Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith launches bid for Portland City Council

Loretta Smith, a former Multnomah County Commissioner who has long eyed a return to elected office, said that she will run for Portland City Council this fall, ending months of speculation.

After two unsuccessful City Hall bids in 2018 and 2020, Smith, 59, will attempt a third under Portland’s new form of government, which expands the size of the council from five to 12 members who will be chosen by voters across four geographic districts.

Smith also lost a Democratic primary to represent the state’s newly formed 6th Congressional District in 2022.

A Wilkes neighborhood resident, she will seek one of the trio of seats up for grabs in District 1, which encompasses all of Portland east of Interstate 205 and some portions of the city between 82nd Avenue and the freeway.

Under the city’s new council election system, which uses an unusual form of ranked choice voting, each of the district’s three members only need 25% of the vote to win.

“We have a rare opportunity to build the city we believe in,” Smith said in a statement posted on her Instagram account last week. “East Portlanders deserve an experienced leader with a real record of accomplishments.”

Smith served as county commissioner representing North and Northeast Portland between 2011 and 2018 and was only the second Black person elected to the board. During her tenure she was a steadfast advocate for communities of color, seniors, young people and low-income residents.

She was also an early and outspoken proponent of converting the never-used former Wapato Jail in North Portland into a shelter for people experiencing homelessness. At the time, Smith faced fierce opposition to the idea by then-Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury. But county officials have since provided millions of dollars to a private shelter operator that eventually took over the property.

Smith’s name recognition and decades of government work — including a 20-year stint as a staffer for Sen. Ron Wyden — are certain to be assets as she competes against at least 15 other candidates in District 1, Portland’s most racially and ethnically diverse. Some of her notable contenders include nonprofit director Candace Avalos, former City Hall staffer Jamie Dunphy, transportation policy proponent Timur Ender, public safety advocate Terrance Hayes and urban planner Steph Routh.

Smith’s moderate political pedigree is also likely to play well in a portion of the city that has overwhelmingly backed candidates such as Mayor Ted Wheeler, Commissioner Rene Gonzalez and Multnomah County District Attorney-elect Nathan Vasquez over their more progressive opponents in recent elections.

Yet Smith is not without personal and professional baggage.

She had eight chiefs of staff in as many years on the county board and had been the subject of a county investigation that found she may have bullied subordinates. That investigation also found Smith likely violated a county rule that forbids her staffers from using county time and resources to work on her campaign.

As a county commissioner, Smith also had problems with money. A 2015 Willamette Week story reported that she spent more than $81,000 of taxpayer money on travel and more than $52,000 on nonprofit fundraisers.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh covers Portland city government and politics, with a focus on accountability and watchdog reporting.

Reach him at 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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