In early 2005, my wife and I bought a little century-old house in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Northeast Portland. Our realtor thought it was a tear-down but we loved its character and our neighbors, so we did most of the work ourselves, rebuilding it from the foundation up.

13 years ago, I started Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider in the basement of that old house, and with the help of a whole lot of coworkers, grew our business to 29 employees with sales in 13 states and a few countries, with two cideries in Albina. I loved connecting with customers who came to visit us, recommending other incredible creators they should support in our beautiful city.

But what I loved the most was working with and making donations to amazing community groups to make Portland a better place. LGBTQ community groups such as Trans Day of Visibility, Black-centered organizations such as Albina Vision Trust, Arts groups such as Echo Theater Company, and Reproductive Rights organizations such as NW Abortion Access Fund all  knew that I was an engaged business leader always ready to donate gift cards for a fundraiser, offer a meeting space, or endorse an important cause.

(Oh, and along the way, I shipped over 7 million cans and bottles around the world that proudly stated, “Made in beautiful Portland Oregon.”)

I had a philosophy as a boss: Never ask an employee to do something that I wasn’t willing to do myself. As a small business owner, I’ve built powerful teams, pitched to national retailers and repaired broken windows in the middle of the night, only to wake up early and do it again. I’ll bring that willingness to work, along with the lessons learned over 25 years as an entrepreneur, to collaborate with other folks elected to Council, work with community leaders to solve the problems unique to our neighborhoods, and help small businesses get the resources they need to keep making Portland an amazing place. I am running for Portland City Council in District 2 (N/NE).

IN THE NEWS

Doing the Work

We joke that small business owners would never work a 40-hour week when they can work a 60-hour week, but it’s kinda true. Here are my priorities when I’m elected.

  • Portland has a massive overhaul of City government with the upcoming election. The new Council won’t have much of a playbook to rely on. Instead, we have to be collaborative, imaginative and pragmatic. I spent 12 years creating a company from the ground up in a nascent industry, so I know that the most important task when I’m elected is to create a working environment where the new Council can react quickly and work closely with City Administrators and Multnomah County. I encourage all candidates to set aside idealism for pragmatism, at least until we get our feet under us. Portlanders deserve action after years of dysfunction. Small business owners don’t point fingers at other people for their problems, something the current Council has been doing for too long. Will we get some things wrong? Absolutely. But now is the time to act, not commission more studies (looking at you Dan Ryan 👀) .

  • Constant potholes, deadly insufficient curb paint, deteriorating parks equipment, dangerous defacing of signs and prevalent trash all prevent Portland from shining. There are real harms when the degraded nature of a city is left for too long. The retail economy slows down. Public safety worsens. And cleanup costs compound. But added policing won’t help these community problems. Maintaining order is what we must do as a community with enhanced litter cleanup, a focus on deferred maintenance instead of shiny new infrastructure, and repairing broken windows no matter how many times they are broken.

    Beyond fixing the broken, beyond the latest attention-demanding crisis in our city, there are many dozens of really important but very boring topics. Design decisions like fencing new city parks. Projects like giant poop pipes. And updating regulations about trees. This kind of work is slow, boring and smells of Roberts Rules of Order. But if we want change, we have to do lots of boring work. You won’t see me cutting red ribbons with big scissors. As a small business owner, I am skilled at balancing the need for vision with the boring work of right now.

  • The increasing polarization of American politics has emboldened people abused by the system to take revenge on others even more abused. Portland has long been a place of liberal policies and progressive ideals. As a city, we must constantly make clear to all that hatred of minorities, discrimination against gender and sexuality and prejudice of disability will not be tolerated. I am running as an accomplice to these communities and to stick my neck out for my queer family members and Black friends who own small businesses.

    Differences make us stronger as a community. Uplifting disadvantaged groups brings benefits to us all. Proclamations of support lead to policies of protection.

  • Decades ago, forward-thinking City officials took bold steps to limit freeways, restrain sprawl and create livable neighborhoods. While the excellent Residential Infill Project went into effect in 2020, we've otherwise been resting for too long. Policies to encourage affordable and market-rate housing must improve. Zoning must densify. Permitting and design review must be routine. Developers shouldn't be hated second only to lawyers. And throughout all of this, we must actively seek out, promote and ensure development by historically marginalized demographics, specifically Black Portlanders. Groups like No More Freeways, Albina Vision Trust, and Portland Neighbors Welcome are creating a vision for what the next decades of Portland's growth look like.

    Portland needs to work now to set ourselves up for the future we want.

