As I told the candidates, this last question—last question!—is either the hardest one they’ve seen, or the easiest. It’s definitely the shortest. (You’ll be getting your ballot any day. You can check out the rest of the answers in this race here.)

Why should voters pick you?

Martha Perez is up first—in the form of a poem.

Martha Perez
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: none (contact: moperez73@aol.com)
Financial status: Plans to spend less than $300

“A Poem of Resistance: A Politician for Peace” by Martha Perez, Candidate, Portland City Commissioner, Position No. 4 (Public Safety) currently seated by Randy Leonard

Today, I tried to arrange a job-shadow with incumbent Randy Leonard, but was told he was extremely busy and unable to meet,
Today, I tried to be all that I could be, but was held back by old beliefs and assumptions and so many, many other things!

To my own self, I have been true,
To the voters, I shall only tell the truth.

For those who are poor,
For those who want more,
For those who got left behind,
People, I’m here to blow your mind!

A Smart & Pretty Politician? How Could That BE?
A Politician for Peace, maybe, someone….like ME!
I’m no Randy Leonard, I’m certainly no Sam, I’m younger than Amanda, I am…I am…I AM!
But, I AM like Martha, that Perez kid on fire, that bitch who works hard & says YES SHE CAN!

So, either get the hell out of my way and let me do my job,
Stop your pandering to the media and stop being a snob,
Cap your contributions, and stop selling your souls out!

Because when all is said and done and the tv lights are turned off,
It’s gonna be YOU with whom YOU have to grok,
When I get elected, I’m gonna rock,

…From NE Multnomah to the south of Waterfront,
From the St. John’s bridge to the Streetcar route,
Beyond Burnside o’er to Paranoia Park,
I get my Cupcake Jones on a Voodoo Doughnut cloud…..

…and, I’ll always bring a warm bag home to you, too, Martha Jr.

(dedicated to everyone who has ever felt alone in Portland) THE END. FIN.

Randy Leonard gives a serious rundown of his accomplishments, after the cut!

Randy Leonard
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: randyforportland.com
Financial status: $58,395.85 in contributions to date, $42,543.96 currently in the bank

Since arriving at City Hall, I have consistently challenged the status quo to make Portland a better place to live for the men and women who are not ordinarily represented within the halls of power in Portland. Here are just a few examples of my efforts:

· When I joined the Council, authorizing property tax abatements had become so routine that Commissioners were authorizing them on the Consent Agenda with no discussion. At my first Council meeting, I began my effort to repeal property tax abatements for “market rate housing.” In the context of that period, “market rate housing” was a euphemism for downtown luxury living for people who could afford to pay $500,000 for a condominium or $2,500 a month for rent. In my view, anyone who can pay that much for a place to live has no business benefiting from a government subsidy, particularly at the expense of working class wage earners who pay more than their fair share of property taxes all over the city. I am proud to say that after two years of being the lone opponent of a number of tax abatements, I was successful in persuading the Council to end the “market rate” abatement program.

· I developed a strategy that dramatically increased enforcement against businesses that were thumbing their noses at the City’s Business Income Tax. Within two years, those efforts generated an extra $10 million in revenues that fund important City services for Portlanders.

· I took on powerful oil interests and passed an ordinance requiring that all petroleum diesel sold in Portland contain at least 5% biodiesel (10% beginning in July 2010). I wrote the ordinance to prohibit palm oil to protect the environment, and required that Canola, a crop grown by Oregon Farmers, be the primary source of biodiesel to fulfill the mandate. Now, nearly 4 million gallons of biodiesel purchased by Portlanders is generating wealth for Oregon farmers and refiners rather than Exxon and overseas oil interests.

· I wrote and passed regulations to reign in predatory towing companies in Portland and instituted a consumer bill of rights for citizens who have their cars towed.

· Under my leadership over the past 4 years, the Council initiated programs that direct more dollars to drug and alcohol treatment than any other time in the City’s history. Crime in the City has dropped dramatically over that period, and the drug and alcohol treatment programs are widely regarded as major reasons for the crime reduction in Portland.

· I was given the Bureau of Development Services, the Portland Water Bureau, and the Bureau of Emergency Communications because they were widely considered in the community to be “problem bureaus” that had lost track of their responsibility to the public. Under my leadership, each of these organizations have become regarded among the most customer-oriented and respected agencies in the City.

· While Mayor Potter received a lot of attention for the decision to withdraw the city of Portland from the Joint Terrorism Task Force, I conceived the idea and drafted the resolution causing it to happen. No longer are Portland Police officers involved in covert operations initiated under the Patriot Act, often in violation of the rights of American citizens. I worked with Mayor Potter for months to support my effort, and I am proud to have earned his support of the City’s withdrawal from the JTTF.

I have worked to make Portland a better and more prosperous city for its citizens, and I believe I have delivered solid results. I hope the voters agree.

Ed Kill
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: none
Financial status: Plans to spend less than $300

Did not respond by deadline.

Emily S. Ryan
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: emilysryan.com
Financial status: $185 in contributions to date, $185 currently in the bank

Did not respond by deadline.