Insider Briefing: OVBC Your City, Your Choice Survey

The Bull Run Center has partnered with Oregon Values and Beliefs Center to survey Portlanders about their views on local governance, taxes, and economic growth in Portland. As part of that partnership, a Bull Run Skunkworks Committee convened in February 2026 to develop survey questions relevant to current policy issues. The survey went live to Portland in May 2026 and concluded in June 2026.

The group, chaired by Bull Run member and leader of the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, Amaury Vogel, is now moving to present survey findings and data to members ahead of sharing them more broadly this fall. We’re looking for input and feedback about the narratives that you see in the survey results and what this means for the communities you convene, serve, and represent.

An enormous thanks to the committee: Amaury Vogel, Andrew Scott, Angela Martin, Jenny Lee, Nick Brodnicki, Nick Hara, Noah Siegel and Winta Yohannes.

Register for this virtual briefing here!

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Member Briefing: Multnomah County Charter Reform

Skunkworks Committee Research: Learn and Discuss before Voting on Member Endorsement

Phase 2 Recommendations – Briefing and Q&A

Over the past several months, this Skunkworks Committee has been hard at work developing a report that offers recommendations to inform the upcoming 2027-28 Multnomah County Charter Review process. Guided by a “North Star set of motivating values – effective governance, equitable representation, and building trust through accountability” – the Committee has conducted interviews with people knowledgeable about County government and researched comparable counties to formulate a set of recommendations designed to ensure that the County’s governance structures meet the challenges of today, and of the years ahead.

This is your chance to ask questions, offer feedback, and get any additional information you might need to cast your vote in the upcoming months.

The presentation portion of this meeting will be recorded. The Q&A will not, but it will be summarized and emailed to members.

Make Downtown More Welcoming and Active: Enhancing Safety and Public Spaces

Advancing strategies that improve everyday safety, presence, and comfort, including public realm investments and activation.

Who is this listening session for? This session is for leaders from arts and cultural organizations, public safety and crisis response partners, event producers, and placemaking advocates. We want to hear your thoughts about advancing strategies that improve everyday safety, presence, and comfort so that residents and visitors feel a shared sense of ownership and belonging.

Strategy Examples: Establishing neighborhood safety centers and expanding community safety ambassadors. Launching a downtown lighting grant program to improve the public realm. Exploring major activation strategies like seasonal campaigns, a festival and events fund, and supporting programs like "No Vacancy" and tactical "Gather PDX" activations to ensure downtown remains a vibrant cultural center. 

RSVP at the Zoom link here.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Bull Run Field Trip: Climate Change Exhibit at OMSI

Join Bull Run Center Member Nick Hara, and step into OMSI's newest permanent exhibition with a tour from Creative Director, Ciera Iveson. The Nancy Stueber Natural Sciences Hall: Climate of Change / Clima de Cambio invites you to explore a powerful question: what can we cultivate together?

Through immersive, hands-on experiences, explore how people and the environment are deeply connected, and people of all ages can be empowered to take informed action on today’s climate challenges.

Created in collaboration with more than 15 regional partners,  Climate of Change / Clima de Cambio amplifies local voices and real-world solutions—from Indigenous leaders to youth changemakers shaping the future of climate storytelling.

Just 20 spots are available for this free tour, so sign up early to reserve your spot!

Align Capital, Infrastructure and Innovation: Coordinating Long-Term Investment

Coordinating long-term investment by aligning capital pipelines, major infrastructure development, and governance models.

Who is this listening session for? This session is intended for institutional investors, major infrastructure planners, climate and energy experts, philanthropic funders, and government policymakers. Our conversation will focus on aligning capital, infrastructure, and governance to support long-term competitiveness and an inclusive, climate-aligned downtown.

Strategy Examples: Coordinating major infrastructure pipelines like the Rose Quarter and OMSI District. Establishing an "Opportunity Portland" investment recovery initiative. Advancing a Downtown Net Zero buildings strategy. Expanding community ownership models.

RSVP at the Zoom link here.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Make Downtown Work for the Whole City: A Conversation About Employers and Employees

Focusing on strategies that stabilize jobs, expand commuter benefits, and support workforce access region-wide.

Who is this listening session for? This session is designed for employers, workforce development advocates, childcare providers, transit partners, labor leaders, and other civic leaders. Our conversation will center around stabilizing the jobs, payrolls, and daily activity that fund public services and support citywide affordability.

Strategy Examples: Improving workforce access and amenities by scaling employer retention and recruitment efforts. Expanding commuter benefits, and providing parking access for service industry workers. Pioneering innovative downtown co-working and childcare pilots.

