After 12 great years of making cider I’m turning my full attention to this wonderful city and the people in it that have given me so much. I’m excited to announce that I am running for Portland City Council in District 2 (North & Northeast) in the Nov 5 2024 general election. Find out more at revnatforportland.com or at link in bio.
I’ve had the privilege of visiting cities around the world and what makes Portland so special is our neighborhoods full of small businesses. The soul of Portland has always been our local businesses made for local residents, despite the fact that we’ve hardly gotten any help from City Hall. The current commissioners just seem to care about big businesses. With the introduction of the new government structure, there is, quite literally, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of Portland. I never would have run in the old commission-based system. But the new structure allows fellow councilors to work together. It makes it much harder for big businesses to buy up officials. And we need to chart a new direction for the City. We need representation in the new Council for people who work and shop at small businesses and I am the best candidate in the race with that background and experience. I can’t wait to get started. Find out more at link in bio.
They were a dark huddle under a yellow umbrella on the skinny shoulder of Oatfield Road when I spied them up ahead at the bus stop. Cars zoomed past on the slick road, dangerously close. As I got closer, I made out two people, locked in a full embrace, two separate black hoodies becoming one mass of sweatshirt with four legs poking out of the bottom. Their umbrella was peeling away from one of the spines. It was a tight fit to stay dry, perched on the edge of the road.
As I pulled up to the stop, they were locked in a kiss. That’s a sure sign that one is getting on the bus and one is being left behind. I was about to publicly interrupt their private moment. A crisp pivot of their day had arrived.
She pulled away from him but kept a hand connected a bit too long, arm stretching out to hold onto the moment. She boarded, carefully slipped three dollars into the fare box, took her ticket and turned to sit down.
Like all passengers boarding, I kept an eye on her until she was seated at the first curbside seat. She kept an eye out the window at him. As I closed the doors, he put up a hand goodbye. I heard her hand slap the window in response. She held her hand on the glass as I merged back into traffic.
Where was she going? A day job, a second job, to school, back to her parent’s house, going on a trip? To visit another lover? To pick up a kid?
Where was she coming from? An irregular visit in a long distance relationship, a great first date, a last visit before a breakup?
They could have held each other forever if it weren’t for my arrival. As a bus driver, I enable people’s lives, I create stark contrasts between the moment before and the opportunity after. I see snippets of private stories as I move people through their daily lives. But never on their ideal terms. People run to catch the bus. People miss the bus as it drives past them. People wait for too long before concluding that they in fact missed the bus that came early. People stand in the rain waiting for us and try to dry off before alighting back into the rain. Whatever happened before you got on the bus is over and whatever comes next is now.
Moments like these are why I love driving a bus.
This year’s annual #ladds500 bike ride was met with fantastic weather and an amazing crowd. Folks really brought their A-game on costumes! I organized a group of city council candidates to form a team and ride around a circle a few hundred times. @cornettforportland@linndavidi@elanaforportland@enderineastportland@rexburkholder@mitch4portland all joined in the bike fun.
Thanks so much to the organizers @ladds500 for another reminder about why Portland is great.
Thanks also to @bikeportland for the coverage and photo!
I'm pretty sure I first met Lee of @thebarreledbee at the nation's oldest homebrewing shop @fhsteinbart back in 2014. And if my dim memory is right, she suggested a new yeast to try in my cider. That's Lee for you, in a nutshell: Blending her passion for every kind of brewing (she's a distiller, brewer and meadmaker!) with her willingness to help others. I'm proud to have her endorsement for City Council.
Lee says: "Nat is a person who values the growth that comes with tough interactions with people. Always keeping in mind the importance of understanding where individuals are socially, mentally, and emotionally and how that impacts their vision of the world. He listens and is empathetic but he also won't sugarcoat a tough call."
Please consider a donation to my campaign for Portland City Council via the link in my bio.
WILL YOU HELP ME UNLOCK $40K IN MATCHING FUNDS?
I’m building this campaign solely with donations from small donors. The maximum contribution I will accept is $350, zero donations from businesses of any size and never money from big PACs such as the Portland Business Alliance.
Because of this commitment to a people-powered campaign, the City of Portland will provide a 9 to 1 match of donations from Portland residents up to $20. That means your $5 becomes $50. Your $20 becomes $200.
