“If we offend a few folks along the way, I guess that’s the cost of activism.”
— Eva Frazier, Clever Cycles
Sarah Iannarone is a serious challenger to incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler. After coming out of nowhere to nab 12% of the vote in her first try at the mayor’s office in 2016, her campaign has stepped way up this time around. One of the places she enjoys considerable support is among Portland’s legion of transportation reformers, where many know her not just as a politician, but as a fellow activist who often walks, rides, and rallies alongside them.
That might explain why one of Portland’s most well-known and established bike shops, Clever Cycles, has decided to host a house party for her. On March 3rd, Clever Cycles is inviting interested folks to join them at the shop for snacks, drinks and a discussion of Iannarone’s many plans.
I asked shop co-owner Eva Frazier to share why she supports Iannarone and why she’d risk getting directly involved in politics. Here’s what she said:
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(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
“I was having a conversation with another woman in the Portland bike scene. She said that we have this platform as business owners and would be wasteful to not leverage that to make Portland a better place. Portland has seen a lot of change, but also a lot of stagnation on fronts that we care about. We’re looking to the future politicians of Portland to make policy that brings us forward into a brighter future. I voted for Sarah four years ago, and I guess Portland wasn’t quite ready for her then. We need some serious change to make Portland into the city we all want to live in. Electing a mayor that walks the walk will get us there a little faster. One of the appealing aspects of owning a small business is not having to toe the corporate line. If we offend a few folks along the way, I guess that’s the cost of activism. If we don’t offend anyone, then we’re probably not doing our job.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Iannarone’s platform, consider showing up on next Tuesday. Here are the event details on Facebook. Frazier points out that the shop is family-friendly and there’s a play area for children away form the partying and politicking.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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