On November 3, Multnomah County picks a new chair, and for the first time we’re doing it with ranked choice voting. The chair runs a roughly $4 billion government that handles the “people stuff”: homeless services, mental health and addiction care, jails, the health department, libraries, even the animal shelter. Whoever wins inherits a squeezed budget, a city-county homeless services agreement up for renegotiation, and a public that’s short on patience.
This week I sat down with one of the three candidates, Commissioner Shannon Singleton. Shannon is a trained social worker who has spent her career inside the housing and homelessness system. She worked at Cascadia Behavioral Health and the Portland Housing Bureau, ran JOIN, advised Governor Kate Brown on housing and racial justice, served as interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and in 2024 was elected to represent north and northeast Portland on the county commission.
Here’s the twist most people don’t know: her District 2 seat is on the same ballot as the chair’s race. To run for chair, she had to give up the job she has now.
In this episode:
The childhood memory that set her on this path, and how an accounting major ended up in social work
Marching from Philly to New York, and working with survivors in a small New Mexico town
The woman who lived at the SAFE shelter for nearly three years, and why Shannon fought the rules to keep her there
How a data nerd went from Housing First skeptic to believer
Why she gave up a likely reelection to run for chair
Her management philosophy: asking “what will it take?” instead of “why can’t we?”
Why HR 1’s Medicaid cuts scare her, and what the county can do about it
720 deeply affordable apartments in the pipeline against a need of 36,000
A positive vision for Portland: Preschool for All, the creative economy, and murals
Flipping the budget process so it starts with outcomes and the people served
What “progressive” means when everyone claims the label
The endorsement that means the most to her
Tales from the trail: doorknocks, forums, and the snack bin in her back seat
Learn more: ShannonSingleton.org, where you can also sign up to knock doors or write postcards.
Vote: Ballots go out October 14. Rank your choices and return your ballot by November 3.
Missed our episode with former County Chair Deborah Kafoury? Go back and listen. It’s the perfect primer on what this job actually is.
Thanks to our Season 3 sponsor, Corbett Hill Wellness. If your business or organization wants to support independent civic media in Portland, reach out. If you got something out of this episode, share it with a friend who’s still figuring out how to rank this race.
