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These candidates are running in the district composed of Portland’s west side and some Southeast neighborhoods.

by Courtney Vaughn

Updated: November 21

This page will be updated as new candidates file for election.

Thanks to a charter reform measure passed by voters in 2022, Portland is getting a new form of government, and it will come with a brand new districting system. In November 2024, Portlanders will vote for City Council members in one of four districts across the city, with three councilors per district.

Here’s who’s running in District 4, which includes all of Portland’s west side and the Southeast neighborhoods of Reed, Woodstock, and Sellwood-Moreland. (Find the list of candidates in District 1 here, District 2 here, and District 3 here.) 

District 4 Candidates

Olivia Clark

Olivia Clark

Olivia Clark lives in John’s Landing and is running in District 4. Clark, 69, comes with a background in government–predominantly public affairs–and nonprofit development.

Clark previously worked as a legislative director for Gov. John Kitzhaber and has also worked for TriMet to help develop funds for light rail lines. 

Clark said she’s running for City Council because she values public service and wants to “make life better and safer for everyone who lives in Portland.

“I understand how policy is made and how to get things done,” Clark says, pointing to her experience in government affairs with the governor’s office TriMet, and the Department of Environmental Quality, as well as a slew of volunteer boards and commissions, including the Community Shelter & Assistance Corp, cleanup organization SOLV, and Oregon Providence Health Care.

Like many candidates, Clark cites safety and livability as top priorities.

“I want to make our city work for everyone, and our city council work together to get things done,” Clark says. “I want to bring back the city we love and can be proud of — a city where we can walk downtown without fear. A city where our emergency services are strong and our businesses thrive. A city where all citizens have a place to call home. A city where a 911 call brings immediate help. I am an optimist. I believe that if we work together we can get things done.”

Mike DiNapoli

Mike DiNapoli lives in Southwest Portland’s Goose Hollow neighborhood and is a self-described “pro-worker, pro-affordability and pro-safe communities candidate.”

DiNapoli, 45, is a lifelong Portlander who says the new charter changes sparked his decision to run for office. He prioritizes working class families and affordability, noting, “living wage jobs are what build healthy communities, families and businesses.”

He also says the city is due for a more urgent, hands-on approach to revitalization.

“As a working-class contractor, audio-video production engineer and small business owner, I firmly believe in problem-solving as a way of getting things done,” DiNapoli says. “I’m a tradesperson, family man, and committed Portlander who is invested in this city that I call home. What I hope to bring to the City Council is common sense and reason as an approach to the policy work ahead, with the intention of being effective and productive. We need to be focused on revitalizing the city as a matter of urgency and need a council that is ready to work together and stand by its duty to provide a safe and functioning city that works for everyone.”

This is DiNapoli’s first run for political office. 

Stephen Hall

Stephen Hall. James Fitzgerald

Stephen Hall lives in Southwest Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood. Born and raised in Oregon, Hall says Portland is in “a critical moment” as it undergoes government transition amid a rise in political extremism and recovery from the pandemic.

Hall, 41, has worked as a pastor in various Portland churches for the past 15 years. He lists himself as a self-employed communications consultant on campaign committee filings. The longtime Oregonian says Portland has a lot to offer, but we need to right the ship.

“For years we have been throwing millions of dollars at the matrix of issues surrounding substance abuse disorder, mental illness, and houselessness, only to see these problems become larger and seemingly more intractable,” Hall said, citing “a vacuum of leadership at city and county levels.”

“Our city needs leaders that have a sense of urgency and are willing to take action to solve the humanitarian crisis unfolding on our city streets rather than point fingers and blame shift,” Hall told the Mercury. “Portland is an incredible city, but we must return to the basic civic work of caring for victims, deterring crime, building up our green spaces for all to enjoy, and incentivizing our creative class to take risks and build more of the small businesses that have always made our city so uniquely beautiful.”

Chad Lykins

Chad Lykins

Chad Lykins, 42, lives in the Hayhurst neighborhood in Southwest Portland and is the founder of Rose City Chess, an after-school chess academy. He’s also the current president of the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation. He has three children. 

Lykins said he’s running to represent District 4 because Portland is at a pivotal moment.

“The eyes of the world are on Portland as a test case for everything from housing to climate policy to criminal justice reform,” Lykins said. “Our city can become a place in which homelessness is rare and brief, homes are affordable and abundant, treatment for substance abuse and mental health is widely accessible, and community safety is both a human right and a shared responsibility.”

