What do 8% of Portlanders know?

 ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  Read on.  

Portland Tribune 

Quip City: Why Johnson called Portland the 'city of roaches'

Courtney Vaughn

 June 28 2022

The Oregon gubernatorial candidate's campaign expands on the comment in light of a New York Times story. 

An independent candidate for Oregon governor has a new moniker for the state's most populous city: "the city of roaches." 

Gubernatorial candidate and former state Sen. Betsy Johnson made the comment to a New York Times journalist, referring to Portland's battle with homelessness and crime. 

Her statements appeared in a June 28 newsletter that explored Oregon's political landscape as a barometer of potential Democratic losses nationwide. The newsletter included an interview with Johnson. 

"You can see the deterioration of the beautiful City of Roses, now the city of roaches," Johnson was quoted as saying, riffing on Portland's moniker. 

Johnson, who is running as an unaffiliated candidate in the November election, is one of many candidates who has zeroed in on Portland as an example of failed policies or action. 

"Betsy made a quip about the city of Portland which resonates with a lot of people," Jennifer Sitton, Johnson's communications director, told Pamplin Media Group on Tuesday. "What Betsy has been saying for months is that Oregon cannot succeed if Portland fails and, as detailed in the NYT piece, only 8% of residents think that Portland is on the right track." 

In a campaign speech on her website, Johnson accuses Gov. Kate Brown, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Johnson's Democratic opponent, Tina Kotek of Portland, of bridging the urban-rural divide by unifying Oregonians in "mutual frustration with their leaders and their government."  

"Right now, Portland is failing," Johnson said. "I don't think any problem demonstrates the need better to change Oregon's politics than the failure to solve homelessness on our streets."

She stressed getting unhoused people into shelters utilizing police, addiction treatment services and mental health services. 

"Democrats are right that we need compassion, services and housing," Johnson said in a campaign video. "But Republicans are also right that we need more personal responsibility, accountability and no more tent cities."

Johnson later clarified her comment in a short video statementthe following day, saying her comment "was about trash, not people."