With Mayor Jason Snider term-limited and unable to run for reelection, Tigard will be choosing a new mayor on Nov. 8.
It's a three-way race between two city councilors — John Goodhouse and Heidi Lueb — and Nick Hess, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor earlier this year.
Pamplin Media Group sent an identical questionnaire to all three candidates for mayor. Their responses to those questions follow below, unabridged, with only light editing for grammar, style and clarity where needed.
Why are you running for mayor?
John Goodhouse: As a lifelong resident of Tigard, I have a deep connection here and want to keep Tigard the livable community I know and we all want. My experience of eight years on the council is needed, as we have three council seats and the mayor all on the ballot in November, leaving a void on the council of leadership and experience.
My involvement on the local, state and federal level as a councilor and as a businessperson in the city has prepared me to be Tigard's next mayor. My primary objective will be to see that everyone has the opportunity to get involved and build our community.
Nick Hess: The people of Tigard are ready for change.
This city has been run by people pushing their own agendas. It is time to raise the standards of what we expect from our government. That includes establishing a higher level of engagement and ensuring that the city of Tigard works for its constituents. Customer service and transparency must be a top priority to ensure accountability.
We deserve a dedicated civil servant willing to make Tigard a priority and put in the time and energy to make changes that benefit our community.
Heidi Lueb: I'm running for mayor because I love Tigard and I didn't see the kind of candidate running that I could support, so I decided to become the candidate I wanted to see. I was also approached by many community members this spring asking me to take on the challenge.
Since my appointment to City Council in 2019, I've worked alongside community members, organizations, and businesses. It has given me a better understanding of the issues our community faces and how to address them together.
Tigard needs a strong, collaborative mayor to continue the work that we've done as a council and have a vision for the future. We need a mayor who is a listener, connector, and relationship builder. I'm the candidate that has built those local, regional, and state relationships that will ensure Tigard is connected and included in everything going on in the region and the state. In order to get things done, we must work together, and I'm proud of my endorsement list of people that are ready to hit the ground running and advocate for Tigard alongside me.
With my private sector finance background, I'm constantly looking at decisions trying to balance needs and funding. I want to ensure that we are providing for the fundamental needs of the city while also reacting to current issues and supporting our community and meeting them where they are.
I love Tigard, and I will fight for a vibrant community where everyone is welcome, feels safe, and can succeed.
What are the top two or three issues facing the city?
Goodhouse: My focus, specific to issues, will be:
• Public safety; our citizens need to feel safe in their community.
• Livability; from housing to education to transportation, the city can play a significant role in serving the community. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
• Inclusion; I want people to participate and be a part of the solution to problems. We need folks to be engaged from our schools to our seniors.
Hess: Public Safety — Ensuring the safety of every citizen in Tigard needs to be the top priority. We need faster response times, consistent police funding, and a lot more accountability when it comes to those that commit crimes.
Homelessness — We need to get our most vulnerable members of our community off the streets. I want to see homeless programs that prioritize wrap-around services with housing. I believe Rogue Retreat in Medford has the best model and would love to see the same model implemented in Tigard.
Affordable Housing — We must ensure that we have adequate inventory of all types of housing. That includes emergency shelters and affordable housing. Beyond that, we must ensure that the system is moving and allowing people to move up and establish control and consistency over their lives. People must have the opportunity to purchase rather than rent so that they can build equity and generational wealth.
Lueb: The biggest issues facing Tigard are our houseless situation, the lack of adequate affordable housing and the need for transportation infrastructure.
Houselessness cannot be solved solely on a city level, but we can work with our county, regional and state partners to address the root causes of houselessness and connect people to services. I will push for more mental health and addiction service treatment options because they are not sufficient to handle Tigard's needs. I will also work with our county and state partners to fund Just Compassion's Campus Campaign to provide 40 shelter beds and 16 transitional housing units with wrap-around services.
I have committed to working with our city code, other governmental agencies, nonprofits, and builders to encourage a wide variety of housing in Tigard. We need not only affordable subsidized units, but townhomes, single-family homes and multi-family units. I'm supportive of our changes in code that encourage more middle housing to help fill our needs.
I am a strong advocate for looking at our transportation through a human-mobility lens. It's not just about cars, but creating transportation that includes a wide variety of ways for people to safely move about the city. As a cyclist, I know how scary it can be to ride through Tigard and I support the Complete Streets vision. It envisions a vibrant and healthy community where people of all ages and abilities can travel safely, efficiently and comfortably on a well-connected and optimized multi-modal network of roads, trails and paths.
With the city moving forward with plans to build a new City Hall and Tigard Police Department, what in your opinion are the benefits (or disadvantages) of such a move?
Goodhouse: We need to provide the services our citizens need and want. To accomplish this, we will need to improve and modernize facilities which, in many cases, are very costly to maintain. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
Primarily, the City of Tigard needs a new police station; the current building is outdated, is not seismic-resilient, does not have adequate room for the officers and does not have the adequate storage for important data. If we want to attract or retain officers, we need a new facility sooner than later.
Hess: We are embarrassingly behind on plans for a new city hall and police department. Not only that, but current leadership has proven they cannot think outside the box. They have spent an exorbitant amount of money on space planning and reviews to only build a bigger version of what they have now.
