Urban League holds candidates forum

Last Tuesday evening, The Urban League of Portland held two separate candidate forums, one for City candidates and one for County. Entitled “Accountability and Equity,” the questions asked tried to draw out substantive answers aimed at the concerns of activists and leaders in communities served by the Urban League. It was a nice thought, but electoral politics frequently leads to disappointment.

Because of the large number of candidates in both forums — eight in each — I won’t cover the Q&A in detail. Here are some high points and points of interest. No one forum can determine who is the best fit for an office, but, near the end of the campaign, the Urban League event was informative — if not as substantial as organizers might have hoped.

Standouts: Maria Rubio, Jeff Cogen

Maria Rubio, seeking the Multnomah County seat previously held by Jeff Cogen, came across as the most energetic, informed and thoughtful of the candidates of the evening. She is also the candidate who has grown most during the campaign: Her answers are more direct and informed than when I first interviewed her two months ago. She spoke of the fear that occurs when communities change, as is happening in East County, with its in-migration of impoverished people of color. The County, she said, needs to take the lead in establishing a dialog that would remove the barriers between neighbors. When County government works with members of the community, it needs to be on an on-going basis, not through ad hoc committees, stated Rubio. She wants the community involved in making the decisions about the difficult budget cuts ahead — not just advising on these.

“They have the knowledge and experience,” she said, “to make difficult decisions.”