    In the meantime, I will be your champion in City Hall for small business owners and small business lovers. I will work with Prosper Portland to decrease friction and increase availability for trash cleanup funds. I will create an Office of Small Business (Seattle, SF, LA, and even Vegas have one already) within City Hall to provide liason services for startups and established businesses on issues such as permitting, taxes, funding, and engaging with other City and County services such as homeless camp cleanup, police response times, and event planning. My experience as a 2x small business owner (I also owned an IT company in the mid-2000s) makes me uniquely qualified to understand the needs of small businesses, which are the heart and soul of Portland.

  • The weather is weird but climate change is real. It is the job of our lifetime to adapt to rising temperatures as well as limit their effects. While we need action on many fronts, my focus is on transportation, which is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector. The promise of public transit and urban bicycling must be prioritized: practical, safe and enjoyable. Vision Zero needs our constant focus. Little known fact: I've been a Trimet bus driver since early January ‘24. I'm also a regular car driver, daily e-bike commuter, lifelong mountain biker, and I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on heavy trucking as a small business owner. When I am on Council, I will work to increase active transportation trips in any way I can to reduce solo car trips as much as practical and begin to reflect the true costs of auto travel.

  • The Portland Police Bureau's budget has never been defunded. Since 2013, the city’s population has grown 12% but the PPB budget has grown 47%. When I am on council I won't advocate for any budget cuts, but instead a refocus on how we provide public safety. Through taking on the PPA, we need to change policy for less overtime and moonlighting allowed, require trauma and mental health counseling for officers, and we as elected officials must methodically lead a culture shift in the bureau toward community safety and away from a toxic warrior mindset.

    When given a choice, the Police Bureau continues to focus on militarization over community engagement much to our loss. Despite 0.35% of 911 calls involving use of force, we ask heavily armed and operationally expensive officers to respond to every call when better solutions are at hand such as the oft-ignored Public Safety Support Specialists.I will work to expand the endangered Portland Street Response city-wide and 24/7 with enhanced resources. If you aren’t breaking the law, a cop shouldn’t show up. Period.

    And finally, the community oversight work of the PCCEP and PAC must be protected from meddling by the bureau.

Cheers to Portland!

I love meeting new people and talking about whatever! So join me for a pint on cask, a cortado, or some spicy vegan hot wings as I visit all the best watering holes throughout the city. No purchase necessary, but if you do, make sure you tip your server! Click the Google Calendar link below to see where I’ll be next.

Endorsements

I love helping people and building relationships to get things done.

  • Adam Milne, Old Town Brewing & Babydoll Pizza

  • Rachel Coker, Barrel Mountain Brewery

  • Jeff Chow, Mama Chow’s Kitchen

  • Alex Ganum, Upright Brewing

  • Rick Nickerson, Point Blank Distributing

  • Jeff Parrish, Portland Cider Company

  • Ryan Sharp, Enso Winery

  • Christine Walter, Bauman’s Cider

  • Jean-Pierre Parent, SOMA Kombucha

  • Thomas Bleigh, Innovation Brewer

  • Paul Petros, John’s Marketplace

  • Jeff Alworth, Beervana Writer

  • Brian Koch, Lombard House

  • Sean Campbell, The Beermongers

  • Nick Greiner, Rosenstadt Brewery

  • Kristin Bacon, Publisher SIP Magazine

  • Liz Crain, Cookbook Author

  • Daniella Crowder, Bike Shop Owner

  • Sandy Moore, Real Estate Agent

  • Eric Steen, Forest Green Marketing

  • David Sugerman, Attorney

  • Peter Koonce, Transportation Engineer

  • AJ Waters, Stronger Skatepark

  • Jude Kirstein, Strategic Energy Management Coach

  • Aaron Wheeler-Kay, Echo Theater Co

  • Mitch Daugherty, Built Oregon

  • Stephen Green, BBPDX

  • Ian Williams, Deadstock Coffee

  • Shelly Hill, NightOwl Custom Apparel

  • Shelly Caldwell, Toolbox 4 Healthcare

  • Simeon Bateman, Small Business Owner

  • Luke Kanies, Entrepreneur

  • Marty Kagan, Hydrolix

  • Aarón Durán, Writer

  • Donovan J Farley, Writer

  • Dave Selden, 33 Books Co

  • Shaun Davidson, Sembit

  • M. Lee Hedgemon, The Barreled Bee

  • Seemab Hussaini, CAIR

  • Mac Smiff, We Out Here Magazine

  • Chris Wise, Activist & Caregiver

  • Gabe Genauer, Groundswell Development

  • Todd Borkowitz, Sr Planner

  • Bret Winkler, Civil Engineer

  • Connor Heffernan, Oregon DHS

Titles and organizations are for identification purposes only and do not reflect the opinion of the endorser’s organization.

Questions?

