Black Voices United and Partners Host Black Voices Candidates Forum March 24

Black Voices United, Portland African American Leadership Forum, Black Parent Initiative, Maranatha Church, Northwest Skaters United, LoriBy Desygn  and World Stage Theatre will co-host a Black Voices Candidates Forum for both Multnomah County Commissioner, District 2 and City Council Commissioner, Position 3 on March 24 beginning at 10 a.m. at Maranatha Church located at 4222 NE 12th Avenue.

Candidates Maria Garcia, Susheela Jayapal, Bruce Broussard and Sharon Maxwell have confirmed their participation. These candidates are running for Multnomah County Commissioner, District 2 currently occupied by Commissioner Loretta Smith. This portion of the forum is scheduled for 10:00am to 11:30am. Visit the Facebook event page to RSVP.

Candidates Jo Ann Hardesty, Felicia Williams, Andrea Valderrama, Loretta Smith and Stuart Emmons have also confirmed their participation. These candidates are running for City Council Commissioner, Position 3 currently occupied by Commissioner Dan Saltzman. This portion of the forum is scheduled for 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. RSVP at the Facebook page.

The above-mentioned organizations are co-hosting this forum to provide an opportunity for community members to learn more about Portland’s commission form of government and the role of a county and city commissioner.  The sponsoring nonpartisan organizations do not support or oppose any of the candidates. Our objective is to inform and increase the responsiveness of elected officials to issues affecting their black constituents in pursuit of racial equity.

The forum is open to the public, offering free food and free childcare, and will function in an authentic forum format where candidates answer questions from a moderator but do not directly engage with each other. 

The moderators, Chabre Vickers and CJ Robbins, will provide each candidate an opportunity to briefly address the audience, and then they each will be asked a series of questions. Members of the audience will then have an opportunity to ask additional questions, if time permits. To submit a question, visit the ask form here.