PORTLAND – Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez will officially kick off his mayoral campaign at noon today at Kelly’s Olympian in downtown Portland.

“Last year, voters sent me to city hall because they demanded a change in the direction of our city. I am running for Mayor to ensure the work we have begun on crime, homelessness, the drug crisis, and economic revitalization continue stronger than ever,” Gonzalez said.

From supporting the police and fire departments and lowering emergency response times to getting our most vulnerable citizens off the streets and into supportive services, Gonzalez has been a firm and consistent voice for change.

“We have a humanitarian crisis on our streets and it’s going to take all of us working together to move the city forward. We need to continue to work to stabilize the city – especially in reducing gun violence and ensuring continued support for temporary shelter and social services, in order to restore livability” Gonzalez said.

“We also need to restore our city’s image, both locally and nationally, to once again emerge as the dynamic, economically vibrant and inclusive city we all remember and love. Our city is better than this. We are just at the beginning of our recovery, and I am running to make sure it continues strong – for parents, working families, small businesses – and those looking to relocate here to live, work, play and build a better life.”

Gonzalez also committed to targeting broader dysfunction in local government keeping real solutions at bay.

“We are experiencing loss of population and small business in ways that were unthinkable only a short time ago. We have hundreds of millions of dollars just sitting in government accounts  not being spent, while the crisis in our city continues to play out, day after day. We need action NOW! We urgently need clear, responsive, focused leadership to get our city back on track. I urge Portlanders to join me and the many others fighting to continue our city’s much needed recovery.”

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