“Budgets are a negotiation, right?”

In this episode, Rose City Reform chats with Elana Pirtle-Guiney and Eric Zimmerman about what to expect as the mayor’s budget hits the council floor on Wednesday.

With big personalities and competing priorities on the line, sparks are likely to fly before councilors land on a final plan.

Want to follow along as district reps make their case for what they believe in? The agenda page for Wednesday’s meeting includes a livestream and a sign-up link for public testimony. And while addressing the council can induce some stage fright, Pirtle-Guiney says Portlanders should shrug off those worries.

“We are twelve Portlanders just like you,” she says. “Please do not be scared to come tell us what you think. The more we understand what you think, the better job we can do creating policy for the city.”

Stump Talk is hosted by Maja Viklands Harris and produced and edited by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions. It is brought to you by Rose City Reform, a nonprofit research initiative dedicated to tracking Portland's historic reform process.

Fair warning—this is our nerdiest episode yet.

On the other hand, if you’re curious about how Portland’s new voting system is shifting political dynamics, this episode is for you.

Moon Duchin is a mathematician who leads the Data and Democracy Lab at Cornell University. George Cheung is the founding director of More Equitable Democracy, a Seattle-based group focused on racial justice through electoral reform.

Neither of them lives in Portland—yet both can discuss the 2024 city election in more detail than most locals. The reason? Portland is now the only major U.S. city using proportional representation—making it a rare case study for those examining how the system works in practice.

For more context, read Rose City Reform’s story about Portland in the National Civic Review

📚 Read or Listen

Podcasts, thinkers, and books mentioned in this episode:

* More Perfect — Podcast on the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional issues

* The Future of Our Former Democracy — Podcast by More Equitable Democracy

* The Concept of Representation — Book by Hannah Pitkin

* Lani Guinier — Writings on voting rights, electoral systems, and civil rights

* Spencer Overton — Scholarship on democracy, race, and emerging technologies

* Guy-Uriel Charles — Legal scholar on voting rights and democracy reform

* Elizabeth Anderson — Political theorist focused on democratic equality

* Claudine Gay — Research on race and political representation

Stump Talk is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions. It is brought to you by Rose City Reform, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research initiative to track Portland's historic reform process.

OPB reporter Alex Zielinski and the Oregonian's Lillian Mongeau Hughes join the podcast to discuss city leaders' efforts to tackle homelessness amid a brutal budget cycle.

If you care to weigh in on the city budget after listening to this episode, you can do so here.

Stump Talk is hosted by Maja Viklands Harris. It is brought to you by Rose City Reform, a research and journalism initiative dedicated to tracking Portland's historic reform process. The show is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

Why did Sameer Kanal oppose one of Mayor Wilson’s top leadership choices? And what does he mean when he says he wants Portlanders to co-create policy with the council?

These are just some of the topics discussed when Councilor Kanal and his chief of staff, Lisa Freeman, join the Stump Talk podcast.

Stump Talk is brought to you by Rose City Reform, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research initiative dedicated to tracking Portland's historic reform process. The podcast is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

We’re back with a bonus episode that takes you inside City Hall, where a brand-new government is finding its footing.

Joining us are The Oregonian’s Shane Kavanaugh and Willamette Week’s Sophie Peel, who discuss the “first day of school” vibes at City Hall, Mayor Wilson’s seemingly unflappable optimism, and a council that must balance big promises with one of the toughest budget cycles in decades.

Stump Talk is hosted by Maja Harris of Rose City Reform. The show is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

On January 2, Portland’s newly elected city council gathered for a highly anticipated vote: selecting the council president.

Many had expected that leader to be Candace Avalos, a former charter commissioner and a key architect of Portland’s new system. Yet, after nine rounds of voting, Avalos narrowly lost to Elana Pirtle-Guiney.

In Episode 10 of Stump Talk, Avalos and her District 1 colleague Jamie Dunphy, who supported her for the role, reflect on the vote and what was at stake.

Stump Talk is hosted by Maja Viklands Harris. The show is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

Much has been said about how Portland’s new electoral system encouraged friendlier, more collaborative campaigning.

Few candidates, however, worked as closely together as Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo. Were they Portland’s first example of a successful candidate slate?

Tune in to Episode 9 of Stump Talk and decide for yourself.

Councilor-Elect Tiffany Koyama Lane is a public school teacher and an organizer for the Portland Association of Teachers. Angelita Morillo is an anti-hunger advocate who runs a popular political TikTok channel. They have both been elected to serve Portland's third council district.

In this episode, they discuss their progressive platforms, their campaign strategy, and their fundraising—which broke records for Portland's public campaign financing program.

Stump Talk is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

Did the landmark 2024 election deliver the change Portlanders were looking for? What were the big surprises? And does Keith Wilson’s win signal a mandate for his shelter plan?

These are just a few of the topics we dive into on the latest episode of the Stump Talk podcast.

That’s a wrap, Portlanders! Our historic 2024 election has concluded, and a new city government is set to take shape—well, almost. As of this morning, two city races remain too close to call. Here’s the projected lineup, with pending results marked by an asterisk:

Mayor: Keith Wilson

District 1: Candace Avalos, Loretta Smith, and Jamie Dunphy*

District 2: Dan Ryan, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and Sameer Kanal

District 3: Steve Novick, Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Angelita Morillo

District 4: Olivia Clark, Mitch Green, and Eric Zimmerman*

In the coming months, we’ll bring you plenty of commentary and analysis on the election results. This episode offers first reactions—and fair warning: my dorky enthusiasm for digging into these results is on full display here. I promise to play it cooler next time.

There’s so much to unpack, and we’re just getting started. In the meantime, if you want learn more about Mayor-Elect Keith Wilson, check out Stump Talk Episode 5.

As always, Stump Talk wouldn’t be possible without Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

What’s Carmen Rubio’s vision for a safe and affordable Portland? Why does she believe she’s the only mayoral candidate with the experience to forge the deals needed to tackle Portland’s toughest challenges?

Those are just some of the topics we discuss in the latest episode of the Stump Talk podcast.

Carmen Rubio made history in 2021, as the first Latina elected to Portland City Council. As commissioner, she’s most known for overseeing the Housing Bureau, the Planning and Sustainability Bureau, the Bureau of Development Services, and Prosper Portland.

Rubio’s resume includes serving as the Executive Director of the non-profit Latino Network and as a staffer to Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz, Portland Mayor Tom Potter, and Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish. She is a 2009 graduate of Emerge, a Portland-based candidate training school for Democratic women.

For more information about Carmen Rubio and other candidates running for city office, check out our nonpartisan website RoseCityReform.org.

Stump Talk is produced and edited by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.

How does Rene Gonzalez plan to become the strictest mayor on the West Coast in terms of enforcing public camping and drug use laws? And what’s his plan for keeping Portland “healthy, beautiful, and safe”?

These are just some of the topics we’ll cover with the city commissioner in Episode 6 of the Stump Talk podcast.

Elected to Portland City Council in 2022, Rene Gonzalez is currently serving his first term. Until recently, he oversaw the Portland Fire Bureau, the Bureau of Emergency Communications, and the Bureau of Emergency Management.

A business attorney by profession, Gonzalez is the founder of a law firm and a technology consulting company. He played a leadership role in establishing Oregon’s largest soccer club, United PDX, and was a key organizer for ED300, a political action committee focused on reopening schools during the pandemic.

For more information about Rene Gonzalez and other candidates running for city office, check out our nonpartisan website RoseCityReform.org.

Stump Talk is produced and edited by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.