RSVP at the Zoom link here.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Wednesday mornings, June 3rd through August 12th, 8:00AM to 9:30AM

Deepen your connection with members outside the strategy sessions and skunkworks teams, and get your steps in while we’re at it! No RSVP needed. Just drop in!

• We’ll meet at Simple Local Coffee (115 SW Ash St).

• Arrive early if you want to buy coffee or a biscuit to go.

• Choose between a 50 minute short circuit or a 90 minute long loop.

Annual Watershed Lunch 2026

It’s our last big group gathering before the summer — turn up, y'all!

It’s time to reflect on our first year and envision our shared impact in the year ahead. This is the only meeting of the year that we ask you to focus on the Bull Run Center itself, and how we can best serve Portland.

Featuring a Por Que No Taco Bar and Jason Hill Photography

(Stellar Professional Head Shots! Take advantage of an exclusive membership perk for professional head shots with Jason Hill before or after lunch on the 27th. Spots are $100 and are limited).

If You Designed Portland’s Waterfront

Co-created with Randy Gragg, Design Portland

Portland’s waterfront could be so much cooler. More inviting. More dynamic. More saunas? More slip and slides? How about closer to housing? More connected to Downtown?

As the City considers the future of the waterfront and many community partners invest in the future of river, we’re asking both what’s possible and what we should prioritize — and for who. This session invites members to take on that challenge directly. Through an interactive (and fun!) design exercise* members will develop visions for the waterfront—each shaped by different values, tradeoffs, and constraints. At the end of the session, we’ll share concepts and reflect on what they reveal about our collective priorities. Craft night + civic discourse? See you there.

*No design experience required—just a point of view!

What Will it Take to Deliver Universal Preschool in Portland?

Co-created with Lauren Johnson, SVP Portland and Jon Rork, Reed College

In 2020, Multnomah County voters passed Preschool for All—a bold step toward universal, publicly funded preschool. Four years later, the vision is still powerful—but the pathway to sustainability is complex. How do we deliver on the promise of truly universal preschool in a way that’s equitable, financially sustainable, and grounded in community needs?

This month, we’re exploring what it will take to make universal preschool a reality in Portland—from infrastructure and workforce capacity to family access and long-term funding. 

Whether you’re a policymaker, advocate, parent, or just care about Portland’s future, this is a conversation about how we turn bold policy into everyday systems that work for families, educators, and our region.

Is It Time for Comprehensive Tax Reform?

Our region faces generation-spanning economic adversity. Even with Portland’s outsized talent, creativity, natural resources, and collaborative spirit, the fundamentals are worth naming plainly: Our local governments are looking at more than a decade of “structural” budget shortfalls, our local business community has been pummeled by five years of headwinds, and working families in every neighborhood are struggling to find affordable housing, child care, and transit. It’s time for a holistic conversation about our tax system and all of the communities that public investments serve – and what role economic growth investments might play for governments, small and large businesses and employers, and working families.

This program is part of a three-part series of member discussions

This winter, Bull Run Center members will take on one of Portland’s most defining issues: What it means to grow with purpose, accountability, and shared prosperity.

Over three sessions — spanning the city, the region, and the state — we’ll explore the forces shaping Portland’s future and the choices that will determine whether growth becomes a catalyst or a constraint.

We hope this series can help us bring divergent views about growth to the surface in a way that leads to finding new common ground. Together, we’ll dig into the hard questions:

• Who benefits when Portland grows — and who gets left behind?

• What responsibilities does Portland have to the region around it?

• How will we fund the future we say we want?

• And what would it take to align our values, policies, and budgets with a vision for a more equitable, resilient, and economically vibrant city?

How Could Growth Shape Economic Mobility in Portland

Thursday January 8, 4:30 PM

How Can Portland’s Growth Strengthen Our Regional Economy?

Thursday February 12, 4:30 PM

Is It Time for Comprehensive Tax Reform?

Thursday March 12, 4:30 PM

RSVP for all Three

Unlike our usual “Kitchen Cabinet” sessions, this discussion series will build on insights and agreements from month to month — with a goal of finding shared direction. We hope the majority of participants will buckle up for a committed exploration of thorny issues at the heart of envisioning Portland’s future. (But we won’t turn away members who can only join for one.)

The Future of Transportation Funding

Co-created with Tyler Frisbee, Institute for Metropolitan Studies.

The Institute of Metropolitan Studies (IMS), housed at Portland State, is a tool for local governments and community leaders to solve deep-seated, systemic policy challenges related to the built environment in the greater Portland area. They convene, inform, and develop recommendations that are grounded in research, vetted by impacted parties and partners, and readied for implementation by local governments.

