The Russell Apartments Tenant Union will host the first public candidate forum of its kind for city council candidates running in Portland’s 2nd district. The forum will take place on Wednesday September 25th from 6:00 to 8:00PM at the Russell Apartments, at 2621 NE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97212. So far, Candidates Marnie Glickman, Sameer Kanal, Chris Olsen, Jennifer Park and Jonathan Tasini have confirmed their participation in the forum. The candidates will answer urgent concerns from tenants at The Russell, as well as from tenants living in other buildings in the second district who have been invited to join.

The Russell Apartments Tenant Union is one of the few tenant unions in Portland. It was formed earlier this year in response to ongoing grievances from their property management company. At the forum, Russell residents and other attendants will ask the candidates how they plan to use their office to hold landlords and property management companies like theirs accountable.

This event is a pivotal moment for tenants in Portland. City council candidates and other local politicians are recognizing and responding to the growing presence and organization of tenant unions within the city. The forum hosted by the Russell Apartments Tenant Union, the first of its kind in Portland, will provide a platform for tenants to share their concerns directly with the candidates who are running to represent them, ensuring that housing issues remain a top priority in local governance.

This event is open to the Public.

Now is the time to start writing articles or creating advertisements.

There is a deadline of 2 weeks – October 1st to get content in. If you are considering writing, please reach out to news@eliotneighborhood.org to let the Editing and Layout teams know what to expect and save space for.

If you are open to:
– writing
– taking pictures
– creating other content
don’t hesitate to get in touch. Even if you are struggling with ideas.

If you would like your
– business
– organization
– activity
– political candidate
to be announced or advertised in the paper, please reach out as well

news@eliotneighborhood.org

Minds Matter Portland helps ambitious low-income students achieve their dream of going to college. They provide guidance, resources, and hands-on opportunities to ensure that students develop the skills to successfully navigate the admissions process, their college years, and beyond. Given the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, volunteer action is ever more urgent and necessary to bridge the access gap for these promising young students.

Minds Matter began in NYC more than 30 years ago, and has been operating in Portland for nearly 20 years. The program is deeply committed to delivering results: 100% of Minds Matter students are accepted to 4-year colleges, with 90% graduating.

Volunteers meet with students on Saturdays on Alberta, next door to Eliot in the King neighborhood. Sign up for a coffee chat to learn more about what it’s like to volunteer, or fill out an online application if you’re ready to get started today!

On a personal note, I have also been volunteering as a mentor with Minds Matter for the past 3 years, and have found it an incredibly rewarding journey. If you’d like to hear more about my personal experience, please email serena@eliotneighborhood.org.

PBOT will be applying this month for Federal Reconnecting Communities Planning Grant to study this project

I am working on a letter of support for this project and would love to have more groups (including yours) sign on. Contact me (lutcchair@eliotneighborhood.org) to get more information.

The Grant will have 3 goals and each will get roughly 1/3 of the planning dollars from this grant

• Study feasibility of reconfiguring and shortening the Fremont Bridge Kerby Ramps
• Study feasibility of relocating, reconfiguring, or consolidating the City Maintenance Yards adjacent to the ramps. 
• Community visioning and opportunity analysis for the Fremont Bridgehead area. 

Do you have time to review a draft letter of support? Would your organization consider signing on? Do you want to be involved more with reading the grant proposal?

Thank you for your support of this vision and your help getting to this point

Allan Rudwick
Eliot LUTC Chair and Project Champion

link for more information on this project