Rational in Portland
by Kristin Olson
Portland native. Trial lawyer. Founding member of North America Recovers. https://www.northamericarecovers.org Resisting extremism through long form conversations.
Episodes
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"Try That in a Small Town" co-writer and bassist Tully Kennedy
Tully Kennedy is a bassist, writer and producer. He has been Jason Aldean's bassist for over 25 years and co-wrote numerous hits, including the Billboard #1 "Try That in a Small Town". Tully grew up in the small town of Redford in upstate New York. He received his first CMA Triple Play Award, for...
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How the Democratic Socialists of America Infiltrated Portland City Council - Max Steele
Max Steele is the author of the Substack "Recalibrate Portland." He discusses the etiology of the Democratic Socialists of America, how they ran successful candidates for Portland City Council, why he is a Zionist, and more.
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A Prosecutor's View of Portland's Decline: Former Clatsop County DA Josh Marquis
Former Clatsop County DA Josh Marquis on prosecuting some of Oregon’s most notorious crimes, why he left the state, what brought him back, and what he believes happened to Portland.
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More Calls Than Cops: Sgt. Aaron Schmautz on Portland's Policing Shortage
Sgt. Aaron Schmautz, President of the Portland Police Association, updates us on the police ballot measure and the city's defunding of its police force by $21 million despite Portland ranking 47/50 for police per capita in the country. Andy Chandler from NW Fresh co-hosts.
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Elise Haas: Former KOIN TV reporter, now working to fund police
Elise Haas is a former television anchor. You may remember her from KOIN 6 News, Portland's local Portland CBS affiliate. Elise is now at Gallatin Public Affairs and is working on a public safety ballot measure called the Safer Portland Initiative, which will provide funds for the hiring…
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Billy Williams, Former U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon
Billy Williams was the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon from 2015-2021. Billy is a non-affiliated voter (“NAV”) and is a proponent of open primaries in Oregon. Billy talks about why he’s a NAV and why he is not registered as an Independent. He explains why he thinks we need open...
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Hasaan Hates Portland: The Movie
"Hasaan Hates Portland" is a web series created by Mischa Webley, starring Hasaan Thomas. Mischa describes it as, “A dark comedy web series about a black man trying to navigate his way through the whitest - and weirdest - city in America.” A Movie based on the web series is currently in the works...
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Joe Hagedorn, running for Multnomah County family law judge
Joe Hagedorn began his career as an Oregon lawyer by representing domestic violence victims as an AmeriCorps legal aid attorney. He then practiced as a public defender and, before becoming a referee/pro tem (temporary judge to assist the work of the court), Joe was a lawyer in juvenile court. Joe...
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Noah Ernst for Metro Council
Noah Ernst is running for Metro Council. Noah is a lawyer, a former small business owner, a former taxi driver for Radio Cab, and currently serves as both a superintendent and in-house counsel for Radio Cab. Listen to or watch former Metro Council President Lynn Peterson’s interview about what...
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Joanna Perini-Abbott, running for Multnomah County Judge
Joanna (Jo) Perini-Abbott is a lawyer and a law school professor running for judge in Multnomah County, Position 5. She is a Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Advocacy at Lewis and Clark Law School. She has been a practicing litigator since 2010 and represents clients in...
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Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Hudson Tyler and Janis Jasinsky from the Alzheimer’s Association of Oregon and SW Washington
Hudson Tyler is the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Alzheimer's Association Oregon & SW Washington Chapter. Janis Jasinsky is a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association. Janis was a caregiver for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s. Janis provides education and…
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Sgt. Aaron Schmautz
Sgt. Aaron Schmautz is the President of the Portland Police Association (“PPA”), which represents the police officers, sergeants, detectives, criminalists, and PS3s who work for the Portland Police Bureau. The PPA also represents the 911 dispatchers and supervisors who work for the Bureau of...
