City Council Entrance Interview: Luke Zack

Strives to represent: District 3 (Southeast and Northeast Portland)

Age: 32

Pronouns: He/him

Job: Full time candidate

Interesting fact: For 14 years he has been organizing matches in quadball, formerly known as Quidditch.

This is Luke Zach’s first attempt at running for president, but not the first time he’s knocked on the door. As a young volunteer, he campaigned to end the same-sex marriage ban in his home state of Minnesota and campaigned for Raphael Warnock in the 2021 U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia. Zach received his MBA from the University of Oregon and worked for the Salem and Tualatin Valley tourism offices. As a full-time candidate, he was eligible to receive government funds. This is what he would do in his post.

Why are you running for office?

The new structure of city government was the catalyst for my desire to run for office. Having an at-large council, which we elect through ranked-choice voting with multiple winners, has given Portlanders a unique opportunity to elect a diverse and representative council that will set the course for the city’s next leader. To me, this meant a chance for a new candidate with the same transferable skills as me to be elected and add value to the city without political experience or support.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

Housing, public safety and transportation. All these issues are inextricably linked. We must take immediate action to ensure people are housed and have access to treatment, working towards a system that provides a full continuum of care available as needed, with non-disabled shelters and drug treatment services. In District 3, traffic safety is also an incredible concern. I would actively work with the council to create quiet streets, bicycle and pedestrian safety infrastructure, and improve public transportation by increasing speed, frequency, reliability and coverage, and reducing barriers to use such as safety concerns, cost and inconvenience.

How would you promote economic growth in Portland?

To drive economic growth in Portland, we need to make sure our city is an accessible, vibrant and overall desirable place to live, work, play and visit. This means a dramatic expansion of our housing production, which includes zoning reform and public-private partnerships that will attract outside capital investment to the city. This means continuing to develop and revitalize public spaces across the city, from waterfront festivals to Sunday boulevards. This means providing financial and regulatory support to small businesses, helping local stores thrive and breathing new life into empty and underutilized storefronts. The opportunities go on and on.

Portland faces budget cuts next year. Where would you cut money from the current city budget? Please identify the specific program, office, or location.

To be clear, the new City Council will inherit the already approved 2024-25 budget. In preparation for the new form of government, the city has consolidated bureaus and offices into six major service areas to operate more efficiently and effectively. Rather than proactively cutting program areas, I would recommend that the City use a data-driven approach to evaluate recent organizational restructuring to identify target areas that can be further consolidated or streamlined in the FY 2025-26 budget.

Where is the city currently spending money or using it in ways that you consider ineffective or unnecessary? Where’s the bloat?

Our old commission system was riddled with cuts. The move to house all permits under one roof is a prime example of reducing these inefficiencies in a way that provides a tangible positive impact on the city. Removing bureaus from councilors, hiring a professional city administrator, and organizing operations across six service areas will further streamline systems and improve operational efficiencies where overlapping roles and responsibilities can be consolidated.

What is the United Homeless Authority doing wrong and what do you think can improve the situation?

Although critics are often the loudest in the room, the United Office of Homeless Services has seen recent success, including relocating more than 5,000 people in the last fiscal year. Looking to the future, as the current board evaluates its agreement with the district, there needs to be greater clarity regarding the jurisdiction’s roles and responsibilities so that we can be flexible and course-correct when goals are not being met.

Is Multnomah County’s tax rate (including PCEF, Preschool for All, and Supportive Housing taxes) too high or at an acceptable level? If it’s too high, what do you suggest we do about it?

I don’t think Multnomah County’s tax rate is too high. It’s worth keeping in mind that the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefit Fund is a corporate tax that Portland residents do not pay. Additionally, preschool for all is a county tax and supportive housing services are a metro tax, both of which are progressive marginal taxes that only affect high-income earners. Revenue from these taxes provides funding for critically important initiatives addressing children’s education, our homelessness crisis, and climate justice.

What policy would you bring to City Council first?

As a new council, we must rise up and meet our moment of crisis in homelessness and addiction. We must actively expand the capacity and diversity of shelters, including expanding temporary alternative shelters and safe haven villages, to meet the needs of our vulnerable neighbors and match the scale of the emergency. We also need a database of beds available in real time across a network of city, county and non-profit shelters. In addition, as the sobering center opens, we need to ensure that it is ready for treatment and expedite the return of our 24-hour sobering center.

Besides policing, what steps would you take to improve public safety in Portland neighborhoods and where would you get the money to do it?

To improve public safety, we must optimize our entire emergency response network. We need to improve response times to 911 calls, which starts with fully staffing our dispatchers. We must also ensure that our nonviolent behavioral and medical response teams, Portland Street Response and Community Health Assess and Treat, have continued funding to operate 24/7 throughout the city. The expanded 24-hour service will not only intercept low-acuity calls from armed law enforcement officers so they can be directed to where they are most needed, but will also open up additional Medicaid revenue streams.

What experiences can you point to that you think would make you a smart politician on the City Council?

For the past three years, I have worked in destination management organizations where I coordinated with local governments, small businesses, non-profits and community organizations to promote the region. Previously, I worked in environmental compliance for five years, focusing on EPA and HUD safety regulations. I also received my MBA from the University of Oregon. With my professional and educational experience, I am prepared to be a strategic and collaborative leader on a board who understands policy work, complex budgeting, compliance with regulations, and working together to find solutions.