FAQs
Who is running for Multnomah County Chair?
1
The race for Multnomah County Chair features former County Commissioner and ER doctor Dr. Sharon Meieran, alongside sitting commissioners Julia Brim-Edwards and Shannon Singleton. Sharon entered the race because she believes Multnomah County residents deserve measurable results—not just generic talking points. She is the only candidate who has released a comprehensive, actionable roadmap to fix county systems on Day One.
What is Sharon Meieran’s plan for Multnomah County homelessness services?
2
Sharon’s community-informed plan focuses on completely restructuring the county’s operations. For years, she has pushed to overhaul the Joint Office of Homeless Services to bring true fiscal oversight and metrics to local spending. Her roadmap shifts the county from a collection of siloed, baseline programs to an urgent, results-driven shelter and housing network with strict tracking of policy outcomes.
How will Dr. Sharon Meieran address the Portland addiction treatment crisis?
3
As a practicing Emergency Room physician, Sharon treats the devastating impacts of the fentanyl and mental health crises every shift. Her platform prioritizes expanding actual substance abuse treatment infrastructure, building immediate crisis stabilization centers, and ensuring that county harm-reduction money goes toward proven, life-saving measures like Narcan distribution rather than enabling drug use.
What does the Multnomah County Chair actually do?
4
The Multnomah County Chair acts as both the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the legislative leader of the county. While commissioners vote on policy, the Chair directly oversees the county's multibillion-dollar budget, manages county departments (including Health and Human Services), and dictates how regional funding for homelessness and behavioral health is spent. Sharon's background as both a doctor and an attorney gives her the executive skills needed to manage this vast system
How does Ranked-Choice Voting work in the Multnomah County Chair election?
5
The upcoming November election will be the first time Multnomah County utilizes ranked-choice voting for the Chair's race. Instead of picking just one candidate, voters can rank candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice). If no candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the voters' next choices until someone secures a majority.