In a debate hosted by the Portland Metro Chamber this morning, mayoral candidates Carmen Rubio, Keith Wilson, and Rene Gonzalez discussed a range of issues, including the city’s growing tax burden. All three candidates raised concerns about the impact of high taxes on residents and businesses, though specific plans to address the issue were sparse.
Rene Gonzalez criticized recent tax measures, such as the Metro and Multnomah County universal pre-K taxes, suggesting they are driving high earners out of the city. “We’re literally driving away other taxes the city can collect,” Gonzalez stated, adding that the public’s increasingly negative attitude toward new taxes has delayed investments in essential services like parks and public safety. He added that some wealthy Portlanders keep their house in the city but simply change their residency to another jurisdiction to lower their tax burden, calling it a “perverse incentive.”
Carmen Rubio echoed concerns about the tax burden, noting that many residents are leaving because they no longer see the value of staying in Portland or Multnomah County. “We don’t have an attraction problem, we have a retention problem,” Rubio said, pointing to her past efforts to incentivize downtown leases and expand enterprise zones.
Keith Wilson argued that Portlanders are “paying New York City taxes without getting New York City services.” He added, “If you look at who’s left, it’s not just the population, not just higher earners, but corporations like Target, REI, Walmart, and Starbucks.” Wilson called for a review of existing taxes, including the business tax funding the Portland Clean Energy Fund and Multnomah County’s Preschool for All tax on high earners, which he argued has generated significantly more revenue than intended.
Gonzalez, Rubio and Wilson were the only mayoral candidates invited to the event. A total of nineteen candidates are running for Portland Mayor, including City Commissioner Mingus Mapps and artist and stripper Liv (Viva) Østhus.
