🔥 Arson at ballot boxes in Vancouver and Portland

FBI Investigating Ballot Box Blazes

The FBI is investigating two fires set in ballot drop boxes this weekend: In Vancouver, where there’s a tight race for U.S. Congress, hundreds of ballots were destroyed; voters who used the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center drop are being asked to contact the elections office for a replacement ballot. In Portland, three ballots were damaged, but the county has been able to identify the affected voters. [OPB]

• Related: Law enforcement have identified a suspect's car. [Oregonian]

A Home for the James Beard Public Marketplace

A long-standing effort to create a public food marketplace in downtown will come to fruition as soon as next year after backers have acquired a space at Southwest Alder and Sixth avenues. Named for the world-famous Portland chef James Beard, the aspiration is for it to eventually host “a teaching kitchen, a world-class cookbook store, a restaurant, a bakery, a fish market, a butcher, a cheese shop, a wine store, local farm stalls, an events space and more,” the Oregonian reports. [Oregonian]

Mayoral Frontrunner Carmen Rubio Stumbled; Now What?

Reporting last month revealed mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio had received upwards of 100 parking tickets and lost her license half a dozen times. But for the most part, her backers stuck with her. What are the chances she wins the mayorship next week? [City Cast Portland 🎧]

The race for District 2, which encompasses all of North Portland as well as most of inner Northeast, is between progressives and centrists. Public safety is high on the list of issues that the candidates are focusing on as they face heavy competition for these three City Council seats. With 22 people in the running, voters have an abundance of qualified candidates to choose from.

In this nonpartisan race, these are the top-seven candidates by number of donors, as of Oct. 28:

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

🟢 Nat West

(1,447 donors)

Former cidermaker

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: SEIU Local 49, Sierra Club, Latino Network Action Fund [Rose City Reform]
• Newspapers: Oregonian

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• Willamette Week’s entrance interview

🟢 Dan Ryan

(1,033 donors)

Portland city commissioner

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: NW Oregon Labor Council, Multifamily NW, Portland Police Association [Rose City Reform]
• Newspapers: Oregonian, Willamette Week

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• KOIN candidate questionnaire

🟢 Marnie Glickman

(1,010 donors)

Political organizer and advocate

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: Portland Association of Teachers, Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors, Friends of Portland Street Response [Rose City Reform]

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• Willamette Week’s entrance interview

🟢 Sameer Kanal

(946 donors)

Policy manager at the City of Portland’s Public Safety Service Area

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: AFT Oregon, APANO, Friends of Portland Street Response [Rose City Reform]
• Newspapers: Portland Mercury

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• KOIN candidate interview

🟢 Mariah Hudson

(816 donors)

Senior communications specialist at Oregon Health and Science University

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: UFCW 555, Home Building Association of Greater Portland, 12 For PDX [Rose City Reform]

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• Willamette Week’s entrance interview

🟢 Tiffani Penson

(751 donors)

People and culture manager at the City of Portland

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: Portland Police Association, SEIU Oregon, NAYA Action Fund [Rose City Reform]
• Newspapers: Oregonian

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• Willamette Week’s entrance interview

🟢 Nabil Zaghloul

(728 donors)

Director of Multnomah County’s Bienestar de la Familia program

🥇Sample endorsements:

• Organizations: American Council for Palestine, Street Trust Action Fund [Rose City Reform]

🗞️ Further reading:

• Rose City Reform’s profile
• Willamette Week’s entrance interview