The Bridge by OR360

Nick Kristof is a world-renowned journalist, author, and humanitarian. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he is also a cider orchardist living in Yamhill, Oregon. He briefly ran for governor of Oregon until being ruled ineligible in February 2022. We start the episode with a campaign debrief: Was the experience positive or negative? Will he consider running for office again? Who will he vote for in the Democratic primary?

Jeff Gudman is a former Lake Oswego City Councilor who was twice the GOP nominee for State Treasurer. He learned his MBA in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of Business and has worked as a financial analyst, treasurer, and investor for several decades. He is also a former All-American swimmer! In this episode we cover PERS (an issue Gudman has studied deeply) and why he believes it matters, what it's like for a moderate Republican to be on the ballot with Donald Trump, whether or not the state should divest from certain investments (Russia, fossil fuel companies, China, etc.), and how Oregon should prevent future state government breakdowns like the ones seen recently with unemployment checks, distributing renter and landlord assistance, and the delay in the new family leave program.

Lacey Beaty is the mayor of Beaverton, one of the largest cities in Oregon. In this episode, we talk about her experience as a combat medic in the U.S. Army during the Iraq War and the challenges that veterans face when they return home. We also touch on U.S. foreign policy, the value of compulsory national service, and the sustainability challenges of an all-volunteer military. We also talk about what can be done about affordable housing--including an idea she has modeled after an existing home ownership program for veterans. Finally, we touch on the convening power of mayors and the role of cities in solving complex project. We end with an explanation of what happened in the Twitter controversy that ended with the Executive Director of the League of Oregon Cities losing his job.

Treasurer Tobias Read returns to the Bridge, this time as a candidate for Governor. With Nick Kristof officially out of the running, Read and Speaker Tina Kotek are the two frontrunners to be the Democratic nominee. Read is a seasoned veteran in Oregon politics and on this episode he discloses some of the ideas he has for Oregon's future. We talk about Oregon’s homelessness crisis, conservation and natural resource controversies, campaign finance reform, and the governor’s role is addressing the challenges facing Portland. We also may have made a little history with what may be one of the first questions about cryptocurrency in an Oregon gubernatorial campaign.

Tigard Mayor Jason Snider is one of highest ranking independent elected officials in Oregon (he's never been a member of a political party) as mayor of one of largest cities. He is a fascinating (and funny) person with a deep knowledge of policy issues impacting local jurisdictions. He serves as Chair of the Metropolitan Mayors Consortium (which represents nearly all the Portland metro cities) and is on the board of the Oregon Mayors Association.

In this episode we talk about how and why the local response to COVID-19 has varied across Oregon, what cities can do to address the housing affordability crisis and homelessness, and the extent to which Oregonians are really divided. Stick around for the end of the podcast when he describes what mayors want from their next governor--and some of the biggest (and unsung) challenges of Oregon state government.

Mingus Mapps is a Portland City Commissioner. He leads the Water Bureau, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and the Bureau of Emergency Communications (9-1-1). He is also an academic scholar who teachers courses on government. Mapps defeated incumbent Commissioner Chloe Eudaly and former mayor Sam Adams in the 2020 election. He is a unique figure in Portland politics; as you'll hear in the interview, he is whip smart and pragmatic--and he doesn't hesitate to levy critiques (including Portland's "ineffective" form of government). In this episode, we cover Portland's homelessness crisis, the challenge of addressing addiction issues, his mentors (former Multnomah County Commission Chairs Gladys McCoy and Bev Stein), and his call for Portlanders to jump into the fray and get involved in city affairs.

Republican operative and political consultant Reagan Knopp returns to the Bridge to deconstruct the Oregon Governor's race. With candidates including: Bridget Barton, Christine Drazan, John Fosdick III, Jessica Gomez, Nick Hess, Jim Huggins, Kerry McQuisten, Brandon Merritt, Bud Pierce, Stan Pulliam, Amber Richardson, Marc Thielman, Wilson Bright, Peter Hall, Tina Kotek, Tobias Read, Patrick Starnes, Michael Trimble, and Betsey Johnson, voters currently await a decision from Dallas Heard and news from the supreme court about Nicholas Kristof.

Born and raised in Klamath Falls, Angela Wilhelms has had a long and diverse career in Oregon politics. After steering away from a projected career in corporate finance and life in the Bay Area, Wilhelms worked on the communications team in D.C for Congressman Greg Walden. She then returned to her home state and served a seven year stint as Chief of Staff for former minority leader and Co-Speaker of the House Bruce Hanna. She then spent time practicing law in Portland and working at the University of Oregon as the first secretary of the board of trustees, before taking her current position with Oregon Business Industry (OBI). With approximately 1,600 members, of which 83 percent represent small businesses, OBI's members are responsible for the employment of over 250,000 people across Oregon. Angela refers to manufacturing as "the unsung hero" of Oregon's economy. In this episode we talk politics, economics, policy, and the future of Oregon--including some innovative ideas for how to build common understanding across the state.

Natalie Fertig is the National Cannabis Policy Reporter for Politico. Fertig, who grew up in Washington State and attended Portland State Universiy, wrote a riveting, terrifying article title "‘Talk About Clusterf---’: Why Legal Weed Didn’t Kill Oregon’s Black Market" that exposes a serious problem in Southern Oregon: cartel-control marijuana grows and a law enforcement/regulatory infrastructure not equipped to respond. When Fertig visited, she heard gun shots (that were likely warning her and her guide to stay away) and gathered stories from residents who have been victims of intimidation. In this episode, we talk about the arch of marijuana policy in Oregon and how the federal landscape and political environment has changed since Oregon's legalization in 2014. We talk about the economics of illegal marijuana grows and the tools that law enforcement and state regulators do and do not have to fight back against the cartels.