The leading candidate in Portland’s mayoral race

Investigating Public Money for Wikipedia Edits

The city’s elections office is now investigating City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s use of $6,400 in city funds toward editing his Wikipedia page. An outside contractor trained his staff in making edits. [Portland Mercury]

• Related: Former City Hall staffer Marshall Runkel drops out of the mayoral race. [Willamette Week]
• Related: New polling shows Gonzalez with an early lead in the mayoral race: 21% of poll respondents picked him as opposed to 13% each for City Commissioners Carmen Rubio and Mingus Mapps. Notably, a large number of voters (40%) are undecided. [Oregonian 🔒]

Delay on the Deflection Center for Drug Arrests

There’ll be at least a 30-day delay in the opening of Multnomah County’s new deflection center — the place where people arrested for drug possession can go in lieu of facing potential criminal penalties. Those penalties will still be reinstated as of Sept. 1 with the overturning of Measure 110. [Oregonian 🔒]

Hot Topic: Portland Transportation

For the first in a series breaking down some of the big issues that could shape Portland’s fall election, what’s at stake in transportation? BikePortland publisher Jonathan Maus explains. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

I would never say that everything about Portland streets is suddenly coming up roses.

But I do want to cheer on some progress: My least favorite intersection on a Portland bikeway now makes some sense.

Three streets — Southeast Sandy, 11th, and Ankeny — come together for a chaotic intersection. It’s been a hectic place for anyone on a bike.

I’m not alone in this opinion: It’s been a point of gripes and suggestions for upwards of nine years.

It was as if the city drew an imaginary greenway through that intersection. How can Portland possibly be celebrated as a biking paradise if this is how it goes?

But now there’s a traffic light and crossing marked with the city’s bike-themed green paint – all ready for the two-wheeled commuters.

There is still a price for an easy and stress-free crossing, though: there can now be a longer wait — for a green light.

The progress is slow, and there are fewer improvements than city plans have proposed. But I count myself happy for a moment of safe biking.

Your view: Is there something in your neighborhood that has finally changed for the better? Or do you have a long-standing gripe? Please email me if you're willing to share.