Oregon’s 47th District

East Portland's District 47 is a community in flux—70% of the David Douglas School District is on free and reduced priced lunch; 21 of 31 high-accident intersections are east of 82nd Ave (sadly, five children in the past three years have been killed while riding their bikes on over-crowded streets). Still, the school system manages to beat the test results of many Portland Public Schools.

We run the MAX tracks through the neighborhood without sufficient support for the areas around the stops. Instead of parks and boutiques, we've got the kind of businesses that prey on people's human weakness and their need for cash—the pay day loan shops and the liquor stores. When you're going on the West side, you've got shops and parks. Past 82nd, it's a public safety challenge. Yet, District 47 has some of the hardest working people in the region and a tradition of some of the strongest leaders in the State.

Together, we can ensure that public conversations yield the public interest and implement policies that benefit the community. Please join me in listening to some of our district's voices below, or, if you haven't had a chance to share your story yet, please send me an email.

Forward.

Jefferson Smith
jefferson@jeffersonsmith.com