Since moving to Gresham in 2000, I have been extremely active in Multnomah County and the city of Gresham.
During this time, I've had the opportunity to speak with thousands of residents all over the city. I have also had the privilege of working with elected officials including our city council, county commission, state legislators, Governor Ted Kulongoski, and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer to the benefit of Oregon, Multnomah County, and Gresham. During this time, I have been able to build working relationships with these elected officials - a relationship that can help us bridge the gap in the city's relationship with other governmental bodies.
But something else that came out of all this work is that I found that residents in many groups feel left out from the city. The residents in our eastern and northern areas feel unrepresented on the city council. The almost half of our residents in rental units feel that the city and the council doesn't understand their needs. Middle class working families, one of the fastest growing demographics in our city, feel no one is doing anything to meet their needs.
Some of these perceptions were due to misconceptions over things like which governmental entity provides the service they need or on how much money is in the city's budget. Others are rooted in the fact that we have little diversity in many categories on the council.
For instance, four of our council members live in the same neighborhood, with a fifth living in the adjacent neighborhood. Only one member lives in the northern half of the city, and she's on the edge.
When I applied for the vacancy on the council last year, I heard from many community members that they were excited to see the chance to bring some diversity to the council. As a resident of the northern half of the city (I live in the city's northeastern corner) and having lived in rental units in Gresham for more than eight years, I represent a sizable chunk of our population. Add in the fact that our family is a middle income working family, and I fit in with many of the groups feeling left out of the process.
While I was not appointed to the council - a former council member was selected so there would be no need for a learning period - I did receive a lot of positive reviews and comments from those attending the meeting where we were questioned.
Troutdale City Councilor Robert Canfield said on his blog:
From an observer's point of view, only [David] Widmark, John Kilian, and Jenni Simonis presented themselves well. They were better prepared, spoke with confidence, and had a firmer grasp of the questions asked of them than the other candidates.
Now that it's time for the voters to choose a member for the council, I feel that I'm the best choice because I bring a fresh outlook and new ideas. While I may not have experience on the council, I do bring to the table the relationships I've built with elected officials we need to work with, nearly a decade of working on the ground with the residents of Gresham, and experience working on many of the city's pressing issues like public safety.
As the other two council members up for re-election this year, Shirley Craddick and Paul Warr-King, are uncontested, we will have six council members with extensive experience on the council. It's the perfect time to bring in a new council member who can bring in new ideas while being mentored by experienced members.
Please feel free to use the contact Jenni link to send over any questions, suggestions, etc. you may have. If elected to the council, I hope to become a voice of the people - regularly meeting with the community, holding town hall gatherings, etc. to hear your concerns and views.