Lykins, who has a doctorate in leadership and policy studies, as well as a master’s degree in philosophy, says he believes Portland can be “the proving ground for evidence-based solutions to public problems.”

Tony Morse

Tony Morse

Tony Morse, 42, lives in Woodstock, near the District 4 boundary. Morse, a policy and advocacy director at Oregon Recovers, says addiction recovery is a hallmark of his campaign and policy priorities.

Morse, who has a diverse background in both law and real estate, said Portland needs “a champion for recovery.”

“We have an addiction crisis that impacts every part of daily life, from homelessness and community livability, to public safety and the reputation of our city,” Morse told the Mercury. “Portland needs someone with the lived experience and policy expertise necessary to help center and elevate recovery as we work to solve our city’s interconnected challenges.”

Morse previously worked as a field organizer for the Democratic Party of Oregon and was a real estate agent for eight years. He also worked in law, having served two and a half years as a judicial law clerk in Multnomah County Circuit Court and working with drug treatment courts.

“I grew passionate about the importance of good government in law school, and as an attorney I practiced complex civil litigation,” Morse noted.

Oregon State Bar records confirm Morse was admitted in 2008, but doesn’t currently practice law. 

Despite having worked on several political campaigns, this is Morse’s first run for office.

Moses Ross

Moses Ross

Moses Ross lives in Southwest Portland’s Multnomah neighborhood, and chairs the Multnomah Neighborhood Association. He runs M.J. Ross Group Inc., a political consulting business that largely assists Democratic candidates.

A single father, Ross has volunteered with his local PTA and has been involved with Democratic Party organizing at the county and state level. Ross has served on the Multnomah County Community Budget Advisory Committee since 2018. Prior to that, he served on the county’s Charter Review Committee in 2015 and championed a county campaign finance reform measure that passed with overwhelming voter support.

In 2017, he ran for a seat on the Portland Community College Board, but lost to Valdez Bravo.

Ross says leading his neighborhood association gave him “a front-line seat to the impact of houselessness and the addiction crisis happening within Portland neighborhoods.”

“The quality of life in every neighborhood in District 4, as well as Citywide, has been affected in some way. I hear it every day,” Ross says. “Folks are frustrated with the City and they feel unheard and disrespected by our City leaders. I think we need to hold each other accountable and elections are how we do that.”

Ross said it’s no surprise Portlanders voted for a charter change that will reform the city’s governance.

“I’m running because I believe that we in Portland’s neighborhoods are the heart and soul of this city. We are alive and well, open for business and visitors. I want us to thrive and make sure this new City Council supports us. I KNOW that what is currently wrong with Portland can be corrected by all that is right with Portland.”

Sarah Silkie

Sarah Silkie

Sarah Silkie hails from the Maplewood neighborhood in Southwest Portland. Silkie, 49, is an environmental engineer who grew up in Portland and now works for the city. 

This is Silkie’s first run for political office. Silkie is currently part of the Oregon Labor Candidate School.

“I’m a middle-class working mom who grew up poor in Portland,” Silkie says. “I’ve experienced both sides, and now that I have stability, I want to give back to my community.”

 Silkie says she’s eager to use her technical background and collaborative approach to help find solutions and shape sensible policy for Portland.

“With better management and authentic transparency, I know we can improve core city services and address issues like the housing shortage, fentanyl crisis and global warming,” Silkie says. “I’m a problem solver. I don’t just complain about problems; I find solutions that work. Portland is my home, and I want to make sure it’s a great place to live for everyone, both now and in the future.”

John Toran

John Toran

John Toran grew up in Portland and lives downtown. He’s a small business owner who’s run a cannabis dispensary and draws on a diverse work history to inform his latest quest for public service.

“As a small business owner I gained experience in federal and state procurement, hiring from the union hall and retail operations as a dispensary owner. I also learned to add a touch of OJ when making a margarita while bartending in Mexico sin pálpelas,” Toran says. 

Toran 48, says he wants to carry on his parents’ and grandparents’ tradition of community involvement to help Portland “get its mojo back” and create a city his two children want to raise their own kids in.

“As a resident, property owner, and business owner in District 4, I understand the challenges we face,” Toran says. “Like many in SW. NW, and Sellwood, I see first hand how policy and legislation shape what occurs in our streets and neighborhoods. I also want to work closely with the Auditor to focus on outcomes and keep the Mayor and new City Manager accountable.”

This isn’t Toran’s first political bid, but it would be his first time in office. He previously ran for a seat in the Oregon Legislature representing House District 45 in 2001.