As the city gears up for a new government structure and a 12-person council, candidates are kicking off campaigns for a pivotal 2024 election.
COURTNEY VAUGHN & TAYLOR GRIGGS
Come November 2024, Portlanders will be asked to choose among what’s likely to be a crowded field of City Council candidates.
The 2024 General Election will see Portland elect a new 12-person council—more than doubling the current size of five—with voters using a ranked choice system to select candidates in order of preference. Three people from each of four districts will be elected, in addition to a mayor voted on, citywide. Portland’s next mayor will have limited voting power, but maintain administrative authority over some aspects of City Hall.
Instead of city commissioners serving as bureau leaders, a new city administrator and deputy city administrator will be hired.
With Portland’s new voting districts confirmed, a bevy of candidates are already kicking off campaigns.
District 1:
Candace Avalos is one of the most recognizable names to enter the 2024 City Council race. Avalos served on Portland’s Charter Review Commission and the Citizen Review Committee for police oversight and accountability. She’s currently the executive director of nonprofit environmental justice group Verde, and comes with a background in education and community outreach, previously working at Portland State University.
She previously ran for Portland City Council in 2020, but lost to Carmen Rubio.
Avalos says she aims to be “a champion for East Portland.”
“East Portland is a growing and evolving community, and we have been waiting a long time for promises made in City Hall to be realized,” Avalos said in a news release announcing her candidacy. “The only way Portland has ever made progress has been people coming together to make change. For years I have shown my love for this city by being a part of creating real solutions. And now I’m inspired to run for City Council to take it to the next level.”
More to come.
