Readers Respond to a Nike Executive Diving Into the Portland Mayor’s Race

“Looks like Ms. Crowell’s ‘open mind’ ends at taking a position on employee protests at Nike.”

Last week, Nike executive Piper Crowell officially entered the Portland mayor's race, only three months before the primary election. After working as an environmental activist, a congressional staffer and a lobbyist for Pandora, Crowell came to Portland in 2017 to join Nike as director of global digital and innovation policy. She's now one of 14 challengers to Mayor Ted Wheeler. WW interviewed Crowell about why she chose to enter the race and what she has to offer voters. In the interview, Crowell, 34, touted her youth and leadership experience, but was evasive on policy specifics. WW posted the full video of her interview on wweek.com, and it drew intense interest—not all of it flattering to Crowell's nascent candidacy. Here's what our readers had to say:

MarySue Healy, via wweek.com: "Voters should always be cautious of business outsiders who think they alone can magically swoop in and fix everything that no one else, even smart and talented folks, has been able to."

Jason Cohen, via Facebook: "Looks like Ms. Crowell's 'open mind' ends at taking a position on employee protests at Nike."

Andrew Tristero, via Twitter: "Glad to see Piper Crowell finally got around to changing her Twitter location from D.C. Wouldn't want to make us feel like just a stepping stone or anything."

Blake, via Twitter: "She was asked about the I-5 Rose Quarter expansion but didn't say if she opposed it or not. I heard a lot of platitudes in that and other questions."

Susan Anderson, via Facebook: "Nope! I'd love to hear more about Teressa Raiford from WW, though. She actually has policies in mind, not just vague platitudes and tons of Nike money."

Anastasia Beaverhausen, via wweek.com: "Like a tone-deaf kid who thinks she can be a big star on America's Got Talent, you just gotta sit back and admire the hubris of someone who moves to town and three years later says, 'I'm gonna run for mayor!'"

Kyle Parsons, via wweek.com: "She is a young, dynamic leader and has a strong track record for building coalitions and community around important/tough issues. She also has a love for Portland and wants to see the people and this city do better."

Andy, via Twitter: "Congrats to the one mayoral candidate who finds Pete Buttigieg inspirational."

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