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Betsy Johnson and Alan Evans Video
Betsy Johnson ran for governor of Oregon as an unaffiliated candidate in the 2022 election cycle. She also served in the Oregon Legislature as a Democratic House Representative and later in the Oregon Senate. Betsy met Alan Evans when he came to the Oregon Legislature to talk about homelessness...
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Betsy Johnson and Alan Evans
Betsy Johnson ran for governor of Oregon as an unaffiliated candidate in the 2022 election cycle. She also served in the Oregon Legislature as a Democratic House Representative and later in the Oregon Senate. Betsy met Alan Evans when he came to the Oregon Legislature to talk about homelessness...
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Josh Marquis
Josh Marquis is the former District Attorney for Clatsop County, Oregon. He is a founding member and on the Board of Directors at the Oregon Criminal Justice Truth Project, He is also the Director of Legal Affairs and Law Enforcement for Animal Wellness Action. Now retired, Josh continues to be…
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Dr. Sharon Meieran
Dr. Sharon Meieran, MD, has an impressive pedigree. She did her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley; her JD at University of California, Hastings College of Law; and her MD at UCSF School of Medicine. She worked as a lawyer for six years before going to medical school. Dr. Meieran worked as an ER...
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Scott Bradley and Mario Reyes
Scott Bradley is a pastor at AS IS church and the Executive Director of the HOPE Center PDX in the Rockwood neighborhood in the Gresham-Portland, Oregon area of East Multnomah County. Rockwood is one of the most diverse and one of the most violent neighborhoods in East County, Scott is also a...
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Lance Orton from CityTeam Portland
Lance Orton is the Executive Director of CityTeam Portland, which provides addiction and homelessness services. Lance is a self-described opioid addict who found himself homeless on the streets of Portland. He attained sobriety through CityTeam. Lance says that 76% of CityTeam’s graduates are...
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Portland City Councilor Dan Ryan
Dan Ryan is a Portland City Councilor for District 2. Dan is the only Portland City Councilor who ran for re-election in the last election cycle. Portland recently restructured its city government and Dan talks about serving under the new city structure, his goals and priorities, what he's…
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Dr. Eric Fruits, Ph.D.
Dr. Eric Fruits, Ph.D., is an economist who specializes in economics, finance, and statistics. He is an adjunct professor in Economics and Finance at Portland State University and an adjunct scholar at Cascade Policy Institute. He also serves as an expert witness in court cases. Dr. Fruits talks...
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Jill Souede
Jill Souede was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Portland City Councilor Dan Ryan. She has a Master’s in Strategic Communications from the University of Oregon and did her undergraduate work at Portland State University. In this episode, she reveals her experience with the inner workings of Portland...
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Juma Blaq
Loudaquinn Whatley, known as Juma Blaq, is a rapper, community and civic leader, music producer, videographer, song writer, DJ, sound engineer, husband, and dad of 5. Juma did media and videography for Portland City Council candidate Terrence Hayes. Juma currently serves on Portland’s Focused...
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Portland's new James Beard Public Market Executive Director, Jessica Elkan
Jessica Elkan is the Executive Director of Portland's new ambitious project, the James Beard Public Market. Jessica talks about the status of the market, the history of James Beard, when Portland can expect the market to open, the concept behind it, and why this is such an important project for...
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Damian Bunting: Working private security in Portland, Oregon
Damian Bunting is a black private security guard in Portland, Oregon. Damian talks about learning jujitsu; how he was able to go to college; the mental illness and addiction crises on the streets of Portland; gun rights; his childhood; his parents’ advocacy for Bill Clinton, and more. Thanks to...
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Hasaan Thomas, star of "Hasaan Hates Portland"
Hasaan Thomas is the star of the satirical web series, "Hasaan Hates Portland," which was created by his friend, Mischa Webley. Hasaan is also a professional marketing and branding expert. We talk about what it was like to create and film the show; how he comes up with creative branding ideas…
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Laura Curry: Portland stadium neighborhood in crisis
Laura Curry describes herself as an itinerant artist and consultant. Laura has lived in various large cities throughout the world. She purchased a condominium in the Stadium neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, years ago when she was searching the United States for a pied-à-terre. She identifies as...
