The answers these candidates are giving are hilarious and revealing—Jim Middaugh secretly wants to be a folk singer, Ed Garren and Fred Stewart had the guts to admit they’ve gone to a strip club, the best hot wings in town are apparently at Harold Williams Two’s house, and Nick Fish’s first kiss was yucky. I hope you enjoy.

Jim Middaugh
Position sought: Commissioner #2
Website: jimforportland.com
Financial status: $150,000 in public funding, $136,926.17 currently in the bank

1. I get to work in/on/by: I bike

2. My favorite Portland bridge is: St. Johns

3. My favorite neighborhood business district is: East Burnside and 28th

4. At a bar, I order: An IPA

5. The politician I most admire is: John Kitzhaber

6. The non-politician I most admire is: My father

7. This is the best place in Portland for…

pizza: Dove Vivi
coffee: Stumptown
strippers: No idea
hot wings: Not sure
beer: Too many to count
fancy dinner: Higgins
a picnic: Tie: Sauvie Island/Washington Park Rose Garden

8. Todd Haynes or Gus Van Sant? Van Sant

9. Storm Large or China Forbes? Storm

10. Regular or Decaf? Regular

11. Obama or Clinton? Obama

12. Cats or Dogs? Dogs (I’m allergic to cats)

13. NoPo or SoFoPo? Both are awesome

14. Cash or Charge? Charge

15. The last concert/show I went to was: Lloyd Jones

16. The last book I read was: Sick Puppy, Carl Hiaasen

17. If I could swap jobs with anyone in Portland, it would be: Erik Sten

18. If I could live anywhere in Portland, it would be: Right where I live now

19. My first kiss was: Terrifying

20. My deepest, darkest secret is: I want to be a folk singer

Fred Stewart
Position sought: Commissioner #2
Website: fredforportland.com
Financial status: $525 in contributions, $295 currently in the bank

1. I get to work in/on/by: 2001 Jaguar S-Type (Serviced By Monte Shelton)

2. My favorite Portland bridge is: Fremont Bridge

3. My favorite neighborhood business district is: Alberta Arts District.

4. At a bar, I order: Terminal Gravity IPA

5. The politician I most admire is: John F Kennedy

6. The non-politician I most admire is: Martin Luther King Jr.

7. This is the best place in Portland for...

pizza: Silver Dollar
coffee: Coffee People
strippers: Dolphin 2 and Stars Beaverton Hard to choose just one.
hot wings: Boomers at Jantzen Beach
beer: Terminal Gravity IPA
fancy dinner: El Goucho
a picnic: Washington Park

8. Todd Haynes or Gus Van Sant? Gus Vansant

9. Storm Large or China Forbes? Strom Large.....especially if she has that black fish net dress on.

10. Regular or Decaf? Regular

11. Obama or Clinton? I can not wait to vote for Clinton.

12. Cats or Dogs? I love both. Hard to choose. I own two cats right now.

13. NoPo or SoFoPo? NoPo

14. Cash or Charge? Cash

15. The last concert/show I went to was: Last night at the Bitter End. Forgot the name of the band

16. The last book I read was: My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir by Clarence Thomas

17. If I could swap jobs with anyone in Portland, it would be: Paul Allen

18. If I could live anywhere in Portland, it would be: The house across the street from mine

19. My first kiss was: In 5th Grade. Was not very good. I think I am a lot better at it now.:)

20. My deepest, darkest secret is: Stacies Mom.....nuff said

Ed Garren
Position sought: Commissioner #2
Website: edforportland.com
Financial status: $2,145.00 in contributions, $693.93 currently in the bank

1. I get to work in/on/by: I have very arthritic feet, so I have to drive off the island, usually in my Jetta Diesel. About half the time, I use the MAX from Kenton to my office. The rest of the time, I try to combine trips. I squeeze about 500 miles, a month's worth of driving, out of 13 gallons of diesel fuel.

2. My favorite Portland bridge is: For sheer grace and beauty, the St. John's bridge.

3. My favorite neighborhood business district is: Hayden Island, of course. If it's not at Safeway, you can't buy it. But we DO miss Zupan's.

4. At a bar, I order: Bourbon on the rocks, or a sweet stout microbrew.

5. The politician I most admire is: (former) Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Green Party Presidential candidate. See the documentary "American Blackout" to know why.

6. The non-politician I most admire is: Tyler Perry. Smart, talented, funny, refused to abandon his vision, continues to triumph. You've got to love "Madea" Anyone up for a good game of "Grit Ball" ? (hint, the movie of "Madea's Family Reunion")

7. This is the best place in Portland for...

pizza: "Best" is tricky when it comes to pizza. I've never had a BAD pizza in Portland, and I've never met a pizza I didn't like.

coffee: Spella on SW Alder & 9th, tell Andreas I sent you.

strippers: The Silverado, just moved to 318 SW 3rd Ave. It's the only place for guys like me.

hot wings: "Boomers" on Jantzen Beach/Hayden Island.

beer: Widmer. My neighbor is one of the brewmasters there. But Portland beer is like Portland Pizza, what's not to like? It will take me a long time to sample all of the great beer in Portland.

fancy dinner: Be-Won (Korean) Restaurant, 1203 NW 23rd Ave. Make sure you have a "Hite" (Korean) beer, very light and smooth.

a picnic: Government Island (use the boat dock on the river).

