Ryan, Pirtle-Guiney, Kanal ahead in race to represent North, Northeast Portland on City Council

It's unclear which candidates will prevail in North and Northeast Portland's District 2 to fill the three seats on the City Council after partial results were released Tuesday night.

The competitive nature of the race, boasting arguably the highest number of strong candidates across the four districts, played a role in the tight contest.

After preliminary ranked-choice rounds as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, the six leading candidates were current City Commissioner Dan Ryan, policy strategist and longtime union leader Elana Pirtle-Guiney and former Portland Inclusive Policy Manager Sameer Kanal. They were followed by Portland Manager of People and Culture Tiffani Penson, former cider house owner Nat West and climate change activist and Portland Public Schools board vice chair Michelle DePass; and former cider house owner Nat West.

Voters could rank up to six candidates in order of preference. To secure a seat under the new election system, each of the district's three top candidates need just 25% of the vote after multiple rounds of ranked-choice vote redistribution to win.

As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, an estimated 46% of countywide votes remained to be counted.

District 2 is one of four districts electing members of the new 12-member City Council, with each sending three representatives to City Hall.

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Top candidates among the 22 running for the district, based on endorsements and money raised, included Ryan, West, Penson and Pirtle-Guiney. Union advocate Jonathan Tasini; Mariah Hudson, a communications specialist at Oregon Health and Science University; small business owner James Armstrong; and DePass were also among the list of strong candidates.

Ryan would be the only city commissioner to sit on the reimagined council. Three other sitting commissioners ran for mayor, while Mayor Ted Wheeler opted to leave public office.

North and Northeast Portland are on deck for an infusion of investment and community projects, including a proposed Albina Vision Trust rebuild of the area near the Rose Quarter and commercial developments in the Lloyd District. The city's northern area also carries with it a long history of redlining and gentrification that pushed people of color away.

Challenges plaguing the city — most prominently homelessness, continued impacts of fentanyl and public safety concerns — have weighed on the district as well. Persistent break-ins have put some businesses in areas like St. Johns in danger of shuttering for good, and residents continue to push back against plans for a new Bottle Drop center in the same neighborhood.

District 2 is one of Portland's most diverse, second to east Portland's District 1, and is home to the highest population of Black residents at 10.3%, city data shows. The voting district hugs the Willamette River from Interstate 84 up to Kelly Point and reaches as far east as the Cully neighborhood.

Ryan leads the pack in fundraising, with $199,000 as of Tuesday, campaign finance records show. He has endorsements from elected officials including Gov. Tina Kotek and his fellow city commissioners. Ryan opened the city's first of several successful alternative homeless shelters known as "safe rest villages."

In second place is Hudson, with $148,000, records show. She sports endorsements from several state legislators, Portland Public Schools Board Chair Gary Hollands and business-backed coalition United for Portland.

West has raised $127,000, putting him in third. West formerly owned Reverend Nat's Cider House and was a TriMet bus driver for eight months after that. He brings endorsements from private and public unions, former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty and a handful of small business owners.

The candidates voters ultimately choose to represent them on the new city council will help guide policy direction under the reformed government. New councilors will be joined by a fresh mayor and a city administrator appointed to oversee Portland's various bureaus and departments. That job was previously parceled out among city commissioners.