My fundraising strategy is to get $20 at a time from Portlanders like you. Other candidates on the ballot are taking money from big business interests - the same fat cats that have run Portland into the ground.
After the launch party last weekend, my team and I reviewed our numbers and we are close - so close - to qualifying for those matching funds. I need just 37 more donors to unlock $40,000. We are fighting to disrupt the stranglehold that the richest people in Portland have had on City Hall for decades. Please help us get over the hump.
If I can get 37 more donations this week, I will be the fastest candidate in the race to qualify for matching funds!
If you’ve already donated, please consider adding to your donation and forwarding this email to your friends who want to see Portland get back on track.
DONATION LINK IN PROFILE
I’ve had strong opinions about cider for almost 20 years so it should surprise no one that I have strong opinions about what we need to make Portland thrive. I recently had a chance to record a podcast with Kip and Tim of Progress Portland. We talked about losing my cidery last fall, driving for TriMet, my long history in the city, and got into the weeds of how I think the city should progress. We hit on the 2020 protests and the police response, and how the city neglects small business, all while sipping a non-alc cider. Like what you hear? My campaign is powered by small donors. Not big businesses! Donate today to keep me rolling. Donation and podcast links are in profile. Cheers!
**** Tonight is Rev Nat's campaign launch party! Details at his profile page ****
Episode 17 where we talk to @iamrevnat about running a small business in Portland (and how very hard it is), what works and what doesn't in city government, police and policing, listening and learning to the people around you, how showing up however you can makes a difference, and so much more.
Link to our podcast and much more in our bio.
Please take a listen and follow us, and share, if you like what you hear.
The Progress Portland podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts from.
Thank you. We love you.
#PortlandOregon#podcast#PortlandCityCouncil#CleanSlate2024#LetsUnFuckPortland
Happy Saturday Portland! How was your morning? Today is my campaign launch party at @oldtownbrewingco and I’m incredibly excited. The weather looks awesome so we’re going to open the roll-up doors. There is still some room at the venue after deciding to open the upper balcony. So if you haven’t made an RSVP yet just come on and check in when you get here.
Yesterday I picked up a huge map that we made showing each of the new City Council district’s boundaries. Come see where you live and meet candidates from every district. I have confirmed 8 other candidates will be in attendance. See you soon!
Old Town Brewing & Pizza
5201 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Doors open 5:30, program starts at 6:00
Minors OK!
ASL interpreter provided
That’s me back in 2017 at a rally I helped organize at @oldtownbrewingco to support their fight against the mayor’s office over a trademark issue. (Old Town won!)
Full circle: Now I’m kicking off my campaign for City Council at the very same taproom. You have one more day to secure a spot on the RSVP list for Saturday’s event. A $5 donation gets you in the door with some free pizza and you-pay drinks (support small businesses!) and a chance to hear what I’ve got up my sleeve when I’m elected. I’ve also invited eight other city council candidates so you can hear from them too.
Link to tickets is in my profile!
Don’t you like my new tote bag??? It features 8 iconic Portland park signs hand-drawn by my kid. Available as a thank you gift for donating to my campaign for City Council. Donation link in profile.
I met my new friend @jamiedunphyforpdx for a coffee today to talk about City Hall and carried all my daily stuff in my new bag. Very limited run so get yours today!
My favorite campaign merch yet! Maybe my favorite piece of merch I’ve ever made? You be the judge.
A couple years ago I made one of my many Trans Day of Visibility free cider deliveries to trans people and who should open the door but someone from PTFC @patchpatrol . I handed over my cider and they handed over a collection of patches including one of the City of Portland “quadrants” flag recolored with the familiar blue, pink, and white of the transgender pride flag. That patch immediately went on my favorite vest and I borrowed the design (thx @patchpatrol !) for this campaign merch t-shirt.
This t-shirt is a super dark heathered gray (basically black), made with a blend of organic cotton, natural tencel modal and recycled polyester, manufactured in the good ole US of A in a carbon-neutral process and screen printed by @nightowlcustomapparel in Portland. Available in curvy and straight cuts and many many sizes, this shirt, along with various other pieces of merch is available as a thank you for donating to my campaign. Link to donate is in my profile.
#transdayofvisibility🏳️⚧️ is coming up March 31st and I know what I’ll be wearing that day!
