Portland Mayoral Candidate Michael Langley

Q. Please introduce yourself to voters. Describe your background: education, job experience, religion, community activities/volunteering, etc. and how it has prepared you to be mayor.
 
A. Hello, my name is Michael Langley. I am a proud resident of Portland’s east side and active in community issues. My educational background includes receiving my Associates Degree in Political Science from State University New York @ Canton, and my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing/Economics) from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.  Over the years I have taken classes at Mt. Hood CC in various areas.  Early in my career I was involved in radio and advertising.  My work life has included a lot of travel while working for Ruby’s Tuesdays, Holiday Inn and Stouffer Hotel.  Leading me to co-own two popular restaurants in Knoxville, TN. Since moving to Portland I have been working with Nike and Ping as a golf demo technician, plus my responsibilities at Smitty’s DOT Golf, Glendoveer and Pleasant Valley Golf Club.  I am also a part time care giver for my parents.

Q. Describe your management/leadership style and how it will come into play as mayor.

• Having been responsible for budgets, revenues, dealing with government red tape, and more importantly making decisions that affected peoples livelihoods has prepared me for the mayor’s job.
• I’ve learned to always pursue my vision, but understanding common sense and hard work gets you there.
• The City of Portland needs a mayor who is pragmatic but understands the promise that is the City of Portland.

Q. What do you think of Portland’s Office of Equity? How do you envision this office working? What should its goals be?

A. It’s a great idea. This late in the game, without a clearly stated goal, mission statement, structure, or even a consensus of what the responsibilities are, I would put it on hold until we can afford or define it.

Questions from KATU's Facebook audience:

Questions from Terry Miller:

Q. Are you in favor of more MAX lines, and why?

A. NO more Max lines, we are committed to the CRC, but that is it. Need to refocus Tri Met to rider safety and the sanitation of the trains, buses and transit centers.

Q. How or what can be cut to balance the budget?

A. Balancing the budget is never easy and the cuts can be painful. Given the premise that the city cannot expect increased revenues from a declining tax base, then cuts have to be made. As a starting point revenue producing agencies/departments would balance to the bottom line. Non-revenue producing agencies/departments should expect a 10% reduction in operating expenses. That includes the mayor’s office.

Question from Tiffany Shelley-Stanley:

Q. My question would be: what is your plan to lessen crime/how are you going to make public transportation safer? I’m scared for my daughter and self when riding the bus/MAX. My husband goes with us all the time to make sure we are safe.

A. The only agencies/departments not to experience reductions or cuts in workforce or resources would be the Portland Police Department and the Transit Police.  We, as a city, need to get those departments up to an affective level based on a city of our size with the rising crime rate. Japan has the “Bullet” train and we have the “Mullet” train (all business in the front card and all party in the back).

People don’t feel safe on the Tri Met system anymore. Tough to revitalize downtown when people are afraid to travel on the transit system.

Question from Ruth E Sasser:

Q. Will you also use money intended for other things to improve bike lanes? How about making bicyclists start paying their share in licenses, and taxes too? Taxpayers are hurting.

A. PORTLAND is famous for its bike friendly environment.  As a mountain biker who averages over 800 mountain miles a year, I want to continue to enjoy that legacy.  It is also our responsibility as cyclists to invest in our future and our city.  As mayor I propose a usage fee on newly purchased bikes and the repair of all bikes.  These funds would go directly to bike lane improvement, expansion and maintenance.

Hopefully BTA and cycle activists would give positive input into this process.

Question from Todd Reitan:

Q. If the city of Portland is having such a financial problem right now then why are we still building a bridge for light rail going to Milwaukie that was voted down by the people multiple times and is not fully funded yet?

A. The light rail proposed for Milwaukee doesn’t cut the mustard.

Most Milwaukee residence do not want it and it is just being shoved down their throats. Tri Met wants to perpetuate and validate its own existence with an ill conceived and overly optimistic light rail expansion.

Question from Susan McGee:

Q. What would you do to get our out-of-control water/sewer rates in line with other cities?

A. The Water Bureau needs to handle water/sewer concerns only.  It should elect a director and take the City Council out of the equation.  The benefit of making the Water Bureau a non-profit agency would be to have the profits returned back to the customers in the form of lower water/server rates.

Question from Damon Nelson:

Q. How much federal meddling will be had by the new mayor, will she welcome in DHS and FBI to "take it from here" if things get tough?

A. Given the current budget crisis in the City of Portland, and no new revenue centers, we need all the help we can get.  The mayor’s office should at least be open minded to such overtures, almost mindful of the strings attached.

Question from Rachel Dusenberry:

Q. I want to know when Portland is going to lead the way for Oregon to be an EQUAL state and follow Washington in honoring and legalizing same sex MARRIAGES.

A. That decision or initiative needs to come out of Salem and not the mayor’s office.  We would be open to that initiative by activists’ groups by referendums, but don’t want to waste a lot of the city’s money in law suits on constitutionality.

Question from Nancy K Anderson Faber:

Q. What character will you play on Portlandia?

My character would be a food cart entrepreneur, who wants to expand his food cart empire from Seattle to San Diego. The main characters would stop by his cart and would receive unsolicited advice.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to add? For example, if you would like to expand on one of the questions here or tackle a new issue, please do so here.
 

• Keeping and recruiting the businesses of the City of Portland.
• Since the City of Portland operates on a balanced budget it would put limitations on some programs. These programs would require creativity and cooperation. New revenue sources have to be found and recruited. Common sense economics would dictate distribution of funds available, including innovation and growth to create revenue.