Hi, I’m Victoria… And I Can’t Wait to Show You What Community Leadership Looks Like

By Victoria Pelletier

Hi friends! My name is Victoria (but everyone calls me Tori) – I live in Parkside, I work in Racial Equity, and I’m running to be your District 2 City Councilor.

Some of you may recognize me from my advocacy work, or perhaps from the ‘Community Chats’ I hold on the prom which encourage Portlanders to get involved in local issues, but what you may not know is that I have years of experience working in regional planning, racial equity, and economic development. I know being an elected official means being a leader, and while I’ll be utilizing my knowledge in civic engagement, I also aim to restore a level of neighbor-to-neighbor community in our District.

It’s imperative that City Council conversations center the voices with lived experiences, and I currently live in the midst of many local issues we’re trying to solve, from lack of affordable housing, to concern over whether our city will choose to prioritize real estate developments over the quality of life for its residents. We are dealing with concerns that affect real people from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, and I look forward to working with the entirety of District 2 as your ally and resource, collaborating to make decisions with you, and keeping your best interests in mind.

I’m excited to be a young person running for local office. I’m excited to be a Black woman running for local office. I’m excited to be a low-income Parksider running for local office. I can’t wait to meet you and bring you a new perspective as someone who faces adversity in all conversations, quite often because of the identifiers I just listed above. It’s important for me to pave a road for other under-resourced individuals, who have a lot to say, but often aren’t invited to the conversations.  We not only deserve a seat at the table but need to be respected and listened to when we get there.

I look forward to working with you as your fellow neighbor, and I’m excited to prioritize the well-being of our district by leading with community, so this truly can be a place where all of us can thrive. If you’re ready, I’m ready. Let’s get to work.

-Victoria (Tori) Pelletier, candidate for District 2 City Council