Author: Chris Waldmann

News from the President

Hi neighbors. Welcome to June! In May, the SNA wrapped up our General meeting season with the annual review and Board elections. I’d like to welcome two new Board members to the SNA team – Sophia Babb and Connor Lirot. Sophia and Connor are recent arrivals to our neighborhood; Sophia comes to Portland from Fort Collins, CO, and Connor via Dallas, TX. We’re excited they’re driven to be involved in their new community and the passion they bring to improving this already great neighborhood. Remember, even if you aren’t serving on the Board, the SNA depends on you, its members, to volunteer at events, work on our committees, participate in meetings and bring issues to light. Together, we can build an even better Sunnyside.

This past year, the Board focused on Portland’s new form of government, including learning how to cast ranked-choice ballots and getting to know the councilors we elected. We also helped usher in the new pedestrian plaza at 37th and Hawthorne, and continued to serve our unhoused neighbors through the Sunnyside Shower Project. We’ll build on these efforts even as we seek ways to engage the neighborhood in new endeavors, such as programming for the Hawthorne plaza, repainting the Sunnyside Piazza and helping you work with your neighbors, local businesses and your government when you need us. For the full Annual Review presentation, please visit tinyurl.com/yzdj49we.

The new Board will meet in June to get ourselves organized. Our next General meeting isn’t until September, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of opportunities to stay involved, including volunteering at our local street fairs, bringing your family out to movie night in Sewallcrest Park, and helping out with all of the upcoming street painting projects! So, we’ll be seeing you!

SNA Annual Meeting & Board Elections – THIS WEDNESDAY!

The SNA  will hold its annual meeting and elections for the board of directors this Wednesday, May 14th at 7 PM at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.). As our bylaws require voting by paper ballot, this will be an in-person only meeting.  We will be electing 4 board members during this election for 2 year terms. Nominees need not be present in order to run, but we hope you can join us.

This is a wonderful opportunity to serve  your neighborhood while meeting new people and having some fun too! If you would like to learn more, please reach out to me at [email protected]

Light refreshments will be provided and it should be a beautiful evening for a stroll over to SE Uplift. The meeting will last about an hour. Find a draft agenda at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1awIGjySpeicmy8KAm-uu4XDj_HYMFm45kiAX8h8kax0/view.

News from the President

Hi friends! This mid-April bloom-storm has me under the weather, despite how beautiful it is. So, I am going to keep this short. There are just a couple of important meeting announcements for May.

Remember the District Three Priorities Survey from SE Uplift that many of you responded to this past winter? The results are in! The team will be presenting the results in a webinar on Monday, May 12th at 6:30 p.m. We’ve already given our city council members a preview of the data and they were super excited to see what THE PEOPLE want! You can register for this webinar at tinyurl.com/yeta6bat.

Last call for the SNA Annual Elections on Wednesday, May 14th at 7 p.m. Please come out and help shape the future of your Neighborhood Association! You must be present to vote, but do not need to be there to run for a seat on the Board. As I’ve said before, serving my community on the SNA Board has been one of the most rewarding things that I have been able to do over the last few years, and IT’S FUN! If you are interested in running and/or want to learn more, please reach out to me at [email protected]. Even if you don’t want to commit to being on the Board, come to the meeting and participate in hyperlocal democracy! Refreshments will be provided. (Democracy and donuts anyone?)

That’s it for now. See you on May 14th!

News from the President

Hi friends! Isn’t April grand here in the PNW? Who needs April showers for May flowers, when you get them both in one month! The winter daydreams of putting on the hiking shoes and traipsing through fields of wildflowers are turned to reality, and I couldn’t be more psyched for the beautiful days to come.

At the March General meeting we were joined by three special guests, our new city councilors, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo and Steve Novick. We had a GREAT turnout with over 60 neighbors joining in-person and online to hear about how the new form of government is taking shape, and the looming budget crisis that will be consuming much of the council’s efforts. Bottom line on the budget—it’s going to be tough. Depending on how the deficit is calculated, the city faces a deficit of between $92–120 million dollars for the next fiscal year. I was, personally, very impressed with how thoughtful all three councilors were in their responses to constituent questions. Councilor Novick seems to be very much a realist, going through how we got into this situation, not just over the last five years, but through disinvestment in our infrastructure over the past 30 years and with some programs created permanently based on one-time or short-term funding streams. Councilor Morillo appears to bring a keen eye for budgeting and oversight, looking for duplicative efforts and inefficiencies that can be consolidated to improve our long term outlook. Councilor Koyama Lane, in a leadership role as the council Vice President, brings the enthusiasm and optimism of the 3rd grade teacher that she is, trying to bring people together to solve the big issues. The council is still figuring out the exact rules of how legislation will advance, but with the new policy committees having the first review, let’s hope there will be ample opportunities for citizens to make their voices heard on the issues. For the record, the committees District Three members are in are:

• Climate Resilience & Land Use (Novick, Morillo)
• Community & Public Safety (Novick, Morillo)
• Finance (Novick)
• Governance (Koyama Lane)
• Homelessness & Housing (Morillo)
• Labor & Workforce Development (Novick)
• Transportation & Infrastructure (Morillo, Koyama Lane)

Learn more about each committee’s work and sign up to testify at: portland.gov/council/policy-committees.

We also heard about something much more fun than the city’s budget – the Earth Day Parade and Church right here in Sunnyside! Making Earth Cool is planning the event for Saturday, April 26th. Events will kick off at the Sunnyside Environmental School at 11 a.m. with crafts, information booths and other activities. The parade gets going at noon with an approximately one mile route. Individuals and groups are welcome to join the parade. Make a banner! Put on a costume! Walk for the Earth! There will be an Earth Church ceremony at the Sunnyside Community Center (the former Methodist church at 35th and Yamhill) later in the evening. Find out more at makingearthcool.com.

Finally, our annual Board elections are coming up on May 14th at the SNA’s annual meeting. If you are interested in getting more involved in the neighborhood and working with some great folks on important issues, please reach out to me ([email protected]) or  call (202-421-5822).