Issues#

These are my proposals to address the most critical challenges we face as a community. We need both creative ideas, and concrete strategies, so I’ve included each here, with a consistent focus on root-cause solutions.

I want to stress that this is the beginning of a conversation - what really matters is you. What does justice look like to you? How can we get there? My highest priority is to determine what the people in HD114 actually want, and then to collaboratively work toward solutions.

Many of these ideas are aspirational, and that’s the point. I understand that governance is inherently a negotiation, so I want to clearly articulate my starting point - what I think the most just and effective solutions are - with the understanding that we’ll meet somewhere in the middle. I will always be a fierce advocate for working people, and I don’t intend to prematurely dilute my positions.

Housing#

The issue of housing in Portland is not just a question of inventory, but a question of ownership. The people of Portland need a guaranteed right to safe, affordable homes - and more importantly, they need to have control over their own housing needs. Here are my proposals to attack this crisis from both angles:

Supply#

Our first step is to work with local government

Ownership#

While building more housing is critically important, that alone will not solve the crisis we’re facing - especially if new developments fall under the same ownership structure as our existing housing stock. Thinking on a long time scale, the best way to stabilize housing costs will be to reduce the number of renters, and increase the number of owners.

These are some concrete steps the city should take to achieve this goal:

  • Create a more robust homebuyer assistance program

  • Establish a housing rehabilitation program, to assist existing homeowners with essential repairs

  • Facilitate transitioning existing apartment buildings to cooperative ownership models

  • Explore ownership limits on residential units, to discourage monopolies

  • Implement measures to discourage out-of-state ownership of residential properties

These steps will require creative financial solutions, so the city should work with local banks, businesses and philanthropic organizations to create special mortgage options, grants, and other financial tools.

Increasing the percentage of Portland residents that own their homes will increase equity, wealth, and stability within our community, while also cultivating a sense of place and individual investment in Portland.

Economic Justice#

Economic justice is about more than improving wages or benefits - we must also increase democracy in the workplace, support the efforts of organized labor, and foster local entrepreneurship. My proposals in this area fall under two broad categories: tax reform focused on large businesses, and workplace democracy.

Workplace Democracy#

Just as it is critically important for people to have control over their own homes, workers need to have a real voice when it comes to managing their workplace. Our first step should be to support local unions, and the workers who are seeking to organize.

Another powerful mechanism for promoting economic justice is the formation of worker-owned coops. These are businesses where individual workers all have an equity stake and vote on governance and leadership matters.

Studies have shown that worker-owned coops offer a number of benefits when compared to traditional businesses:

  • Employee owners are six times less likely to be laid off than non-employee-owners

  • Democracy in the workplace creates greater resilience

  • Employee ownership means the revenue created by small businesses is spent locally - wealth generated in Portland stays in Portland

  • Employee-owners have significantly increased retirement savings

Action Items#

  • Support local unions

  • Increase scrutiny on businesses and organizations that engage in anti-union activity

  • Develop mechanism to penalize large corporations that oppose unionization efforts

  • Pay transparency for all jobs, including remote workers living in Maine

  • Facilitate the formation of new worker co-ops

  • Assist legacy businesses wishing to transition to a cooperative model

  • Provide or facilitate loan guarantees to unlock financing for smaller business transitions

    • Partner with local banks, credit unions, and philanthropic foundations to establish a loan guarantee pool

    • This pool incentivizes traditional lenders to provide financing to employees seeking to buy out business owners

Ending Homelessness#

Homelessness in Portland is a humanitarian crisis. We urgently need to house people and ensure that everyone has a no-barrier pathway to economic security. I believe the most effective and ethical approach is the Housing First model, which has the power to permanently disrupt cycles of homelessness and poverty.

There are many myths surrounding homelessness, so it is important to understand that solving this issue will benefit everyone in Portland. Aside from the clear moral imperative, there are real financial upsides to the Housing First model. It is significantly less expensive to eliminate homelessness, rather than responding to it.

The first step in this process is empowering those already working in this space. There are individuals and organizations in Portland that are doing tremendous work on this front, and their feedback and guidance will be absolutely critical to our success.

Understanding that, here is the framework I propose:

  • Establish a unified vision

  • We must understand that homelessness is not inevitable or unavoidable - it is a problem that we are fully capable of solving

  • Bring back the human element

    • We should know each unhoused person - their name, their background, their challenges, and what they need to get back to stability. These are people, not statistics.

  • Embrace data

    • Develop mechanisms to accurately quantify rates of homelessness

    • Employ models to identify those at greater risk of losing housing

    • Use this data to make targeted interventions, designed for maximum impact

  • Diversify funding sources

    • Determine availability of federal funds, including FEMA

    • Partner with nonprofits, charities, and philanthropists

  • Support and expand The Maine Crisis Line & Mobile Crisis Response Services team

    • This is a safer and more equitable way to respond to mental health emergencies and is also cost effective[^1]

  • Focus on permanent housing, instead of shelters

    • This housing should be distributed across Maine, not concentrated into one city or neighborhood

    • Increase non-market housing, supported by partnerships, including classic non-market housing, co-ops, and philanthropic collaborations centered on recycling infrastructure

Homelessness is a complex, but eminently solvable problem. We can do this, but we must recognize the urgency of the moment and act now.

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