  • In 2022, Portlanders passed a ballot measure to change the way local government is structured in a few ways. The upcoming vote is a big one, since we are voting to staff the new government positions of councilors, mayor and auditor. For the first time, we will have geographic representation by district. Each district will have three equal representatives. None of the current commissioners is staying in their jobs. Ted Wheeler is a goner. If you want more info, the City of Portland has a pretty good website.

  • Nov 5 2024. It will be vote-by-mail just like always. Your ballot will arrive in early October. There will no longer be a primary for City Council seats so it’s just one election in November. Councilors from Districts 1 (East) and 2 (N/NE) wil be seated for four years. Councilors from Districts 3 (SE) and 4 (SW) will be seated for two years to start and four years starting in 2027 so that the entire council doesn’t turn over all at once.

  • Great question! There are four districts, roughly:

    District 1, East of 82nd Ave

    District 2, North (St Johns) and Northeast above I-84

    District 3, Southeast

    District 4, Downtown and Southwest

    But it’s not as simple as what your street address is. In order to make each of the four geographical districts have equal representation, the district lines had to get a little wiggly. You can check out this map. (If you're on a phone, turn your phone sideways and then hit refresh once the page loads. Weird I know.) Or head over to portlandmaps.com and enter your home address. It will tell you what “City Council District” you're in.

  • I’ll be honest with you, I’m still learning the details myself. In the meantime, I’m going to point you to Maja Harris’s website for a great overview. Hit me up in person some time with any questions you have!

  • Portland’s Small Donor Election program works to help candidates who want to power their campaigns without wealthy donors. If candidates pledge to only accept individual campaign donations under $350, along with a host of other restrictions, the city will match the first $20 of all individual donations made 9-to-1, effectively turning a $20 donation into $180. There are various tiers of donors candidates have to hit in order to qualify. I am a proud participant in this program!

    Most of the City Council candidates are participating. You can see how much money has been raised here: openelectionsportland.org

  • I agree with Portlanders that the terrible trifecta of homelessness, drug addiction and insufficient mental health resources are the most pressing issues facing us. But because it took decades of neglect to get where we are, it will take a long time to create adequate improvements. I am supportive of a housing first policy, so long as it includes all forms of housing: emergency shelters, temporary "pod" housing, supportive group housing, as well as publicly-financed affordable housing. While I believe that sweeps are a waste of money and an ugly manifestation of NIMBYism, we have to provide a reasonable and humane path to move people off the streets, for the good of the entire community. The challenges at the city-county Joint Office of Homeless Services must have consistent oversight by the new City Council to resolve issues such as an inability to spend Supportive Housing Services tax funds fast enough.

    But there are dozens of bureaus and offices in the City of Portland government staffed with thousands of employees whose jobs have nothing to do with these issues. While I look forward to supporting my fellow councilors in our collective efforts to improve upon issues surrounding homelessness, I will also focus on providing oversight, support and progress on the myriad other topics facing us now and in the future. With a diverse and large new council, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. This newfound ability to tackle multiple local issues at once is one reason why we passed charter reform in 2022.

  • Yes, it’s easy to get ordained! A few years before starting the business, a couple friends asked me to marry them. So I went online, filled out a quick form from the Universal Life Church and a few days later I was officially ordained. I did the wedding and never used my ministerial powers again until I was developing the idea to start selling cider. I was becoming increasingly passionate and I couldn’t shut up about cider. I talked about cider to anyone who would listen. It was beginning to get a bit annoying, apparently. My wife complained that all I did was go around evangelizing about cider and trying to convert beer drinkers to cider drinkers. I realized that, after all, I was an ordained minister, so it was only logical to call the business Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider.

  • I've had the privilege of visiting cities around the world and what makes Portland so special is our neighborhoods full of small businesses. The soul of Portland has always been our local businesses made for local residents, despite the fact that we've never gotten any help from City Hall. The current commissioners just seem to care about big businesses. With the introduction of the new government structure, there is, quite literally, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of Portland. I never would have run in the old commission-based system. But the new structure allows fellow councilors to work together. It makes it much harder for big businesses to buy up officials. And we need to chart a new direction for the City. We need representation in the new Council for people who work and shop at small businesses and I am the only candidate in the race for District 2 with that background and experience.

  • You betcha! As I was wrapping up Rev Nat’s Cider, I was reminded by my kid of an idle daydream I’ve had for years about being a bus driver. I definitely didn’t plan to run for council before I started with Trimet - that came along much more recently. Anyway, I applied to Trimet, got accepted into the training program, and as of early January I’ve been on the road as a part-time bus operator. I don’t have a regular route - I rotate every week which is really fun.

    And in case you were wondering, that $7500 hiring bonus is paid out over three years! It’s a great job with good pay though.

    Through my job at Trimet, I am a proud union member of ATU Local 757.

I Got Answers!