City Commissioner and mayoral candidate Mingus Mapps criticized his opponents, Carmen Rubio and Rene Gonzalez, following reports of their histories of traffic violations. According to The Oregonian, Rubio has accumulated over 150 parking and traffic violations in the past two decades, largely for expired meters and registration tags. Her driver’s license has been suspended at least six times due to unpaid fines or failure to appear in court. Willamette Week later revealed that Gonzalez has approximately 20 traffic-related offenses, resulting in his license being suspended twice for nonpayment of fines.
In an email to supporters, Mapps framed the issue as one of privilege. “Let’s be real—this isn’t just about traffic tickets. It’s about privilege. My opponents’ actions show they feel that they are above the law, a luxury most Portlanders, especially those of us from marginalized communities, don’t have,” Mapps wrote. He emphasized that he has not received any traffic citations, drawing a clear contrast between his record and those of Rubio and Gonzalez. “As a Black man, I don’t get to flout the rules. I live by them, and I’ll make sure our leaders do too. If I had over 150 violations in recent years, not only would I not be on the City Council today, I would be in jail.”
Since the Oregonian article, at least one labor union, LiUNA Local 737, has withdrawn its endorsement of Rubio.
