The Campaign for Responsible Government is a political action committee in Portland created by people who live, work or have deep ties to our city and our state. We are Democrats, independents and Republicans.

Our focus: Making Portland a stronger, more vibrant community.

The Campaign does not accept donations from corporations, other political committees or nonprofits. Every donor to our campaign is disclosed; every dollar we spend is publicly reported.

On state and national issues, we don’t always agree. But in a time of deep partisan divide, we believe that it’s possible to work together on local issues and find common ground. We were spurred to take action when the city council — without proper public notice or an opportunity for full public participation — took a show-vote on a question of international affairs. The action changed nothing for the city’s operation, but it divided our community and made some of our friends and neighbors feel unsafe, singled out and targeted.

We believe that the job of the city council is to focus on issues in Portland.

The city is failing people who are experiencing homelessness. The evidence is all around us, we see it with our eyes and feel it in our heart. Poverty is not a crime; being without a home should not be criminalized. But the current approach is a failure. In the last month, I have witnessed two brawls in broad daylight on Congress Street and Cumberland Avenue, just two blocks from Portland High School, two medical emergencies that appeared to be overdoses, public nudity, vandalism and threatening behavior. One of our members, who volunteers at Preble Street and has been publicly attacked, has had to administer two doses of Narcan to save lives.

Our city is failing business owners by creating an unpredictable environment where rules are ignored and for some members of the city council, the posture is “sue us” if you don’t like what we do. The nonprofit status of major anchor organizations in our downtown is under threat. And city councilors have berated and demeaned the public servants who work for the city during public meetings.

Ordinances passed by the city council are deterring efforts to build new housing and new business in the city, and the result shifts a greater and greater share of taxes onto homeowners as the value of commercial and rental properties declines.

I have lived in Portland for 24 years, and am a die hard progressive Democrat who has fought for same-sex marriage, LGBTQ rights, expanded Medicaid, background checks, clean energy and more. My neighbor, who is also a member of the PAC, is a conservative. We don’t agree on many of these issues. But we have come together to try to make our city a better place. When we have disagreed in the past, it has been as opponents and not as enemies.

Some candidates for office this year, who themselves have the support of outside organizations, are attacking this group as something nefarious or secret or hidden. Here’s who we are: We’re your neighbors. We want our city to be better. We want a city council that will do better. We aren’t enemies with the candidates we don’t support; we disagree with them and think others would do a better job. That’s what democracy looks like.

We can’t coordinate with candidates. That’s against the law. But if anyone else wants to talk about who we are and what we do, email me at: responsiblegovernmentpac@gmail.com.

— David Farmer, Campaign for Responsible Government administrator

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