This week's Mercury Blogtown question for candidates:

Stakeholders in Old Town Chinatown—homeless advocates, the Chinese community, residents, business owners, developers, the PDC—have been at odds over where to site a homeless day access center, raising issues about process and power as they debate future development in the neighborhood. How would you, as city commissioner, handle such a hot button issue? What’s the solution for siting the homeless day access center?

My answer:

As your next City Commissioner, I will facilitate finding solutions for all issues through respectful consideration of multiple viewpoints in open, inclusive discussions that follow public process rules.

I did not wait to be elected to the Portland City Council before taking leadership on siting the Resource Access Center. I made time to research the problems, and acted to find solutions. I looked at the issues both from the perspective of a psychiatric nurse caring for people needing homes and services, and from the viewpoint of a former Planning Commissioner experienced in reviewing urban renewal and economic development proposals.

Here's what I did over the past two months, to illustrate how I will solve problems when I am on the City Council:

* I did not take a position before participating in the public process
* I attended an open meeting in the neighborhood and listened carefully
* I asked questions of people on both sides, and learned about the issues
* I made sure I knew and understood the rules by which the decisions must be made
* I promoted respectful consideration of alternative viewpoints of community participants, City Council members, and PDC Commissioners and staff
* I posted my analysis of problems and potential solutions, Public Process Problems, Block 25 and beyond.

I did this not because I thought it would help me win the election, but because Portland is my community and I wanted to help resolve this problem.

Portlanders care about public process, because it is vital to how our democracy functions. We know that when citizens are given accurate information and inspired to talk with each other, the community often comes up with great solutions. Once it became widely known that outcomes being presented as "Done Deals" are in fact subject to public review and votes, neighbors in Old Town Chinatown asking for alternatives to be considered began to be heard. It seems likely a solution will be reached for placing resources for homeless people in two locations within the neighborhood. This outcome is acceptable to many more stakeholders, and promotes multiple public benefits. Carol McCreary, a community leader in Old Town Chinatown, sent me this message earlier this week:

"Old Town Chinatown appears to be moving toward a resolution. We'll remain vigilant. And also work for healing. The controversy has drawn a range of talented people into the Neighborhood Association, providing energy to move forward strengthening community. But in the end, I think you made the big difference. Thank you."

As a City Commissioner, I will work with fellow Council members to ensure that all public input processes are set up in a way that allows Portlanders to participate in making legitimate and sound decisions. Neighbors, business owners, workers, and people needing services should not have to struggle to be heard. For over 15 years, I have wrestled with difficult issues in Portland city government and in neighborhoods. I've acted both as a mediator who seeks collaborative solutions, and as a leader who intervenes quickly when necessary. I am the candidate for Position 1 with the best record of resolving a broad range of problems all over Portland, producing results by turning arguing into agreement, talking into action.

Here is a question for my fellow Blogtown readers: Do you want to elect someone who waits quietly in the background during controversies until it's clear which side is winning, or do you want a new City Commissioner who will be out in the community helping citizens find solutions? When making your choice for Position 1, I ask you to look at what candidates have done for Portland, as well as what we say we are going to do.