LaVonne Griffin-Valade, Former Portland Auditor, Endorses Chloe Eudaly

"She's a formidable advocate," Griffin-Valade says of the Portland City Council candidate.

LaVonne Griffin-Valade, Portland's elected auditor from 2009 to 2014, on Tuesday announced she's endorsing Chloe Eudaly in her bid for the Portland City Council against Commissioner Steve Novick.

"I really feel Portland needs more distinctive voices," Griffin-Valade says. "She represents a segment of Portland that no one else on the city council does."

Eudaly, owner of Reading Frenzy, is making her first bid for public office. But she brings to the race a background as an activist for issues ranging from affordable housing to disability rights. Eudaly's son, 15-year-old Henry, has cerebral palsy.

"She's a formidable advocate," says Griffin-Valade.

Griffin-Valade overlapped with Novick at City Hall for two years. She says she's voted for him twice, once when he ran for the U.S. Senate and again when he ran in 2012 for the city council.

But now, as a community member and voter, she says she finds herself "disappointed" with Novick's style and his sometimes glib responses to questions about his actions. "He really thought he knew everything and he didn't," she says.

She adds: "I know how difficult it is to get things done at the city and we need a strong voice."

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