Meet mayoral candidate Keith Wilson and District 3’s Ahlam Osman at Bike Happy Hour Wednesday

Did you hear that? It’s the sound of Portland’s election tightening up.

The big money is starting to roll in, the mayoral race is getting spicy, and candidates are scrambling to stand out from the crowd. With just over a month before our unprecedented election, the tenor of the campaigns has gotten a lot more serious.

Those halcyon days when we’d have candidates just randomly show up at Bike Happy Hour and give stump speeches seem almost quaint now. But that doesn’t mean those days are over! I know it’s been a while (hey, I was gone nearly all last month) I’m very excited to announce that Portland mayoral candidate Keith Wilson and City Council candidate Ahlam Osman will join us this week at Bike Happy Hour.

We’ve hosted Wilson a few times and he’s coming back just as the race heats up. Wilson, a trucking company CEO with a history of showing up for transportation issues in Portland, sees an opportunity to gain ground due to recent fumbles by Carmen Rubio and broad concerns about Rene Gonzalez among many left-leaning Portlanders.

Osman is relatively new to the race for council district 3 (SE). Despite being just 22 years old, Osman stands out as an emerging leader on issues many BikePortlanders care deeply about. She’s a senior at Portland State majoring in community development, has served as a member of the Multnomah County Youth Commission, and has interned with Metro. According to Rose City Reform, Osman’s priorities are, “environmental, climate and economic justice, small business support, equitable civic engagement, and sustainable and people-centered planning and development.”

In testimony at the Joint Committee on Transportation hearing last week, Osman told lawmakers that living near a freeway has had a huge negative impact on her life. “My mother, brother and twin have all developed asthma,” Osman shared. “Living in this environment has shaped my understanding of how transportation and environmental justice and racism intersect… We need bold action to reduce transportation climate impact and the need to drive… by investing in public transit and creating compact, climate friendly neighborhoods, we can reduce vehicles, vehicle miles traveled and emissions.”

Come out Wednesday night to meet Wilson and Osman. Also note that the Boycott Chevron Rolling Protest will begin at Gorges Beer at 6:30, so bring what you need if you plan to do that ride afterwards.

One last thing… Bike Happy Hours are changing due to later opening hours from our hosts Gorges Beer and Ankeny Tap & Table. The event will now run from 4:00 to 6:00 pm (starting one hour later). As per usual, speaking and open mic will begin around 5:00.

See you Wednesday!