By Mark Kirchmeier
Rev. Herman Greene has announced his candidacy for the North/Northeast Portland District 2 seat on the Multnomah County Commission.
In the November general election, Greene is seeking to fill the current position of Commissioner Shannon Singleton who must vacate the seat, as she is currently running for county chair.
Greene, pastor of Abundant Life Church, served on the Portland School Board from 2011 to 2015 focusing on improving student achievement. He also criticized PPS administrators for not closely monitoring cost overruns or sending tighter bond proposals to voters to remodel schools, including potentially Jefferson High School.
He is a vocal critic of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in N/NE Portland. While on the school board he pledged to “stand in front of a door – and get arrested if need be – to keep our kids safe from immigration raids.”
Greene’s positions on key county issues include:
• More county services and controls to reduce current problems at the county’s day shelter in downtown St. Johns. “A day shelter cannot operate in isolation, it must be paired with behavioral health, addiction support, case management, and coordinated outreach, so people are not just gathering, but actually moving toward stability,” he said.
• Moving the county and the city from parallel homelessness efforts to true alignment where shelter, services, and housing pathways are coordinated and accountable for results.
• Deflection programs to get people arrested for drug possession into treatment rather than into jails.
Greene is the first candidate to announce entry into the race. The filing deadline is in June. This will be the first county election using ranked-choice voting on the November ballot. Voters can vote for up to six candidates ranked in their order of preference.