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant. Bolen has brought in additional funding to strengthen his district’s program and help kids receive more hands-on learning in livestock management.   Bolen was also named the Oregon Agriculture Teachers' Association Outstanding Teacher this year. We hear more from Bolen on Elgin’s agriculture program and why he hopes to create more opportunities for his students.  

This summer, the owner of Mt. Bachelor ski resort, POWDR Corp., announced plans to sell. Bend locals Chris Porter and Dan Cochrane are leading an effort to keep resort ownership local. They’ve incorporated as Mount Bachelor Community Inc. and hope to attract both small and large-scale investors that share their values. Porter and Chochrane join us to discuss their plans.

Washington and Oregon voters have already begun casting their ballots in the November general election. In Washington, the statewide contests include races to elect a new governor and attorney general and four ballot measures, including Initiative 2117.  If approved, it would repeal Washington’s landmark law targeting greenhouse gas emissions, the Climate Commitment Act. The law establishes a cap-and-invest program which requires refineries and other large polluters to purchase allowances equal to the carbon emissions they generate, while phasing out emissions by 95% by 2050. More than $2 billion has been raised since the CCA took effect last January to fund programs ranging from making transit free for youth to expanding EV charging infrastructure.   Let’s Go Washington, the group behind I-2117 and the other state measures on the ballot this year, claims the law creates a “hidden gas tax” for consumers and is to blame for the state’s high gas prices. Let’s Go Washington is largely financed by Brian Heywood, a hedge fund manager who has questioned the wisdom of cutting carbon emissions.  Joining us to debate I-2117 are Washington state Senator Joe Nguyen who represents the 34th District and is chair of the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee, and Todd Myers, Vice president of research at the Washington Policy Center.