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Karen Chirre: Portland stadium neighborhood in crisis
Karen Chirre owns the Stadium Superette convenience store with her husband in the Stadiumhood neighborhood off of West Burnside in Portland. Karen says that her husband is a first generation immigrant who lived in his car in order to save money to realize his dream of owning a convenience store....
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Mike Thelin: A vision for Portland
Michael (Mike) Thelin is the founder of Bolted Consulting, which, among other things, helps clients with communication, strategy, and design. He co-created Hot Luck, Austin's culinary and music festival. He also co-founded Feast Portland, which was the largest food festival in the Pacific...
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Autumn Sharp and Max Steele: Couch Park in NW Portland in crisis
Artist and graphic designer Autumn Sharp and personal trainer Max Steele are two of the founders of Friends of Couch Park, an organization in Northwest Portland to try to make Couch Park more livable. They talk about drugs, crime, mental illness, and street homelessness in their neighborhood and...
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Pete Colt: Portland stadium neighborhood in crisis
Pete Colt is a retired marketing professional who lives in the northwest Portland neighborhood known as Stadiumhood. Stadiumhood is located in the southeast corner of the Alphabet District, the northeast corner of Goose Hollow, and it shares a border with the Pearl District and downtown Portland....
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Andy Chandler and Erica Gustavson: Election Breakdown (in every way)
I sat down with host of NW Fresh, Andy Chandler, and hairstylist and small business owner Erica Gustavson, to discuss local election outcomes in Portland, Oregon, including Multnomah County, mayor and city council. We also talk about Portland in the context of the presidential election....
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Sandeep Bali for Portland City Council, District 3
Sandeep Bali is running for Portland City Council in District 3. Sandeep is a first generation gay immigrant. He works as a pharmacist and specializes in HIV care. Prior to his work with HIV patients, he worked in geriatric care, including long-term, end-of-life, and hospice care. When Sandeep…
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Noah Ernst for Portland City Council, District 1
Noah Ernst is running for Portland City Council in District 1. He is a Superintendent and an in-house counsel lawyer for Radio Cab Co. Before he was a Superintendent, Noah drove a cab on the night shift for Radio Cab. Noah became a cab driver after he suffered a layoff from his litigator job at a...
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Tiffani Penson for Portland City Council, District 2
Tiffani Penson is running for Portland City Council in District 2. She has been working for the City of Portland for 18 years, most recently as the People and Culture Manager. https://www.tiffaniforpdx.com https://www.instagram.com/tiffaniforpdxd2?igsh=MWJpMDVxOG0yd3YwZQ== LinkedIn: Profile of...
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Dan Ryan for Portland City Council, District 2
Dan Ryan has been a Portland City Commissioner since 2020, where he pioneered the city’s Safe Rest Villages to get homeless people off of the streets of Portland. His home was vandalized more than 7 times after he refused to defund the police. He is HIV-positive and in recovery from active...
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Get your Oregon ballots out! 2024 Election Episode with Andy Chandler from NW Fresh
Get your ballots out! Join me and Andy Chandler from NW Fresh as we go through the voter's pamphlet https://www.oregonlive.com/watchdog/2024/04/multnomah-county-chairs-unparalleled-power-to-block-fellow-commissioner-proposals-is-illegal-analysis-claims.html?outputType=amp...
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Kezia Wanner, for Portland City Council, District 3
Kezia Wanner is a lifelong Democrat who is running for Portland City Council in District 3. Kezia’s experience in public service and public safety is extensive. She has served as the: grants coordinator for Portland Police Bureau; budget and policy analyst for the City of Portland; program…
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Harrison Kass for Portland City Council, District 3
Harrison Kass is a policy advisor for Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez. He is also a lawyer, and received his JD from the University of Oregon School of Law. He also has an MA in International Relations and Global Journalism from New York University. Harrison also serves as a journalist…
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Mariah Hudson for Portland City Council, District 2
Mariah Hudson is a solo parent, a Senior Communications Specialist for OHSU, and has a Master's Degree in Economics. She is running for Portland City Council in District 2. https://www.mariahforportland.com https://www.instagram.com/mariahforportland?igsh=MW1pdzJvOGwwNTVodg==...
