Who to Vote for in the May 19, 2015 Special Election in Multnomah County, Oregon

I live in Southeast, in school district #1JT, so I may have ballot options you don’t, or visa versa. This is, of course, my personal opinion based on how I voted. You can do whatever you want. Also, please note that I take a lot of things seriously in life. This blog is not one of them. Nothing I am about to write should be take to heart by anyone for any reason. I am not a lawyer, I don’t want to be one. Also, ignore my medical advice if I ever give you any.

MULTNOMAH EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT

DIRECTOR POS. 7, ZONE 3

Kay L. Bridges: Former order clerk for a printing company who is not endorsed by anyone. Also, I found a lot of typos and grammar mistakes in her bio.

Siobhan Burke: Has a Master’s Degree in Teaching, and is endorsed by the Portland Associations of Teachers PAC. Less typos.

 

DIRECTOR POS. 6, AT LARGE

Doug Montgomery: What is with the cryptobabble, dude? I had to look up “ESD.” It stands for Electronic Software Distribution. Doug wants to turn public schools into an Electronic Software Distribution model and fire some staff people (you know, whichever ones.. whatev). Doug, my man, you do realize you’re running for school board, right?

Stephen Marc Beaudoin: Dude is already running a successful non-profit, he has a list of endorsements 2.5 inches long (that’s actually pretty long), and his biographical info is extremely well formatted. What’s not to love?

Colby Ross Clipston: Why no picture? What are you trying to hide, Roy?

Fun Fact: My voting guide randomly has three more people listed for this position than the ballot does. Including someone who looks an incumbent (her bio is sort of unclear.) Guys, I gotta draw the line somewhere. If you’re not on the damn ballot what are you doing in my voter book? This isn’t Who’s Who, people.

PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DIRECTOR, ZONE 3

Courtney Wilton: I don’t like that he lists his endorsements without their titles. Am I supposed to just know who the ever-living eff Marianne Zarkin is? There are 609,000 people in Portland. I haven’t got to the Zs yet.

Anita Yap: This is an open and shut Yap. She’s endorsed by the Democratic Party of Oregon and Communities of Color for a Just Oregon.

Michael Sonnleitner: I wish I could vote for this position twice, I really do. The formatting. It’s just beautiful. But Yap has more experience, and Michael talks about embracing diversity right there in his bio. I gotta go with my POCs on this one. How often does a civic-minded lady like myself get to vote for a woman of color in Portland, after all?

PORTLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT #1JT

DIRECTOR, ZONE 1

Andrew E. Davidson: Look at that sweet face. And he’s a student. With professional experience as an intern. Also, three dudes from the board love this guy.

Julie Esparza Brown: The freaking Governor endorses this lady. Also, another rare woman of color opportunity. She has no prior governmental experience, but she does have the benefit of holding a real job and raising three people to adulthood, which I feel is probably going to be valuable on the board. If my own experience with school board meetings is any indication, being the kind of person who can coordinate sharing between multiple toddlers is a valuable skill.

DIRECTOR, ZONE 2

Emma Russac Williams: I dig the cemetery angle. There’s not enough people with funerary experience in schools these days, and that’s a shame. But her bio makes it sound like she’s joining the board so she can keep an eye on her kids. Noble goal, just not my goal.

Jose Gonzalez: This guy has experience working in schools. He’s the executive director of something. That makes me feel like he knows Robert’s Rules of Order, or at least could learn them, which is important.

John Sweeney: The typos. Are overwhelming.

 

Paul D. Anthony: Who the hell is Barbara Roberts? Oh, she was governor in 1995… when I was 10. Also, bad grammar.

 

DIRECTOR, ZONE 3

Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm: Is endorsed by one congressperson (Blumenauer), and one of the two PACs that I tend to look to for guidance (Color PAC).

Wes Soderback: Okay, that picture is adorable. Wes, you seem like a cool guy. Also, you used to work on a submarine. You’re trying to save your Alma Matter from unfair closure, and I get that. If there was a Mr. Congeniality, I would vote for you twice.

Gretchen Hollands: This is a strong field. You guys all should have applied to be the Director of POS. 7, Zone 3 in the Multnomah Education Services District.

Robbie Regan: Is endorsed by another congressperson (Bonamici) and the other PAC (the Teachers). I decided against her because her congressperson doesn’t represent Portland, and Amy’s does. Also, she’s the second person to list a twenty-years gone governor in her endorsements list. Call it arbitrary, but it’s 1 a.m., and despite my surprisingly cavalier attitude about the whole thing, this has taken a lot of work.

DIRECTOR, ZONE 7

Mike Rosen: No brainer.