A Multnomah County commissioner from Southwest Portland and a longtime housing and racial justice advocate are the latest to enter the race for county chair next year.
Sharon Meieren, an emergency room physician who has represented the western portion of the county since 2017, announced her candidacy Monday.
Less than 24 hours later, Shannon Singleton, a trained social worker and current director of equity and racial justice for Gov. Kate Brown, said she would also attempt to succeed Chair Deborah Kafoury, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits.
Each are pitching their professional and political backgrounds as the necessary blend to overcome the homelessness, mental health and social services challenges that confront the county.
In a statement, Meieren said her medical and government experience has repeatedly placed her on the front lines with those who are vulnerable or in crisis.
She also said the county needed to take a more aggressive approach to helping unhoused residents get off the street, re-iterating a position she has sought to highlight publicly in recent months.
“Thousands of people are living outside in unsafe and unhealthy conditions without inadequate shelter or medical care,” Meieran said. “If Multnomah County were a patient, we wouldn’t be doing well.”
Singleton, who has also served as the executive director of the homeless services nonprofit JOIN, said the position of Multnomah County chair is poised to “make the most impact on homelessness, mental health and moving people to permanent housing.”
“I will utilize all of the tools to fully address the short- and long-term complexity of homelessness, our mental health crisis while also preventing people from becoming homeless because they can’t afford rent,” Singleton said.
Campaign finance records show Meieran has about $29,000 cash on-hand, after she loaned her campaign $30,000 in 2016, while Singleton has yet to raise any money.
Earlier this month, Multnomah County Commissioner and former state lawmaker Jessica Vega Pederson became the first candidate to publicly announce a campaign for county chair.
The primary election will be held May 17. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two voter-getters will face a runoff in November.
-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632
Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com
Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh
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