Hi, I’m Elana Pirtle-Guiney.

 

I am an organizer and an advocate. I’ve spent most of my career fighting for economic justice. I believe full-time work should pay a living wage and access to a great education and a good job shouldn’t depend on your zip code. I believe in the power of convening – the hands-on work of bringing folks together to identify problems and find the right solutions.   

 

I’m running for City Council because when I step out my front door every morning to walk my kid to the bus stop, I see two Portlands:

 

The resilience of a local business that set up shop in an empty building, covered it with murals, and enlivened a vacant corner … and the empty lot you can see from their front door, undeveloped because the owner demolished a single-family home, thinking he’d get a better offer.

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The dead-end street where cars drove through the sidewalk, creating a safety hazard for bicyclists, pedestrians, and neighborhood kids … and the planters and picnic table neighbors placed there to create a safe sidewalk and community space, right beside a new building with 29 affordable housing units.

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The crosswalk button pierced by a stray bullet, one of many that intersection has seen … and the neighbors who organize trash cleanups, block parties, and community-building events to make our neighborhood cleaner and safer. 

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I believe Portland can be a great place to raise our kids. It can be a city of opportunity – for all of us. But only if we put the work in. We get there by looking forward, rolling up our sleeves, and building something we can all believe in.

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My name is Elana. I’m an advocate. A mom. An organizer. A small business owner. Your neighbor.

 

I’m running for City Council to build that Portland, and I want to hear from you.