"The accent" is because I was born and raised in England, up north in Yorkshire. My father was an engineer who worked in a copper tube factory. My mother was a dental hygienist who was evacuated to Connecticut as a child, escaping the London Blitz in WW II. She instilled in me the knowledge that the United States saved the world by entering the war after Pearl Harbor, and an early, enduring love for this country.

When I was 12, I read my mother's ancient copy of the American Red Cross First Aid Handbook cover to cover. It fascinated me, knowing that ordinary people can learn to help others when they need it most. From that time on, I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up.

I attended the state schools in England, won admission to Cambridge University at a time when fewer than 15% of the students were women from neighborhood high schools, and graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences.

I met Steve, the love-of-my-life, while working at a Salvation Army children's camp in New Jersey in 1977. The day after I finished finals at Cambridge in 1979, I left England to live in the United States, first as a "Temporary Resident Alien", then as a Permanent Resident before taking the oath of citizenship in 1992.

I went to nursing school in Pittsburgh, PA, and lived in Rochester, NY for four years while putting my husband through medical school. We lived below the poverty level, in an area where the local convenience store owner kept a shotgun on the counter to deter crime. The nearest laundromat was two miles away -- we couldn't afford a car for two years, so I schlepped the laundry on the bus. We moved to Portland in 1986, driving cross-country with two cats and most of our worldly belongings in a Chevrolet Chevette that died a few weeks later.

In my career as a Registered Nurse, I've worked in inpatient psychiatry at OHSU for 21 years. I've been a union steward for the Oregon Nurses Association and was a proud survivor of the 56 day OHSU nurses strike in 2001-2, which gave nurses a living wage and stopped hospitals from laying off staff and endangering patients' lives. I know what it's like to do back-breaking work for eight, twelve, or even sixteen hours, then go home and make sure the kids' homework is done and the dishes are clean. I won't waste your time asking you to give your opinion, if what you say doesn't matter because the next multi-million dollar expenditure is already a done deal. I'll be there at City Council sessions asking the questions you want answered. Questions like, "How much does it cost?", "Who is going to pay for it?", "Who benefits from this?", and "What won't get done if we spend this money on this big-ticket item?"

As a nurse, I’m trusted to help vulnerable people and promote health. That's what I want to do on the City Council. We need City Commissioners who care about people more than projects.





My husband and I chose to move to Portland two months before the birth of the first of our three children – over 21 years ago – and plan to stay here forever. Our children attended our neighborhood Portland Public Schools, with our oldest now a senior at Western Oregon University, younger son a sophomore at Princeton University, and our daughter in her last year at Wilson High School. I've been an active member of the PTA for 17 years. Promoting excellence in Portland's five public schools districts is something I've lived and breathed since Luke started kindergarten in 1991. I believe the City Council can and should play a greater role in creating the partnerships that will achieve that goal. Every family deserves to live in a pleasant, safe neighborhood with an outstanding public school.

Fast forward. Experienced parents and grandparents tell new moms the childhood years go fast - it sometimes doesn't seem like it when you're dealing with sleepless nights, the terrible twos, endless scheduling challenges and the angst of teenagers, but it's true.

See my community service page for a summary of my civic work while mothering and nursing were my main jobs.

In 2005, I was the first candidate to file, first to qualify, and only community member to succeed in using Portland's innovative Public Campaign Finance Fund properly, in the May 2006 primary. I'm proud of that accomplishment. And I'm thrilled that so many folks are now telling me they noticed I ran that race honorably, and that they want to support my second attempt to win election using the Public Campaign Finance Fund system. Citizens shouldn't have to wonder or worry about the motivation of their elected officials. Neighbors should be able to expect that their government leaders will consider their concerns, needs, and requests as carefully as those of people with lots of money. If together we win this election, I will be the only candidate ever elected to the Portland City Council who hasn't accepted more than $5 in cash contributions from anyone in Portland, and who hasn't taken any money at all from people who don't live here.

I want to continue the goals of the 12 year-old girl I was in 1970, in helping by serving the people of Portland. Over the past 20 years participating in multiple issues at the grassroots level, I've learned so I'm prepared and able to do that.

Your turn! Introduce yourself by emailing Amanda to tell why Portland is special to you, and what you want to see accomplished over the next four years.