Why I’m running for City Council

I’m running because we need fresh ideas, creative solutions and bold progressive vision at City Hall.

Because we need elected leaders who will challenge their own assumptions and think outside the box.

Because it’s long past time that city government join us in the 21st century.

Because the people of Portland deserve a city government that treats them as respected participants and collaborators, not as speedbumps.

Because elected leaders should talk to people where they are, not expect people to come to them.

Because I played way too much SimCity when I was a kid.

Because the India Street Clinic provides a vital public service, and it must be given the resources it needs to thrive.

Because more people are now dying from drug overdoses than died from AIDS at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

Because it would be nice to have a proud and open LGBTQ voice on the City Council to represent Portland’s large LGBTQ community.

Because the longer we wait to repair our crumbling schools, the more it will cost us and the more it will hurt our kids.

Because the affordable housing crisis is real, and we must take action to protect renters from being completely gentrified out of our city.

Because the affordable housing crisis is real, and the only way to resolve it in the long term is to build more housing, and more affordable housing.

Because people on fixed-incomes can’t afford ever-increasing property taxes.

Because we shouldn’t repeat the mistakes of 1960s suburban sprawl.

Because Climate Change is already here, and we must act.

Because the science shows that pesticides are killing bees.

Because immigrants should be celebrated — not denigrated — and we have a duty to offer them real, tangible and creative support.

Because black lives matter.

Because we must stop racial profiling of people of color, demilitarize our police, and end the disastrous war on drugs.

Because positive change will not come from Augusta or Washington for the next four years.

Because Bernie Sanders was right: we need a political revolution in this country, and we all need to step up and get involved.

Because cities like Portland must become beacons of progress and hope in a Trump administration.

Because I know we can do better.

Let’s do it together. My name is Joey Brunelle, and I’m asking for your vote.