Background
Portlanders for Parking Reform created a candidate questionnaire for the upcoming May primary election to help voters understand which candidates are thinking critically about parking policy.
PPR sent this questionnaire to all mayoral and city council candidates. The themes of the questions were prioritization of our streets, off-street parking, on-street parking management, and equity. We took the candidate responses, anonymized them to remove any potential bias, and had board members of the Parking Reform Network give candidates a grade on how well their answers align with the best practices for parking reform.
Thank you so much for all the candidates below who took the time to fill out the questionnaire and thank you to Lindsay Bayley and Jane Wilberding of the Parking Reform Network for grading the responses.
Below are the grades we gave for each candidate and some quotes that help illustrate their perspective. You can view each candidate’s responses by clicking on their name or view all the responses and judge for yourself.
Mayor of Portland
Sarah Iannarone, A
On the subcategories, Sarah received:
- Prioritization of our streets: A-
- Off-street parking: A
- On-street parking management: A+
- Equity: A-
On building new parking structures Sarah said:
I have been a vocal opponent of Prosper Portland, Metro, the Port of Portland, PBOT and other government agencies who have continued to invest millions in parking garages, the most ubiquitous yet least-discussed form of abundant fossil-fuel infrastructure in our cities.
On thinking through the public input process Sarah said:
It will be imperative for us to conduct thoughtful, equitable community outreach, particularly in East Portland and other neighborhoods that have seen significant gentrification and displacement (as well as the neighborhoods to which many were displaced). It’s essential that the changes in our transportation system that we make work to empower vulnerable communities and provide them with more transportation options.
Ozzie González, C
On the subcategories, Ozzie received:
- Prioritization of our streets: B+
- Off-street parking: D
- On-street parking management: B+
- Equity: A-
On prioritization of street uses Ozzie said:
I believe transit corridors are the answer to a balanced use of the right of way. My policy platform includes dedicating transit corridors to non-motorized modes of travel.
On expediting the process for transit, Ozzie said:
My policy platform includes a transit oriented development overlay zone which will create expedited permitting processes for projects that accommodate multi-modal mobility options and provide tangible community benefits.
When asked if he would commit to not having the city use it’s own funds to build parking garages Ozzie said:
I will not. The elimination of parking from the right of way and the reduction in parking requirements on new developments means off street parking will become a necessary ingredient as we transition away from the car centric land use philosophy that our planning and zoning codes were built on
Mark White, C-
On the subcategories, Mark received:
- Prioritization of our streets: D+
- Off-street parking: C-
- On-street parking management: C-
- Equity: C-
On street prioritization, Mark said:
I have no issue with repurposing on-street parking, but only as it applies to specific areas where it is appropriate. In other words, I do not support a one-size fits all approach to parking or any other issue of importance.
When asked about resisting adding parking requirements for new homes Mark said:
I do not support a one size fits all approach to anything. It’s arrogant, shortsighted, and flat out authoritarian. Addressing change at all levels must be based on what is real, not what is ideal.
Incomplete
We did not hear back from Beryl McNair, Bruce Broussard, Cash Blanco Carter, Daniel Hoffman, Floyd La Bar, Jarred Bepristis, Lew Humble, Michael Burleson, Michael Jenkins, Michael O’Callaghan, Randy Rapaport, Sharon Joy, Ted Wheeler, Teressa Raiford, or Willie Banks.
Portland City Council, Position #1
Timothy DuBois, B+
On the subcategories, Timothy received:
- Prioritization of our streets: B+
- Off-street parking: B+
- On-street parking management: A-
- Equity: A-
On street prioritization, Timothy said:
I do support repurposing on-street parking for increased bicycle and transit capacity. I know the evidence shows that removal of some on-street parking will have limited if any direct negative impacts. The benefits to transit times and safety for bicyclists is worth the political fight.
On dynamic pricing, Timothy said:
Dynamic pricing of parking is no longer a technical impossibility, and has been proven to work in the places you name. Portland should implement the same policy. In that effort I would empower PBOT to get these pricing mechanisms in place as quick as possible.
Something Timothy said that we couldn’t help but love was:
Currently I have “The High Cost of Free Parking” next to me at my desk. I consider myself a Shoupista and am proud of it.
Incompletes
We did not hear back from Alicia McCarthy, Candace Avalos, Carmen Rubio, Corinne Patel, Isham Harris, Mary Ann Schwab, or Philip Wolfe.
Portland City Council, Position #2
Julia DeGraw, B+
On the subcategories, Julia received:
- Prioritization of our streets: A-
- Off-street parking: B
- On-street parking management: B+
- Equity: A
On where to use the funds for generated from parking, Julia said:
Using parking money to pay for the creation of more parking in an era of climate change would be the height of irresponsibility and could, arguably, be considered new fossil fuel infrastructure given that the majority of our carbon emissions in the Portland metro region come from transportation
On prioritizing uses of the street, Julia said:
Yes, I strongly support prioritizing multimodal use of our roadways and to shift away from such car-centric infrastructure. I will sound like a broken record, as this will come up throughout this questionnaire, but we must expand transit if we plan to reduce the amount of cars on the road and therefore reduce the need for parking.
Margot Black, B
On the subcategories, Margot received:
- Prioritization of our streets: B
- Off-street parking: B
- On-street parking management: B-
- Equity: A-
On how we use our streets, Margot said:
Yes. I’d like to see several major road ways used only for busses and/or bikes as well as car-free “village centers” of neighborhoods so that intersections and roadways in those neighborhoods can be safe and useable community gathering spaces primarily accessible by bike and pedestrians.
That being said, I think that all of this needs to be done with a deep equity and racial lens for those with disabilities and who are otherwise reliant on automobiles for various reasons. We have spent almost 100 years building our world for car travel and it will take time to wean ourselves off of it.
