I concede that I only recently started thinking about the upcoming council election.

And so, with a hefty dose of skepticism, I began to look at the candidates. Recently, I sat in a Bayside coffee spot with Bree LaCasse to understand her positions on the matters I see as critical to our lives as Portlanders. It turns out that Bree “gets it” on my issues. She is, in her other life, a talented and bright star among developers. Yeah, one of them. But wait, there’s more. She works with a nonprofit group that seeks to create affordable housing for those who dream of ownership.

Or a stable place to rent. Homelessness and too many working poor struggle to sustain their lives. Bree worked previously with Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) to assist our immigrant population with legal and other navigational nightmares. Bree knows a few things about needy schools, ones that are crumbling, are not safe and are not conducive to learning. And, no, my kids are long out of school, but our schools have been ignored for far too many years, and we must support the next generations.

As a seasoned architect with experience in renovating schools, I can vouch for the impossible environments we provide for learning. Bree grew up in Portland. She went to Reiche. Her 7-year-old son goes there. Yet Bree brings her passion to the school issues as she does to affordability of housing, quality of life, humanity, sky-high taxes, taking care of seniors and the well-oiled operation of our little jewel of a city.

Let’s not forget that it was Bree, with help from others, who saved Congress Square Park for us. Whether one lives in Riverton or Libbytown or the West End, she knows the whole city. She grew up here. I know where Bree LaCasse stands. And I stand with her.

Curt Sachs

Portland

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