8. Todd Haynes or Gus Van Sant? Neither, John Sayles ("Passion Fish", "Secret of Roan Inish", "Brother from Another Planet", "Lonestar", "Sunshine State", "Silver City" to name a few.)

9. Storm Large or China Forbes? Storm, we "big girls" need to stick together.

10. Regular or Decaf? Regular, and lots of it.

11. Obama or Clinton? Obama, Obama, Obama. Can we have Michelle after eight years with Barack?

12. Cats or Dogs? Dogs. Have you met Solomon? We're forming "Dogs for Ed" if any of you want to sign up. We welcome cats too, but I'll start sneezing in about five minutes.

13. NoPo or SoFoPo?: It's NoPo for now, but if prices keep going up it could be Troutdale soon.

14. Cash or Charge? Cash

15. The last concert/show I went to was: "The Nutcracker", the Oregon Ballet ROCKS and Javier Ubell can REALLY jump.

16. The last book I read was: I'm working on "Dispatches from the Edge" by Anderson Cooper

17. If I could swap jobs with anyone in Portland, it would be: Erik Sten, it's why I'm a candidate.

18. If I could live anywhere in Portland, it would be: Where I live, on the Columbia River, on Hayden Island. I love the trains, the planes, the boats, the barges, the osprey, the geese and ducks, and watching the traffic on the old I-5 bridge. I think I have the best view in Portland. It will be great when the MAX gets here so I can ride my bike to it without risking my life through two freeway interchanges.

19. My first kiss was: A flood of emotion followed by a big question. (Things were fairly repressive for gay men where I grew up those MANY years ago). Fortunately, I've had a lot of fun finding the answers to that question.

20. My deepest, darkest secret is: I would like to be "Madea" in my next life. Sometimes I think I'm halfway there now.

Harold C. Williams Two
Position sought: Commissioner #2
Website: none
Financial status: $300 in contributions, $300 currently in the bank

1. I get to work in/on/by: The real question is when do I sleep.

2. My favorite Portland bridge is: Broadway

3. My favorite neighborhood business district is: All

4. At a bar, I order: Tea

5. The politician I most admire is: All

6. The non-politician I most admire is: Who ever wake up this morning

7. This is the best place in Portland for...

pizza: Don't Know
coffee: AJ Java
strippers: Don't Know
hot wings: My House
beer: Don't Know
fancy dinner: Don't know
a picnic: Don't Know

8. Todd Haynes or Gus Van Sant? Don't know

9. Storm Large or China Forbes? Don't know

10. Regular or Decaf? Green Tea

11. Obama or Clinton? Obama

12. Cats or Dogs? Dogs

13. NoPo or SoFoPo? Don't Know

14. Cash or Charge? Debt

15. The last concert/show I went to was: Prince

16. The last book I read was: Diary of a Man Vol. I and Vol. II

17. If I could swap jobs with anyone in Portland, it would be: Erik Stein Portland City Commissioner Position (2)

18. If I could live anywhere in Portland, it would be: My House

19. My first kiss was: I guess one of my parents

20. My deepest, darkest secret is: I love Chocolate.

Nick Fish
Position sought: Commissioner #2
Website: nickfish2008.com
Financial status: $44,960.01 in contributions, $38,887.83 currently in the bank

1. I get to work in/on/by: Carpool

2. My favorite Portland bridge is: Hawthorne Bridge

3. My favorite neighborhood business district is: Hollywood

4. At a bar, I order: Widmer Hefeweizen

5. The politician I most admire is: Barney Frank

6. The non-politician I most admire is: Neal Kenny Guyer (Mercy Corps)

7. This is the best place in Portland for...

pizza: Escape from New York
coffee: Stumptown
strippers: pass (refer the question to Eliot Spitzer)
hot wings: Laurelwood Public House & Brewery
beer: Widmer Brothers Brewery
fancy dinner: Lolo on Alberta
a picnic: Grant Park

8. Todd Haynes or Gus Van Sant? Todd Haynes

9. Storm Large or China Forbes? Storm Large

10. Regular or Decaf? Regular

11. Obama or Clinton? Obama

12. Cats or Dogs? Both. But my wife is allergic to animals.

13. NoPo or SoFoPo? Both

14. Cash or Charge? Debit card

15. The last concert/show I went to was: Devin Phillips at Jimmy Maks

16. The last book I read was: The End of Oil by Paul Roberts

17. If I could swap jobs with anyone in Portland, it would be: Erik Sten

18. If I could live anywhere in Portland, it would be: 39th and Knott NE (my home)

19. My first kiss was: yucky

20. My deepest, darkest secret is: I think Randy Leonard is a great city commissioner.