On resisting attempts to impose new off-street parking requirements Margot said:
Yes. I have a proven track record of doing so. Even when it makes me a bit unpopular.
James (Jas) Davis, B-
On the subcategories, Jas received:
- Prioritization of our streets: B-
- Off-street parking: C
- On-street parking management: C
- Equity: B+
On subsidizing parking, Jas said:
My goal is city-wide free mass-transit. On the path to that goal could be subsidized or free annual passes for anyone for whom purchase is a hardship. Getting more people to ride transit eases pressure on parking, which is the only ‘subsidy’ for parking I’m interested in making. If people want more parking spaces, subsidize mass transit.
On prioritizing street uses, Jas said:
Yes, in particular I’d like to see streets that meet certain criteria dedicated to bikeways.
Sam Chase, B-
On the subcategories, Sam received:
- Prioritization of our streets: B
- Off-street parking: C
- On-street parking management: C
- Equity: B
On spending revenue generated from parking, Sam said:
Equitable access to public transit has been a priority of mine at Metro and will continue to be something that I prioritize on city council.
On pricing, Sam said:
Managing cars through parking must also go hand in hand with congestion pricing. I successfully championed an effort for Metro to study congestion pricing–not to leave it up to ODOT to forward their own ideas. The study will make the full range of options known to our elected, community, and business leaders. It’s an essential part of long-term structural change in our mobility strategy and carbon footprint reduction.
Aquiles Montas, D
On the subcategories, Aquiles received:
- Prioritization of our streets: D
- Off-street parking: D
- On-street parking management: F
- Equity: C
When asked about being in favor of removing on-street parking for other users, Aquiles said:
No the way City has been structuring. Main artery streets needs more access to the growing population with needs of all three forms of transportation
On using city funds for building parking garages, Aquiles said:
I am not for having our tax dollars going for development of new buildings unless they are public owned for low income families
Terry Parker, F
On the subcategories, Terry received:
- Prioritization of our streets: F
- Off-street parking: F
- On-street parking management: F
- Equity: F
When asked about being in favor of removing on-street parking in favor of other travel modes, Terry said:
NO! The city needs to stop removing and narrowing full service travel lanes on major streets thereby creating more congestion and increasing both fuel consumption and emissions. To make transit work better, entire streets need to flow better.
When asked about pushing PBOT to implement practices for pricing on-street parking, Terry said:
If any group should be charged a fee for curb space it should be the bicyclists that take away parking making it more scarce and want everything for free as if it is an entitlement.
When asked about using parking revenue to fund transit, Terry said:
59% of low income people drive to their place of employment. If anything is underpriced it is transit which is subsidized at approximately 65 cents per passenger mile. This is the absence of equity.
Incompletes
We did not hear back from Alicea Maurseth, Cynthia Castro, Dan Ryan, Diana Gutman, Jack Kerfoot, Jeff Lang, Loretta Smith, Rachelle Dixon, Ronault (Polo) Catalani, Ryan Farmer, Tera Hurst, or Walter Wesley.
Portland City Council, Position #4
Chloe Eudaly, B+
On the subcategories, Chloe received:
- Prioritization of our streets: A-
- Off-street parking: A-
- On-street parking management: B
- Equity: A-
About finding uses for the street besides street parking, Chloe said
I’m interested in re-purposing parking spaces for other uses, like the Ankeny Square Food Cart Pod my office has been working on since the Alder Food Cart Pod was displaced by development. We’re also collaborating with the parks bureau to permanently close streets adjacent to the Portland Art Museum and Parks Blocks.
About pushing back on the imposition of new parking minimums, Chloe said:
Yes. I’m more interested in parking maximums, than parking minimums. Portland is an awkward phase between our growth and transportation habits. We cannot continue to support, encourage or subsidize those that are detrimental to the health of our communities or our environment. But we do need to vastly improve walking, biking, and transit options at the same time.
Keith Wilson, B+
On the subcategories, Keith received:
- Prioritization of our streets: B
- Off-street parking: A
- On-street parking management: A-
- Equity: A-
When asked about using city funds for developing parking garages, Keith said:
Yes. We don’t have an affordable parking crisis. We have an affordable housing crisis. Struggling to find a parking space is not the same as struggling to find a place to sleep. Our focus for using limited city funds and financing should be on adding more housing and more low-cost housing choices.
When asked about equity and transportation costs, Keith said:
Housing cars is not as important as housing people or investing in our public transportation network. When we insist on on-street or off-street parking requirements, we are driving up the cost of housing and removing the density that is required to invest in an efficient public transportation system. Charging for parking and assigning those revenues to infrastructure, maintenance and transportation network improvements, are an important part of improving equity and quality of life for all Portlanders.
Seth Woolley, B-
On the subcategories, Seth received:
- Prioritization of our streets: C
- Off-street parking: B-
- On-street parking management: B-
- Equity: C
When asked about prioritization of street uses, Seth said:
Yes, but I think one can address this carefully to build consensus around the intermediary goal of parking reduction (and all its ancillary benefits). Really parking reform is a means to a much more significant set of ends that involve climate change and public health. I would always remain cognizant of the ends when examining the means.
When asked about ensuring equitable spending of the revenue generated from parking, Seth said:
I would say it’s much more than how we spend the fees. Equity includes democratic processes, listening, inviting diversity to the table, learning about what people’s needs are, and ensuring overall system fairness by looking at things not as single policies, but as sets of interacting policies that work or do not work together.
Incompletes
We did not hear back from Aaron Fancher, Kevin McKay, Mingus Mapps, Robert MacKay, or Sam Adams.
[…] Our Board graded Portlanders for Parking Reform’s candidate survey responses for the May 2020 City Council primary election. […]