Tag: elections

Community, Event

Montavilla Elections Tonight

Tonight, October 11th, the Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) will hold Board member elections. Three new candidates and two returning board members are running unopposed for open seats. Attendees at the online general meeting will receive a link to the ballot at the beginning of the meeting.

First-time candidate, Scott Simpson, is running for Land Use & Transportation Chair. Simpson hopes to make Montavilla a more walkable, bikeable, sustainable, safer, and inclusive place. Both Ben Weakley and Holly Wilkes are running for Member at Large positions. Weakley recently moved to Portland and currently works as a physical therapist. Wilkes is a Principal in the David Douglas School District.

Sarah Hartzel is the acting Treasurer and is seeking election to that position for a two-year term. Hartzel brought her extensive finance and accounting background to the board in May to fill a vacancy. Matt Moore is seeking another term as Outreach & Communications Chair. He intends to continue providing design support to MNA communications and assist in community engagement.

Candidate statements are on the Montavilla Neighborhood Association website. Southeast Uplift will create an online ballot and count votes. If possible, election results will be available by the 7:30 PM Board meeting. The upcoming General Meeting and the election is on October 11th at 6:30 PM. Details are available on the MNA calendar.

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the NMA Board

Community

Neighborhood Elections Oct 11th

The Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) will hold Board Member elections at their October 11th meeting, starting at 6:30 PM. Candidates for the open positions will announce their intentions to run later this month at the September 13th meeting. Those announcements will follow a general vote of members on whether to accept amendments to the MNA Bylaws that will change how term limits are applied.

With many existing board members not running for reelection this year, the MNA seeks new directors for six open positions. Having a significant number of seats available, MNA sees this as an opportunity to shape the Board more equitably and with a broader perspective. All eligible members are encouraged to run for the open positions. However, this is the best time for people from historically underrepresented groups to add their experience to MNA leadership.

Interested parties can email mna-email@montavillapdx.org for more information on the process. Additionally, all candidates are welcome to self-nominate at the September 13th general meeting held online via Zoom. Participation in neighborhood associations helps drive positive change within the community and makes Portland’s government work for its citizens.

Ahead of these elections, MNA Members will vote on changing the organization’s Bylaws. The two amendments received their first public reading at the July 12th meeting. Those changes focus on term limits and try to align the Bylaws with current standards and Oregon law. The first change is in removing a three-year term limit on general membership. Most neighborhood associations do not have membership term limits but instead, rely on eligibility requirements. Removing the membership term limit from Section 6 of Article IV in the Bylaws will allow MNA to fall back to the existing requirements for membership detailed in the previous five sections of Article IV.

The second amendment to the Bylaws adds term limits for board members. MNA Board members serve two-year terms. This amendment caps each Board member at two successive terms and then requires a minimum of one year off before running again.

Portland has faced a challenging few years. Regardless the MNA has worked to improve the neighborhood and help those in need whenever possible. Participation in this group is a necessary part of maintaining the health and function of an urban community. Look for opportunities to participate at montavillapdx.org/mna-calendar.

UPDATE – Removed text and link related to Oregon law over term limits.

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the NMA Board

Community

MNA Board Elections

UPDATE: Both candidates received sufficient votes to win their respective race. They now join the existing board members. Taylor Wells received 43 votes and Jacob Loeb received 42 votes.

Original post from November 9th, 2020

Tonight at 6:30 PM, the Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) will hold its 2020 board member election. The ballot link will become available this evening on the MNA website and remain available for 24 hours. Two candidates are running unopposed for open positions.

Only MNA members are eligible to vote in the election. However, membership is simple to obtain and free to all residents and business people in Montavilla. To become a member, you must attend a general meeting and affirm your wish to become a member. Membership is for a three-year term, and there is no limit to the number of terms a member can retain membership.

If you are not a member, you can join tonight. The Meeting is held online via Zoom. People interested in becoming a MNA member can find the meeting signup link on the MNA calendar webpage.

Montavilla News does not endorse individual candidates or ballot measures

Disclosure: The author of this article is one of the candidates.

Community

MNA Board Candidate Information

2020 Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) elections have two candidates running for open positions on the Board. As both positions are currently unfilled, each candidate is running unopposed. Taylor Wells seeks the position of Public Safety Chair. Jacob Loeb seeks the position of Corresponding Secretary. Elections will be held online starting at 6:30 PM on November 9th, and ending 24 hours later. Those who have attended a general meeting in the past year are eligible to vote. You can attend the November 9th meeting (via zoom) and vote after the meeting.

TAYLOR WELLS – Candidate for Public Safety Chair:

There are many safety-related items to address in our neighborhood – from the rise in crime recently to earthquake/emergency preparation to safer roads for our children to play in. I believe I can make the most impact by immediately addressing the three issues below and start connecting with other Public Safety Board Members in SE and greater Portland to see what initiates are working and what changes we could bring to our neighborhood. I’d also like to bring in thought-leaders around these Public Safety issues to help educate our residents on how to address them. I’d also love to hear from members of the Association to see what safety-related concerns I can help potentially address. 

Ultimately, I cannot achieve these goals on my own so I’d like to foster more participation in MNA to help get more ideas and resources to improve the safety of our neighborhood. 

Top 3 issues:

  • Earthquake / Emergency Preparation 
  • Protecting ourselves against theft / how to look out for each other
  • Reducing high-speed reckless drivers 

About me: I’m an Oregon native and lived in Montavilla for 2 years now with my wife. I go on almost daily walks or bike rides around the neighborhood, Pre-COVID working remotely from many of the coffee shops or tea shops (RIP Townshends), and play futsal soccer in the Montavilla Park during the summer. My sister and her husband & daughter live in the neighborhood and I’ve met some amazing friends on my street and in the area. 

Looking forward to potentially serving our neighborhood! 

JACOB LOEB – Candidate for Corresponding Secretary:

Montavilla is a robust community with engaged residents and businesses. The Montavilla Neighborhood Association has an opportunity and an obligation to serve the community by providing a collective voice. As Corresponding Secretary, I intend to expand MNA communication and solicit the broadest possible involvement from our community.

Beyond communication, I will identify resources that can improve the neighborhood. The city, county, and Metro have programs designed to enhance public life. MNA’s involvement with those organizations will help direct resources where the community needs them.

Neighborhood trash and litter is a challenge we all need to address. It may not be our fault, but it is our problem to solve. MNA can work with the City of Portland to bring in more public trash cans. However, that alone will not solve the problem. We will need to organize community cleanups targeting problem public spaces. To facilitate those cleanups, MNA needs to consider providing dumpsters to the community. Not only will dumpsters house trash collected from the street cleanups, but it also provides a space for our community’s unhoused to dispose of their trash responsibly.

About me: I moved to the Montavilla neighborhood 15 years ago to provide a safe and comfortable home for my family. I work in the IT industry and prefer bike commuting when I travel to an office.

Montavilla News does not endorse individual candidates or ballot measures

Disclosure: The author of this article is one of the candidates.