Portland candidates pledge prevention and new taxes to close county funding gaps

Voters in Multnomah County Commission District 2 face a choice between candidates who propose shifting resources toward prevention and those who advocate for new tax measures to fund housing and health services. The district covers North Portland and most of Northeast Portland, extending from St. Johns to Northeast 148th Avenue and south to Interstate 84. Current representative Shannon Singleton is seeking the county chair position, leaving the seat open for a new leader to manage a budget strained by federal cuts and local revenue declines.

Nabil Zaghloul, director of Bienestar de la Familia, argues that the county must stop managing recurring crises. He proposes a public report card to track spending outcomes and protect frontline services such as eviction prevention and addiction treatment. Zaghloul stated that helping a family remain housed is less expensive than rehousing them after they become homeless. He plans to review administrative costs and overlapping programs before reducing direct services. His approach includes partnering with the state and private sector to secure additional funding.

Serena Cruz, a strategy consultant and former commissioner from 1999 to 2006, emphasizes protecting the county’s safety net as federal aid shrinks. She supports streamlining enrollment for SNAP and the Oregon Health Plan to keep eligible people covered. Cruz cites the Supportive Housing Services tax as a success, noting it placed more than 5,500 households in housing. She plans to work with Metro and neighboring counties to draft a 2028 funding measure that includes independent audits. Cruz believes the public must see clear financial plans and measurable results before approving new taxes.

Cruz identifies homelessness among people with untreated mental illness or addiction as the county's most critical issue. She noted that about 9% of the Medicaid population in this group drives 40% of system costs. Her plan includes building a behavioral health continuum that connects crisis stabilization with recovery housing. She referenced her previous leadership of the Bridges to Housing program, which reduced domestic violence reports from 36% to under 10% over five years. Cruz intends to coordinate local governments to replace fragmented services with shared outcomes.

Nathan Ong Norris, a stagehand and carpenter, proposes raising new revenue at the city, county, and state levels to counter austerity. He supports a local tax on data center construction and a charge on fuel storage by CEI Hub companies. Norris also advocates for evaluating upper management costs and reducing funding for the sheriff’s department and jails. He stated that these savings should be reinvested in community care and core services. Norris plans to work with the Oregon Revenue Coalition and Tax Fairness Oregon to implement these progressive taxes.

Norris criticizes the county's current use of Supportive Housing Services funds, noting that half went to shelter and outreach in 2025. He argues this approach has not worked and calls for more investment in eviction prevention and long-term rehousing. He endorsed the recommendations from the Welcome Home initiative to shift focus away from short-term shelter beds. This strategy aims to stabilize housing before crises require emergency intervention.

Bruce Broussard, Herman Greene, Bri Williams, and Tony Robertson did not respond to questions about their plans for funding gaps and housing. The candidates who did respond agreed that the loss of federal funding requires immediate action. They differ on whether the solution lies in administrative efficiency, new tax measures, or a combination of both. The district’s residents will decide which approach leads the county’s response to the fiscal challenges ahead.