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Mischa Webley, Creator of "Hasaan Hates Portland"
Mischa Webley is a Portland native and a writer, director, and filmmaker. He is the creator of the web series "Hasaan Hates Portland". He describes it as a "dark satirical web series about living while black in the whitest city in America."...
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Betsy Johnson and Angela Wilhelms: Vote No on Measure 118, the Newest Tax Measure
https://oregonbusinessindustry.com/team/ https://oregoncapitolfoundation.org/angela-wilhelms/ https://noonmeasure118.com/take-action/ What's Up with Betsy Johnson | RSS.com https://oregonbusinessindustry.com...
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Eric Zimmerman for Portland City Council, District 4
Eric Zimmerman is the Chief of Staff for Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards. He previously served as the Central City Senior Advisor for Mayor Ted Wheeler. He is a gay man who has served for 17 years as a member of the Oregon Army National Guard, including under the "Don't Ask…
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Andrew Rowe on Transforming Government Performance Through Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
Lean Transformation Presentation by Andrew Rowe “Transforming Government Performance Through Lean Management” McKinsey Center for Government white paper. “Applying Continuous Improvement in Government – Lean Leadership in Action” UL paper “Lean Government Implementation Guide” EPA document Denver...
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Bob Simril, for Portland City Council, District 2
Bob Simril is running for Portland City Council in District 2. Bob grew up in Compton with a black father and a white mother. His family moved to Portland, and he graduated from Grant High School. Bob worked for Tony Robbins doing sales. He has a homeless family member who is addicted to drugs....
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Tony Morse for Portland City Council, District 4
Tony Morse is running for Portland City Council in District 4. He has been a lawyer, a realtor, and a recovery advocate. https://tonyforpdx.com https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471?s=46 https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795330785081532431?s=46...
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George Carrillo from Progreso Latino and the Portland Mayoral Debate
George Carrillo is the President of Progreso Latino, a Political Action Committee. George is a Democrat who ran for governor of Oregon in the 2022 election. Progreso Latino is hosting a mayoral debate on September 11, 2024, with candidates Rene Gonzalez, Carmen Rubio, and Keith Wilson. Tickets…
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Terrence Hayes for City Council, District 1: "Truth always makes people nervous."
Terrence Hayes is running for Portland City Council, District 1 in East Portland.. After serving 13 years in prison for attempted murder, Terrence works with the Portland Police Bureau to prevent gang and gun violence, is married with children, and runs a graffiti removal business....
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Labor Day With Public Safety Union Leadership: Aaron Schmautz from the Portland Police Association and Isaac McLennan from the Portland Fire Fighters' Association
Aaron Schmautz is President of the Portland Police Association (PPA). The PPA is the union for Portland police officers below the rank of Lieutenant and members of the Bureau of Emergency Communications. Isaac McLennan is the President of the Portland Fire Fighters’ Association (the Portland fire...
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Political consultant Derek Clevenger on the presidential race
Derek Clevenger, MBA, is a nonaffiliated political consultant in the Pacific Northwest. He was the mayor of Aumsville, Oregon and ran as a nonaffiliated candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives. He is a retired US Army Master Sergeant where he was a medic. He is also a medical training...
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Terrence Hayes for Portland City Council, District 1
Terrence Hayes is running for Portland City Council in District 1. He grew up with drug-addicted parents in the Chicago projects, and his sister is still suffering from active drug addiction. Terrence moved to Portland with his father and graduated from Jefferson High School. As a former gang...
About this show
Portland native. Trial lawyer. Founding member of North America Recovers. https://www.northamericarecovers.org
Resisting extremism through long form conversations.
Hosted by
Kristin Olson
Categories