I caught two city council candidates--yep, people are still running for city council--at this weekend's Division/Clinton Street Fair and parade.

I tagged along with Amanda Fritz, hoping to catch a glimpse of candidate-voter interactions. But in a parade setting, not surprisingly, those are limited mostly to Fritz waving and shouting "hello!" "good morning!" and "I'm running for city council!" and voters along the sidewalk waving back and saying things like "Amanda!" and "I'll vote for you if you have candy!" (To that voter, Fritz tried to quickly explain that as a publicly financed candidate, she couldn't toss candy like the motorcyclists in front of us, but the pace of the parade may have drowned out her response.)

Check out Amanda's threads (she was "feeling pink today," she told me) and unique campaign sign:

Charles Lewis was also in Saturday's parade. I caught up with him at the end of the route:

Both candidates have been laying fairly low this summer. Lewis and his wife just welcomed a baby girl earlier this summer, and Fritz took a bit of time off for her family after the election. But the pair seem to be diving back into campaign mode, with the election just 100 days away. Already, I've noticed announcements of "meet and greet" events with Fritz in spots like Hayden Island, and after the parade yesterday she jetted off to a neighborhood picnic and to do canvassing. Lewis has been more mum on his calendar, but I hope to go door knocking with him soon.

During our endorsement interview this spring—and at several candidate forums—city council candidate Charles Lewis made it clear there was one issue where he held a different view from his challengers: He opposed the city's creation of a day laborer center.

Back then, Lewis cited concerns about "where the funds would come from," as well as the city's involvement in a messy federal issue. Now, after speaking with center booster Mayor Tom Potter, as well as center organizers, Lewis has a different perspective. Lewis sent out a "letter to the editor" with his thoughts, which is after the cut, but I called him to get the details on his changed mind.

"I had a great conversation with Mayor Potter on the day center. The thing that really got me thinking about it is he said this is an issue of civil disobedience. You've got the idea that the governments can actually practice civil disobedience against another government," Lewis says. "I've done stuff in the past where as an individual I can speak out about government... [Portland is] doing something against another government to strike out against injustice there. I feel much more at peace about the whole thing."

He also was concerned that the center would perpetuate exploitation of vulnerable workers, but was happy to hear that the workers recently voted to impose a $10 minimum wage, "which I thought was an absolute necessity," says Lewis—who's facing Amanda Fritz in the runoff for council seat #1.

He points out that the city's $200,000 investment is "a very miniscule amount of funding to get the ball rolling." Moreover, "this isn't the end all be all solution to all of this, but it's something that we can do as a community to say we're going to protect people in our community regardless of what the federal government says. We believe that people shouldn't be exploited, and we will do things as a community to protect the most vulnerable people in our society." (To that end, Lewis noticed that the center was missing basics like desks and chairs, and he donated a dozen chairs from his campaign office.)

Finally, to set the record straight: Lewis' opposition to the center seemed to curry favor with the anti-immigration set, and portrayed him as a conservative on the issue. Is that true? "Not at all," he says. So what are his thoughts on federal immigration policy? "I think it's a mess, and I think something needs to be done to address all of the issues. I don't think anyone would think that it's without problems at all. We need laws for people to become citizens. Immigrants built America and I think we should welcome them with open arms."

Lewis' letter is after the cut. And check out this week's forthcoming Mercury for an excellent feature on the center through two workers' eyes, written by Sarah Mirk.

Dear Editor,

As someone who has spent his entire adult life fighting for the underserved in our community, I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for a safe, dignified, living wage job.

I recently visited Portland’s new Day Labor Center to get a better understanding of the project. I met with staff members who answered my questions concerning a minimum wage and worker's compensation. I was impressed with the staff, facilities and the services being provided to day laborers.

While the project isn't perfect, I’ve come to understand that the Day Labor Center is a critical first step that must be taken to help a very vulnerable part of our community. I believe that the project is important and will do everything I can to help it become a self-sustaining part of our community.

Charles Lewis
Candidate, Portland City Council Seat 1

Last night the Citizen Campaign Commission, the city’s volunteer group tasked with overseeing and analyzing public financing, held its exit interviews for the three ex-candidates who received public money in the City Council race. The candidates (John Branam, Jim Middaugh and Jeff Bissonette) candidly dished the dirt about the processes’s strengths and shortcomings.

But first! Jim Middaugh said he found public understanding of what public financing actually means was “incredibly low” so below the cut there’s a quick primer on what the hell public financing entails, if you’re feeling a little fuzzy on the facts.

Actually, being unsure of the exact details of the wildly complex and specific campaign finance law was a complaint from some of the candidates, too. Jim Middaugh said the lawyer who perused the entire public financing manual reported that there’s “absolutely no way to comply with all the rules.” Working through the details of whether postcard stamps and pizza slices count as in-kind contributions and filling out thousands of forms in triplicate proved to be cumbersome hurdles.

Also, all the candidates purported to really enjoy the face-to-face contact with voters the public financing rules force on city council candidates as they raced to collect $5 contributions from 1,000 people. “Ninety percent of the effort was fun,” said John Branam. Even Jim Middaugh, whose participation in a special election meant he had under two weeks to get the 1,000 contributions, remained upbeat. “It generated a lot of conversation in the communities,” he said, “There isn’t anything else in our civic fabric that gets people talking like this … it wasn’t so much about the candidacy as it was about people connecting with one another.”

The biggest point of contention was whether the city’s $150,000 matching funds is enough to actually run a city-wide campaign. Jeff Bissonnette and Jim Middaugh felt they lacked the money to really advertise effectively, which hurt their name recognition. “I don’t think you’re going to see any incumbent defeated by a publicly-financed candidate,” said Middaugh. The commissioners replied that the public financing is meant to provide access to the political process, but not necessarily equal footing between candidates, some of whom may be better known.

John Branam, however, thought $150,000 was enough campaign cash. He explained later, “My challenge and that of my fellow candidates in terms of general name recognition had less to do with money and more to do with being at the bottom of the ballot in a year when the presidential and mayoral race dominated.”

I thought Branam would have been more critical of the process, since the questionably-legal payment of his campaign manager caused a dust up but nope, he told me later, “The rules were what they were and the auditor’s office made the decisions they did and all in all, I thought they were very fair.” While the whole system could use some “incremental improvements” in forms and training and such, the fledgling process worked: “These public dollars bought Portlanders a very competitive race.”

All involved said they appreciated the commission’s hard work and good intentions – especially since the commission is all volunteers who spent long nights plowing through public financing paperwork. As one commissioner said, “We’re paid in pizza.”

UNFUZZY FINANCING FACTS

The City of Portland has a chunk of money that it set aside, beginning in 2005, to give to candidates in city races. The goal is to make races for public office more competitive and accessible – people who may not have the private dollars to run an expensive city-wide campaign can rely on the city to foot part of the bill. To qualify for these public moneys, candidates have to abide by a specific slew of rules.
1. First, city council candidates need to collect $5 contributions from 1,000 people.
2. Then, the candidates can collect up to $15,000 in “seed money” but not more than $100 from any one person.
3. The candidate can also accept up to $9,000 of in-kind contributions, which are useful items that aren’t cash or checks (like polls, pizza or garish neon campaign shirts).
4. If these simple finance rules are met along with the avalanche of details outlined in the 104-page candidate manual, the city council candidate receives $150,000 to run his or her campaign!

posted by Sarah Mirk