PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez will run for mayor in 2024. He's expected to officially kick off his campaign at an event in downtown Portland Thursday afternoon.
Gonzalez's office announced his run for office in a news release Thursday morning. He outlined some of his top priorities for the city, which includes tackling public safety, addressing the issues of homelessness and drugs, and revitalizing the economy.
"We have a humanitarian crisis on our streets and it's going to take all of us working together to move the city forward," Gonzalez said. "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."
He also pointed to the many challenges that small business owners have faced, and also said he's committed to "targeting broader dysfunction in local government."
“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," he said.
Gonzalez ran on homelessness issues in his 2022 race against then-Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. As a city commissioner, he has issued some controversial directives to Portland Street Response, including ending distribution of tents and tarps and sending staff to camp sweeps.
Regarding the fentanyl crisis, Gonzalez addressed the issue in an interview with KGW in October, saying that, among other ideas, the county needed to declare a public health emergency and make the area "a lot less hospitable to outdoor drug consumption."
On Monday, Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan said he will not be running for mayor, making him the third of Portland's five current city council members to take a definitive position on seeking the top office next year.
Ryan and Gonzales's fellow commissioner, Mingus Mapps, launched his campaign for mayor back in July, and current mayor Ted Wheeler ruled out seeking a third term in September. The other current commissioner, Carmen Rubio, has not yet made definitive statements either way.