A paraphrased summary of the Q&A follows:
With all the duties the County has under its jurisdiction, what responsibility is least recognized?
All the work we do is important, and so much of it is overlooked. One area that comes to mind is the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council. We bring together partners across the criminal justice system – courts, DA, law enforcement. It’s traditionally been more of a convening role. In my time as Chair, we have grown the responsibilities of the council. During COVID, it was critical for us to reduce the jail population so we didn’t have outbreaks. And recently we took on a new challenge – transforming justice. Really working with all the partners and the community to change the way we do criminal justice to make it more equitable.
Had COVID not taken place, would there have been a project that you would like to have undertaken?
I’d say really our public health team. I would put them on par with anyone in the country. We had been analyzing and researching the social determinants of health, and also what’s causing disparities in deaths in Multnomah County. We also had a really ambitious plan to look at traffic fatalities, cancer, tobacco-related deaths. We had put that work on hold, but you will see more of that in the coming months
What will Multnomah County do to help small businesses thrive after COVID?
The first thing we did to help small businesses was to really listen to them. During the pandemic we held countless listening sessions with various groups. We went to all of the business associations – small, large, medium, culturally specific, mainstream – and asked how can we be helpful? And we were able to distribute $14 million dollars in grant funding to local small businesses. That helped keep businesses going, including restaurants. And we worked with various community organizations like Prosper Portland; we worked with the cities. We will continue to do that. We built relationships in areas that we hadn’t really had before, and will continue to work with those organizations and small businesses.
What policy are you most proud of in your tenure in the county?
I am really proud of the way that Multnomah County handled the COVID pandemic. It was a challenge that we never expected to come. We worked so hard. We so quickly pivoted to focus on getting messaging out to the community. But the majority of Multnomah County services also continued. It wasn’t like we could put everything on hold. We had to keep serving people who are elderly and disabled, people who were in dire need of healthcare services, mental health services. We had to keep providing those services, at the same time as we were getting out all of our services to our community at the same time as telling people what to do, what not to do. Every Multnomah County employee was working during COVID in two or three different jobs and also trying to take care of themselves and their families.
What needs to happen to realize and effectively implement the kind of work we need for mental health and related issues in our community?
This is a really, really important question. I know it’s going to be the focus of the last part of my tenure. We know we had issues. We had challenges prior to COVID, and COVID completely exacerbated all of those problems. One of the things we do need is for the State to get Measure 110 funding Measure 110 funding out into the community. Community members all across the state have come out with proposals on how to help people struggling with substance use and mental health issues. The money is stuck in Salem. They need to get that money out, on the ground. It’s crucial.
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The other thing I’m proud about is we were able to keep going and building the Behavioral Health Resource Center. The first ever in our state – it’s going to open this fall downtown. Just yesterday I was with Senator Jeff Merkley and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici because we got some money from the Federal government. That project is on track to open this fall. It is going to help people who are homeless in downtown Portland with mental health issues. It couldn’t come at a better time.
What advice would you give to young people interested in public service?
Just do it. There’s always a reason not to do it. It's hard; some of the jobs don’t pay very much. Right now the vitriol directed at elected officials – it’s really tough. I think the rewards are far greater than the challenges.
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I would tell people you need to know why you’re running for office. If you're running because it looks like a great time or you want to be important, this isn’t the job for you. You really have to have strong values and an inner core that yells you what’s right and what’s wrong. Especially when things are hard. Especially in the last two years, with so many incredibly difficult decisions to make. You need to have a strong sense of values.
You’ve been in public life for 22 years. And actually much longer, given that you come from a family that’s been in public life for a long time. How did growing up in a politically active family impact you?
When you come from a long line of people who wake up every day and say, “How am I going to go out there and change injustice? How am I going to fight for what’s right?” – my family definitely drove me into politics. And I tried to steer clear! But really I felt this was the best way to give back to my community. I love this community and I want to do everything I can to make it a better place for everyone.
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I heard when I was running for office and out talking with folks, people would say about my mother [Gretchen Kafoury, a former state lawmaker and County and Portland commissioner], “There were many times I didn't agree with her policies but I always knew she was being true to herself and she believed in what she was fighting for.’ I knew that was one of the greatest compliments people could pay you. I hope that people will say that about me.
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I have great hope when I'm talking with youth in Multnomah County about their thoughts, their concerns. We have the Multnomah Youth Commission. They’re so involved with their community, and they’re so attuned with what's going on in the community. They really have great ideas for how to move forward. When you're trying to make change you need to talk to people who are most impacted.
If you could choose your favorite place in Multnomah County, what would it be?
The Eastbank Esplanade in Waterfront Park. You're in the heart of the city, and you see people from all walks of life, on various modes of transportation. You get the real feel of our community and also the connection to the river, the city, the buildings, the bridges. I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in Multnomah County.
The diversity of our community is one of our greatest strengths and one of our greatest challenges. People have to learn to live together. We have a long, terrible history of exclusion of people of color. And yet Multnomah County becomes more diverse by the day. It challenges some of the age-old traditions and people who have been in power. This isn’t just here in Portland or here in Oregon. It's the challenge of our time – to make sure we have the voices of everyone heard. I think that is one of the things I take so seriously at the County. The folks we serve need to be treated with dignity and respect. And that means our employees at the County need to feel safe in their own environment as well.
