Dan Saltzman's Challengers Have A Novel Plan

With the Jan. 29 public financing deadline looming in the race for Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman's seat, his challengers met last Sunday to brainstorm strategies to secure public financing.

And what did they come up with? A series of Candidates' Collective events in which candidates will each speak for five minutes and spend the rest of the evening collecting 1,000 signatures and the matching $5 donations they need to qualify for $150,000 in public financing.

The initial Candidates' Collective event will be held this Friday, Jan. 8, at Dough Nation on the corner of 11th and NE Alberta starting at 6pm, with candidates speaking at 7 p.m. Spencer Burton, Jason Renaud, Jesse Cornett, and Mary Volm have all committed to appearing at this first event. Candidate Ed Garren and Saltzman have also been invited.

Now if the candidates could only publicly finance some beer to go with these events we'd really be excited.

(In photo: [left to right] back row: Ed Garren and Mary Volm; front row: Jason Renaud, Jesse Cornett and Spencer Burton)