Dialogue

Readers Respond to Endorsements, Beach Cleanups and Statue Relocation

“Forty-one years ago I volunteered to help put Portlandia together. I spent that summer and into fall shaping and brazing the seams. It was brutally hard work with the sun beating down, with multiple torches adding to it.”

By WW Staff
Jo Haemer, pictured with Greg Pettengill, during the creation of Portlandia.

WW GOT A SENATE RACE WRONG

Willamette Week recently released their endorsements for the 2026 primary [“Vote While You Can,” WW, April 29], and they got it wrong in Senate District 15. Let’s set the record straight: Myrna Muñoz is the best choice for working families.

Willamette Week made two claims that severely misrepresent the race dynamics.

One, Willamette Week implied that Senator Sollman’s position on a few key bills didn’t change the outcome, so the constituencies impacted by those bills should not hold her accountable for her positions. In reality, those bills, like SB 916 and SB 1586 (the bill she championed to allow tax breaks for data centers on farmland), didn’t go Senator Sollman’s way because of the hard work and determination of working people and community members who showed up. 67% of all written testimonies submitted for SB 916 were in support of the bill, which ultimately passed; and 89% of written testimonies for SB 1586 were in opposition to the bill, which thankfully failed. Those numbers reflect the work of hundreds of Oregonians who showed up to make their voices heard. Bills don’t just pass or die; they are moved through advocacy and hard work by real people.

Two, these outcomes are not Senator Sollman being “bold enough to stand up to [her] biggest backers.” It’s her doing her biggest backers’ bidding. Just take a look at who is funding her campaign: Big Pharma, fossil fuel companies, and big corporations. Meanwhile, Myrna is supported by working families, local family farmers, teachers, care workers, and more. The choice is clear.

Roxanne Dalton

King City

CHOOSE SAVAGE FOR JUDGE

I am writing to express my endorsement and support for Elizabeth Savage in her race to become judge. I believe Elizabeth Savage possesses the dedication and fairness to the high moral character necessary for a judge.

Her experience as a litigation attorney, focusing on appeals, civil litigation and family law demonstrates her unwavering commitment to justice. Elizabeth also has a long history of community involvement. She is not only a skilled attorney but someone who acts with strong integrity and commitment to the people of this county.

As a citizen of Multnomah County, I believe it is essential to elect individuals who are committed to improving our community, and Elizabeth is one such individual. I strongly urge you to vote for Elizabeth Savage for position 14. I am confident that she will make a positive impact and continue to work towards the betterment of our community.

Emma Crispin

Attorney at Law

Law Offices of Nay & Friedenberg

KEEP MY PEBBLES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH

Metro is excited about public access to Willamette Cove once the nature park is open to the public [“River Relaunch,” WW, April 8]. However, and we want to be clear, we never said—and never would say—that toddlers should put pebbles from the sand in their mouths. While we will be doing our part to clean up the property we own, the Willamette River between downtown and the Columbia is full of unpleasant surprises, not all of which will be permanently confined to their current location. And while we sincerely doubt that any family in 2032 will say, “A 2026 Willamette Week article said it’d be safe for our toddler to suck on a rock here!” we still want to be clear that we never told Willamette Week that they could, and no, your toddlers should not suck on pebbles from Willamette Cove.

Nick Christensen

Media Relations Lead

Metro

DON’T MOVE PORTLANDIA

Jo Haemer, pictured with Greg Pettengill, during the creation of Portlandia. “Greg and I were the skinniest,” Haemer says, “so we would climb in and work hammering the parts together and firing up torches for brazing and welding in the summer heat that was, of course, amplified by the sun-heated copper.”

Forty-one years ago I volunteered to help put Portlandia together. I spent that summer and into fall shaping and brazing the seams. It was brutally hard work with the sun beating down, with multiple torches adding to it.

Sigh. Please citizens, stop telling the city to move her [Dialogue, WW, April 29].

Here is why it won’t work.

A: Her anatomy was altered. Her back is really, really long. Her head was reduced in size so that it wouldn’t loom over the viewers from ground level.

B: She is really big, but quite fragile. The copper skin is only 1 mm thick. She would be destroyed in a heartbeat.

Trust me on this.

Jo Haemer

North Portland

Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to:

P.O. Box 10770

Portland, OR 97296

Email: amesh@wweek.com

WW Staff

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