Last night, supporters packed Lucky Labrador to officially launch our signature gathering campaign.
For those who couldn’t make it, here are the prepared remarks from the evening:
There’s a saying that goes something like this: To find your tribe, raise a flag and see who rallies.
Last summer, I raised a flag (even if I didn’t know it at the time). I wrote an essay about city-county consolidation. I shared it with a few neighbors. Then I shared it at a meeting of Friends of Couch Park. Allan Classen was there that day and was kind enough to do a small write-up about it in the NW Examiner. His article connected me to a bunch of people. And it’s only continued to build from there.
Tonight, I’m looking out at the people who rallied. And I’m so glad you did.
Over the past months, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with city councilors, the mayor’s office, folks at the county and at Metro, the mayors of east county cities like Wood Village and Troutdale, state legislators, neighborhood associations, people who’ve been thinking about these issues for decades.
I’ve learned so much from all of them—from all of you. In this room, I see neighbors who show up every day to make our community better. I see people working within the institutions that keep this city running. I see folks that keep us connected to Portland’s history.
This whole experience has been humbling. When I started, I was just a frustrated dad doom-scrolling about Portland’s doom loop. I have four young kids—an eight-year-old, twin 5½-year-olds, and my youngest turns four tomorrow, actually. I was tired of reading about businesses leaving and population declining and leaders pointing fingers at each other. I wanted to understand why this was happening, what—if anything—we could do about it. And then I then stumbled across “one weird trick” that could change everything— this obscure law from the 1970s that’s never been tried before. And I decided, “let’s give it a try.”
What I didn’t expect was how much this process would change me as a person. I’m a better citizen now than I was six months ago. I understand my city and my region in ways I never did before. I know more of my neighbors. I feel more connected to this place and its history and its future.
And that’s something I hope comes out of this initiative regardless of what happens with the petition. We need more civic engagement in this city. We need more people who feel ownership over our shared problems and our shared possibilities. We need more of what’s happening in this room right now.
Speaking of history, I want to show you something:
[Holds up book]
This is Multnomah: The Tumultuous Story of Oregon’s Most Populous County by Jewel Lansing and Fred Leeson. When I picked it up, I wondered how far I’d have to read before I got to a mention of consolidation. Wanna take a guess? Page one. The very first page:
This question had been raised many times since the founding of Multnomah County. […] Why have two local governments serving Portland if one could handle all matters by itself?
You know how we got Multnomah County in the first place? Because in 1854, Portlanders got tired of traveling to Hillsboro on horseback to file paperwork. To be fair, that was a reasonable complaint in the mid-19th century. But it is not a reason to maintain two governments today. The history of this county is 170 years of people asking why it exists at all.
And you know what? We are going to be the ones who put this issue to rest.
Here’s where we are:
Yesterday, I biked across the river and filed the True Copy of our petition with the County Clerk. That started the clock: 180 days to gather 21,963 valid signatures. That’s the threshold to trigger a charter commission— a 13-member body that would study consolidation, gather public input, and design a proposal for all of us to vote on.
21,963 signatures. We have until July 20th to get them.
So how do we get there? There are a lot of ways to help.
Some of you will want to collect signatures the good, old-fashioned way: staking out at a coffee shop, the farmers market, talking to folks on the street. That’s great—I’ll be right there with you. These conversations matter, and they’re how movements get built.
But we’ve also made it really easy to collect signatures anywhere. Right now, you can go to MultNoMo.org, download a petition sheet, print it out, and start gathering signatures— yourself, your partner, neighbors, coworkers, friends (enemies?). You don’t need to stand outside in the cold. It’s January in Portland—nobody wants to be out there right now. We all know and love vote by mail. Think of this as petition by mail.
That’s what grassroots looks like in 2026. Some of it is face-to-face. Some of it is digital. All of it adds up.
Now, I know some of you have worked on ballot measures before, and you might be thinking: “Wait, can you actually do it this way?” Yes. We worked this out with the county elections office. This statute, ORS 199.715, has different rules than the standard initiative process.
Before I let you go, I want to say one more thing about why this matters:
Portland used to be the city other cities wanted to become. Companies moved here for the quality of life. Young people came here to retire. We had something special— weird and wonderful and unlike anywhere else.
That Portland is slipping away. We all feel it. I’ve talked to neighbors with older kids, and they all say the same thing: when their kids and their kids’ friends graduated, they all left. They left for New York and California and they aren’t coming back. In ten years, my oldest will graduate high school. By the time that happens, I want Portland to be a place worth staying in— or at least a place worth coming back to.
Consolidation won’t fix everything. But it will give Portland something we desperately need: unified leadership that can actually be held accountable. One government. One vision. One fighting chance.
Other cities have done this, like Jacksonville, Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Kansas City. They faced similar crossroads and chose to consolidate. We can learn from their successes and their mistakes. Oregon law already provides the framework. The only thing missing is the political will to put the question before voters.
That’s what we’re building in this room.
So grab a volunteer packet before you leave, they have everything you need to get started.
And then go talk to your neighbors. Every single person here in this room is someone worth getting to know. This is an incredible group of people we have here tonight.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for showing up when most people would rather just complain. Thank you for believing that Portland’s best days are ahead of us.
Let’s make this happen!
Thanks to everyone who came out and signed the petition.
Special thanks to Lucky Labrador Beer Hall for hosting us, and to the NW Examiner and Willamette Week for covering our campaign ahead of last night’s event.
This is just the beginning. We have until July to gather 21,963 signatures— and after last night, we’re confident we’ll get there. If you want to help, sign the petition or reach out about hosting a signing event in your neighborhood.