Black Leaders Endorse Sarah Iannarone for Portland Mayor

Today, Mayoral Candidate Sarah Iannarone released a slate of endorsements including former Multnomah County Commissioner and Portland City Council Candidate Loretta Smith. Other community leaders are also supporting her.

In a statement, Loretta Smith said, “The road ahead requires a visionary leader who can bring people together to ensure that we build our city back better than it was before COVID-19. From her plans to aggressively tackle police reform to her commitment to developing housing that is truly affordable, Sarah is the leader Portland needs to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive – regardless of their zip code.”

Stephen Green, entrepreneur and community leader, added, “Her deep roots in Portland's small business community will give city hall a boost in helping the city to support local firms to not only navigate the pandemic but to also become more resilient after it is over.”

Iannarone seeks to unseat an embattled Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has increasingly high unfavorable approval ratings.

In his endorsement announcement, Cameron Whitten, co-founder, Black Resilience Fund, stated that he, “endorsed leaders whose commitment to making a better future for all Portlanders is unquestionable.”

Other endorsers include James Posey, co-founder, National Association of Minority Contractors, former chair, Black Parent Initiative,  Jerome Brooks, former executive director, Housing Oregon and Taji Chesimet, executive director, Raising Justice.

Iannarone Campaign Director Gregory McKelvey, a Black Lives Matter organizer, celebrated these endorsements saying that, “It was unprecedented for a viable candidate for Portland mayor to select someone known primarily as a Black Lives Matter activist to run such a prominent campaign. Sarah did so long before the current uprising because she is committed to ensuring that Black lives matter in our community, and that the common-sense progress Portlanders are demanding becomes a reality.”