Background

As the federal government curtails its long-standing transportation funding role, and the state’s funding future looks bumpy, the cities, counties and transit districts in the Portland metropolitan area face the most significant impacts of an inadequate transportation system. Combine that with the leading role that transportation plays in greenhouse gas emissions, the increased understanding of the harm that transportation projects inflicted and continue to inflict on communities of color, the need for increased economic development in the Portland region, and a world supply chain that depends more on transportation delivery and reliability, and it becomes clear that the current spending and funding approach does not meet anyone’s needs.

With the leadership of Jennifer Dill, PhD, Director of Portland State’s Transportation Research and Education Center, and former Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who spent 54 years in elected office working on transportation and infrastructure funding initiatives, IMS is developing a white paper that looks at how local transportation spending and funding in our region compare to other regions across the US, and how potential revenue sources align with revenue needs, policy goals, and ease and efficiency of implementation.

Join a conversation with the IMS team that will take place at the mid-point of the IMS research and coalition engagement work — following several month of research, but before the have begun to crystalize final recommendations. The conversation will seek feedback on initial findings, and explore key questions.

How Can Portland’s Growth Strengthen Our Regional Economy?

Portland doesn’t grow alone. What happens in the city ripples across the suburbs, small towns, and rural communities that make up the broader Oregon ecosystem. This session explores the shared destiny of the region — and how Portland’s choices can either deepen divides or weave stronger connections.

This program is part of a three-part series of member discussions

This winter, Bull Run Center members will take on one of Portland’s most defining issues: What it means to grow with purpose, accountability, and shared prosperity.

Over three sessions — spanning the city, the region, and the state — we’ll explore the forces shaping Portland’s future and the choices that will determine whether growth becomes a catalyst or a constraint.

We hope this series can help us bring divergent views about growth to the surface in a way that leads to finding new common ground. Together, we’ll dig into the hard questions:

• Who benefits when Portland grows — and who gets left behind?

• What responsibilities does Portland have to the region around it?

• How will we fund the future we say we want?

• And what would it take to align our values, policies, and budgets with a vision for a more equitable, resilient, and economically vibrant city?

How Could Growth Shape Economic Mobility in Portland

Thursday January 8, 4:30 PM

How Can Portland’s Growth Strengthen Our Regional Economy?

Thursday February 12, 4:30 PM

Who Will Pay for Growth … and What Can Growth Pay Back?

Thursday March 12, 4:30 PM

RSVP for all Three

Unlike our usual “Kitchen Cabinet” sessions, this discussion series will build on insights and agreements from month to month — with a goal of finding shared direction. We hope the majority of participants will buckle up for a committed exploration of thorny issues at the heart of envisioning Portland’s future. (But we won’t turn away members who can only join for one.)

How Does Growth Shape Economic Mobility in Portland?

For some, growth means opportunity; for others, it means being priced out. In this Kitchen Cabinet session, we’ll talk about what growth really does for Portlanders’ ability to move up—or down—the economic ladder. We’ll touch on livability, affordability, workforce shifts, and the reality that downturns—budget cuts, layoffs, contraction—shape mobility just as much as booms. Expect a head-and-heart conversation that mixes lived experience with strategy chops.

This program is part of a three-part series of member discussions

This winter, Bull Run Center members will take on one of Portland’s most defining issues: What it means to grow with purpose, accountability, and shared prosperity.

Over three sessions — spanning the city, the region, and the state — we’ll explore the forces shaping Portland’s future and the choices that will determine whether growth becomes a catalyst or a constraint.

We hope this series can help us bring divergent views about growth to the surface in a way that leads to finding new common ground. Together, we’ll dig into the hard questions:

• Who benefits when Portland grows — and who gets left behind?

• What responsibilities does Portland have to the region around it?

• How will we fund the future we say we want?

• And what would it take to align our values, policies, and budgets with a vision for a more equitable, resilient, and economically vibrant city?

How Could Growth Shape Economic Mobility in Portland

Thursday January 8, 4:30 PM

How Can Portland’s Growth Strengthen Our Regional Economy?

Thursday February 12, 4:30 PM

Who Will Pay for Growth … and What Can Growth Pay Back?

Thursday March 12, 4:30 PM

RSVP for all Three

Unlike our usual “Kitchen Cabinet” sessions, this discussion series will build on insights and agreements from month to month — with a goal of finding shared direction. We hope the majority of participants will buckle up for a committed exploration of thorny issues at the heart of envisioning Portland’s future. (But we won’t turn away members who can only join for one.)