Here’s the latest from Portland’s only bike-oriented political action committee, Bike Walk Vote. Incidentally, the former executive director of the BTA, Evan Manvel is now working with them so I expect to be hearing a lot more from these folks during the upcoming political election season…
Here’s their latest message about a gathering on Monday to raise support from the bike community to pass Measure 49:
Bike Walk Vote works to elect candidates who support bicycling and walking. We also support and oppose key ballot measures.
Since being formed in 2004, we’ve managed to lend a hand in some key races, from getting Sam Adams to pull out his tight city council race to getting Robert Liberty to upset an incumbent metro councilor.
This year, we’re working to help pass Measure 49, a key measure that will help us have the ability to plan communities that people can walk and bike in.
We’re a low-budget, high-impact group and rely on grassroots marketing to get our word out. That means we need YOUR help!
So please come by the Lucky Lab, 915 SE Hawthorne, on Monday, Oct 22nd, from 6 to 8pm, and grab some flyers to distribute to bicyclists about YES on Measure 49 and Bike Walk Vote PAC. You can also chat with us about our past and future plans, and share your thoughts!
Bike Walk Vote gathering
915 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Monday, Oct 22nd, 6 to 8pm (come by any time during these hours)Hope to see you there!
Hey JM & BP readers,
Evan Manvel is actually the founder of Bike Walk Vote (formed in 2004). Since BWV\’s inception, various BTA staffers have been instrumental in its activities and growth. This includes BTA staffers/policy experts who predate Evan\’s tenure as the Executive Director of the BTA (for instance, Scott Bricker, now the BTA\’s ED, and Kasandra Griffin, former Finance & Development Director) and those who were hired under Evan\’s leadership, like Michelle Poyourow, one of the bicycling community\’s most valuable, effective, approachable, and knowledgable advocates.
There is so much work to be done to make bicycling safer and easier and more acceptable in Oregon.
But please don\’t forget to recognize the work that has been done by our predecessors.
In addition to the folks I mentioned above, I\’m thinking here of Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder (a BTA founder); Karen Frost (an early BTA Program Director who now heads the Westside Transportation Alliance); Catherine Ciarlo (the BTA Executive Director who really made the organization gain its footing); Jessica Roberts (the BTA staffer who did the outreach to build bicyclists\’ political capacity and now works for Alta Planning+Design); and Mia Birk (the City of Portland\’s first bicycle coordinator and now a principal at Alta).
Predecessors to today\’s bike advocates also include Jay Graves (Bike Gallery), Dave Guettler (River City Bicycles), and Kevin Chudy (Bike-n-Hike). These visionaries provided the funding that made the early advocacy possible. And they continue to put their money where their wheels are today.
These folks are the reason we have bike racks on buses and the bike lanes and boulevards we have now.
Yes, there is much work to be done. But again, I ask you to take a moment and reflect on the people who came before us.
We have so much more than other places because of them.