Instead, we should be looking at building a mixed-use city hall that incorporates office space and affordable housing.
Lueb: Our City Hall building is falling apart. It's being held together by a patchwork of fixes and is wholly inadequate for our Police Department. It's critical that we find a solution for a new building for City Hall as soon as possible, and it's something the current council has been working on.
I support looking into all options on the table in regards to Public Works, Tigard Police and City Hall. I want to find the best long-term solution for Tigard that provides adequate space for the future as well as being as cost effective and green as possible.
It's my sincere hope that Public Works is relocated outside of downtown. The City of Tigard is the biggest landowner in downtown, and in order to encourage a more vibrant downtown area, we need to provide more land for businesses, housing and other development to occur.
We also need to focus on green, energy-efficient buildings that are inviting to the community. These buildings are community-owned and they should be easily accessible, welcoming, and City Hall should include critically needed indoor community gathering space.
I want us to leverage the expiration of the library building bond so Tigard residents don't have additional new taxes in order to fund the new project. The downside to any new project is the cost; however, with the regular maintenance that we're having to perform, in the long term, it will be a better investment to put those funds towards a new facility.
Where do you see Tigard as a city in 10 years from now?
Goodhouse: I believe Tigard has the opportunity to be a leader in this region. Involving its citizens. Solving tough problems. Living within the budget. Staying the safe community we have come to know. We will be a very livable community with the right leadership and community involvement. We will be more diverse and have our challenges but these are challenges that can be overcome. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
In 10 years, we will have a community where the city, neighborhoods, and the school district all work together.
Hess: I envision a safe, clean, thriving community of Tigard. I see far more people off the streets, out of the cycle of homelessness, and living in stable homes.
A city that is accessible by all forms of transportation; that it is welcoming and commuter-friendly.
I want to see a thriving economy with a balanced city budget. I want to see a community that is connected and engaged with enough infrastructure and green spaces to support them. I see Tigard utilizing technology to augment that engagement and facilitate easy access to information.
The final piece is a city that commands Washington County and state officials to act in the vested interest of the 55,000-plus citizens that live here.
Lueb: Ten years from now, I hope that Tigard is a welcoming city for all where we have sufficient affordable housing, our houseless community are housed, a vibrant downtown, restaurants and businesses all over Tigard that attract our community members to stay in Tigard to recreate, every Tigard community member within a 10-minute walk to parks or trails, and complete streets that support a wide variety of human mobility options.
A lot of the decisions that will impact the city 10 years from now are being discussed and voted on now. The process can be slow, especially in regards to decisions like city code changes, because it impacts projects moving forward.
It's important that I understand Tigard's history; however, I want us to be forward-looking and ensure the decisions we're making today serve the City of Tigard in the future.
Many of the decisions being made today are interconnected. The way we view the city code for our housing is also tied with the importance of adequate infrastructure and amenities like parks, trails and access to transportation.
When I'm making a decision, I'm weighing all of the ways that decision impacts and connects with other areas in our city. I also weigh the impacts on different members of our community. How will this impact our seniors, Tigard families, young professionals or the youth? It's important to me to understand all of these areas in order to make the best long-term decisions for Tigard. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
If the funding is found, plans are to build the Southwest Corridor light rail line, which would stretch 11 miles between downtown Portland and Bridgeport Village, just outside Tualatin. How important is light rail (if you believe it is) to the future of this city and why?
Goodhouse: Transportation and congestion are major issues in the community. I have and will continue to work towards multiple solutions, not just one — light rail — as the only alternative. Of course it will be an important component, but it should not be considered the only answer and take money away from other projects, especially those aimed at safer streets and easing congestion.
I will work with TriMet to increase the bus service to Tigard and continue to work on the Sidewalk Gap initiative I have started within the City of Tigard to have a complete sidewalks and bike lanes, giving all citizens the ability to get around Tigard.
Hess: The voters passed the idea of adding the Southwest Corridor Light Rail a few years ago and then declined to pay for it. Before anything is done, this needs to go back to the voters.
However, with ridership down and problems with rider safety, a lot needs to be addressed by TriMet before being brought back to the voters again. With a recession also looming, the last thing voters should be paying for is a transportation option that no one wants or uses.
Lueb: Like many Tigard residents, I have mixed feelings in regards to the Southwest Corridor Light Rail. I think having more transportation options outside of vehicles is important; however, I wish there was a lower impact on businesses and homes on the route, as well as the maintenance yard being relocated from our downtown area.
In 2016, Tigard residents voted to allow light rail to come through the City of Tigard, and it's my responsibility as an elected official to ensure that we're getting the best possible solution and transportation for Tigard.
When I moved to Tigard and worked in Portland's Central Eastside, I looked into alternative ways to get to work other than driving my car. The reality is that it was impractical to take public transportation. It would have taken triple the amount of time on public transportation as it would take to drive myself.
If we want to relieve traffic, we need to get out of cars and into other transportation options. Traffic on our roads is one of the biggest complaints in Tigard, and light rail has been estimated to take additional vehicles off our roads.
Light rail offers an alternative for community members to get into downtown, and with a stop close to downtown Tigard, it also allows other communities to come into Tigard. It also has the potential to continue to change the Tigard Triangle and make it a great place to live, work and recreate, with quick access to transportation options.
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