Brian Wilson is an active community leader and volunteer, and is a partner in a small multifamily housing and medical clinic development company. He is known for helping get the Sellwood Bridge project on track and leading a multiyear effort to secure stable and dedicated funding for the Multnomah County Library.
He is active on several community boards, including Our House of Portland and Portland Center Stage. As the former Portland Housing Bureau commissioner, he says housing and homelessness are key policy areas he has worked on for decades.
He lives in Southwest Portland with his cat, Ava, and when not working or volunteering, he enjoys time remodeling his home and gardening.
Wilson is running for Multnomah County commissioner in District 1. Here are his responses to Street Roots’ candidates pop quiz — a mix of short-answer, yes-or-no, and multiple-choice questions. (Read other candidates’ responses.)
QUESTION 1
What area of the county government are you most interested in working with and why? (100 words or less)
I have identified three areas where my skill set will be of most value and meet the most pressing needs of the county: working to get an immediate handle on the homeless crisis by opening more temporary shelters, especially those safe for families; working with other local land use and permitting agencies to expedite additions to housing stock at all levels of affordability; and expanding programs with Department of Community Justice and Sheriff’s Office that address some of the highest negative impacts on our streets: methamphetamines and human trafficking.
QUESTION 2
What is one solid step you will take to expand affordable housing countywide? (150 words)
The county made its first direct investment in affordable housing this past budget cycle and is expected to do so again in the current cycle. I plan to continue and expand direct investment, partnering more closely with Portland Housing Bureau (still the primary agency in Portland responsible for development of housing) and the cities in East County to get more units into the pipeline. Further, I want to work hard on finding a new, sustainable and direct source of local funding for additional affordable units, especially units that meet the needs of families. Whether through a fund created as a byproduct of some new inclusionary zoning ordinance or a transfer tax on real estate sales, new sources will need to be identified if we want to make an effort to meet existing needs and the needs of the future.
QUESTION 3
Yes or No: Would you support establishing a safe injection site?
Yes.
QUESTION 4
Beyond Portland, Multnomah County encompasses smaller municipalities all dealing with housing and homeless issues, with the county often picking up the slack. How will you get other municipalities to better address these issues? (150 words or less)
I believe the answer is in leveraging the Home for Everyone coordinating committee. Gresham already participates, but the other, smaller municipalities only tangentially. As the Sheriff’s Office expands its patrol responsibilities in these communities, so too should county Human Services, thereby more directly working with these communities. This is a regional issue; doesn’t stop at any border. We have to treat it as such.
QUESTION 5
Story question: If Multnomah County’s budget projections showed a severe deficit by 2017, what would be your approach now to prevent or mitigate that situation? (150 words or less)
A range of things. I’d look for non-essential programs to temporarily suspend, and divert any savings to mission-critical programs, especially front line health and human services and law enforcement. I’d work with county employee unions to try and temporarily cap labor costs, just as we did in 2006. We’ll have to dip into the savings account, too, and probably try to raise cash through sale of non-essential county assets.
QUESTION 6
Complete this sentence with the following options: I smoke marijuana ________________
a. For medicinal purposes only.
b. To decompress after a stressful day.
c. Recreationally. Hey, it’s legal.
d. Rarely.
e. Never.
e. Never.
QUESTION 7
Make one promise to the city’s people of color that you will deliver on as commissioner. Street Roots will check on its status every year.
Bird dog the implementation of recommendations that come out of the MacArthur Foundation findings, whether the county advances to the next round of study or not.
QUESTION 8
How will you ensure young people of color will succeed in Multnomah County? (150 words or less)
Using our amazing library system to help catch all kids with early reading programs to ensure they have the best chance for success staying in school and graduating.
QUESTION 9
Pair the issue with the sentiment. Use each sentiment only once:
1. Sell Wapato Jail
2. Appointed (not elected) sheriff
3. Rent control
4. Regional Air Quality Bureau
a. Great idea
b. Good idea
c. Needs work
d. Nope
1. Sell Wapato Jail – a. Great idea
2. Appointed sheriff – b. Good idea
3. Rent control – c. Needs work
4. Air quality bureau – d. Nope
QUESTION 10
The county’s Racial and Ethnic Disparities Report reveals that black people are 320 percent more likely than whites to be prosecuted for a crime, 500 percent more likely to spend time in jail, and 600 percent more likely to be sentenced to prison. What will you do to help correct that? (150 words or less)
I’ve always been a believer in schools, not jails. By taking a broad approach, enlisting the help of partners in the black community, recruiting/retaining more district attorneys, law enforcement officers, teachers, etc., we can address the situation with the sensitivity that comes from shared experiences. Better education. Better opportunities.
QUESTION 11
What is one thing you will do to better serve people experiencing mental health crises? (150 words or less)
Hooray for Unity Center – but with no net adds to the number of beds, we’re going to have to provide an incentive for the CCOs to invest more. We also need to build housing that will be supportive of those exiting Unity or shelters, so we’re not pushing them back into the environment that likely triggers their illness to begin with. We’ve also got to start following best practices from other communities who make effective use of robust information systems to track and immediately notify all service providers of a consumer’s status.
QUESTION 12
As the community faces a housing crisis and growing economic and racial disparities, services aren’t going to cut it. Give an example of one thing you will do to prevent this opportunity gap from widening.
There’s really only one answer to this: more housing of all different levels of affordability, near good schools and in environmentally safe neighborhoods. We need to make an investment in this, building partnerships with organzations like APANO and NAYA to meet the specific cultural needs of those communities most impacted, and more.
QUESTION 13
Select a local artist – professional or amateur – to draw your favorite thing about Multnomah County.
This article appears in 2006-04-22.