Candidate bios will also be appended to the candidate’s name on the electronic ballots.
Technology Stipend Ballot Measure:
Bios:
For President
Kari Koch, Coordinator II, Portland Permitting and Development From our founding election to our first contract, it has been my honor to be President of our union. During this time, CPPW has grown from a tiny, scrappy crew to an 800-member union with dozens of active leaders and a powerful role to play in our City.
Our first contract is a testament to that strength. We secured, among other things, a cash bonus, a raise with full COLA, professional development funds, flexible and hour-for-hour holidays, 3 additional personal days for fully in person, standby pay, increased telework protections, and strong defenses during layoffs and discipline.
Our work isn’t just what we’ve won, but what we’ve stopped—fighting back against drastic layoffs and saving positions.
Under my leadership, we have also reshaped the narrative, establishing CPPW members as essential workers, the glue that holds this City together.
It is not all perfect, of course! I have also learned so much through challenges and mistakes, growing, pivoting, and adapting.
We are just getting started. The coming year holds big challenges – delivering a recommendation on our classification system, winning a strong addition to our contract in the Jan 2026 reopener, and being powerful advocates for each other in the face of ongoing turmoil.
My fundamental belief is that we are stronger together.
I look forward to working with you to overcome these challenges, to keep building our union, and to make the City a better workplace for all of us.
For Vice President
Meg Wren, Analyst I, Planning and Sustainability Majority Participation, Reliable Systems, Stronger Union
Meg Wren (she/they), our current Vice President, is someone you’ve likely met at a meeting, training, turnout, or happy hour. Meg’s goal is straightforward: help every member find a way to plug in, act, and win together.
This past year, CPPW’s organizing power showed. Our strike authorization reached 89% turnout with 92% Yes, and members ratified our contract with a 98% Yes vote. Meg supported that work through the Contract Action Team and Strike Authorization Task Force, helping educate members through clear communications before the tentative agreement, and later training CAT members on key contract articles so members know their rights at work.
Behind the scenes, Meg has worked to build systems that cut confusion and make union work easier. They’ve developed SharePoint and Teams workflows that committees already use to find documents and collaborate. They’ve also been preparing our new membership database so it’s ready to replace scattered lists with a single, reliable source of truth. With the board, they created simple forms and policies so members can raise issues and get timely responses.
Meg organizes around three values: Members lead, fairness matters, and everyone deserves clear ways to shape their workplace. She brings people together, helps them feel part of something bigger, and makes participation easier by turning messy systems into clear steps.
Next term, Meg will focus on:
· Majority participation in every major vote.
· Reliable, ready-to-use data → instant turnout lists and rapid updates.
· A member-friendly website redesign for faster access to info and actions.
Outside union work, Meg is a pianist and singer putting a new band together and a language learner with degrees in English and Latin and studies in Gaelic (because dead languages are best languages). They invite every member – new or longtime, ready to lead or just starting out – to join in, ask questions, and help shape CPPW’s next chapter.
For Treasurer
Chris Gustafson (he/him), Analyst III, Housing I am Chris Gustafson and I am proud to be running for CPPW Treasurer. I am a dedicated labor activist and committed to ensuring financial transparency, accountability, and equity for all members of the CPPW family.
I am a finance professional with more than 20 years experience in public and private organizations and have an MBA in International Finance. I have worked at the City of Portland for eight years, am a Financial Analyst III, and currently have the role of Accounting Lead for the Portland Housing Bureau.
While serving as the first Treasurer, I have worked to codify financial systems and procedures, including setting up an accounting system and financial procedures. I have fulfilled my reporting obligations to the membership and have worked diligently with the members of the Executive Board and important committees to budget for the operations of the Union and manage available resources.
Looking forward, I would be keen to establish programs for the membership that encourage financial literacy and preparedness. One of my key take aways from the first contract bargaining is that the time to prepare for a strike is right now. It is too late to prepare when you are at a contract impasse. To that end, I would support a program to incentivize members to establish individual strike preparedness funds. Having a united membership with the resources to stay on the picket line for several weeks is the most powerful tool the Union has at our disposal in contract negotiations.
For Secretary
Riley Berger, Coordinator I, Water I’m excited to contribute to CPPW any way I can, whether that’s participating on the Contract Action Team, becoming a steward, acting as the “art department” or just making sure coworkers know they can ask me about anything union-related. I’m interested in taking the next step to join the Executive Board as Secretary, a role I know I can contribute my energy and skills to keep building CPPW.
For Chief Organizer
Jed Arkley, Coordinator II, Parks My name is Jed Arkley, and I am excited about the opportunity to serve our union in the Chief Organizer position. I have worked with the City of Portland since 2017 at Portland Parks and Recreation’s Summer Free For All (SFFA) program. My classification is a Coordinator II, but, more accurately, I am one of the lead producers at SFFA who helps community groups host free, outdoor movies, concerts, and culturally-specific events throughout Portland each summer. Helping community partners dream about, plan for, and execute events that are tailored to their neighbors is the same philosophy I’ve used in my work with CPPW. As a union steward and member of the Contract Action Team, I have persistently advocated and fought side-by-side with fellow members to ensure their rights were being upheld. This has included representing members at investigatory meetings, providing support during layoff notices, and pushing, pushing, pushing managers to address worker complaints in a timely manner. During the campaign for our first contract, I worked closely with a number of fellow members to devise strategies and techniques to ensure our members’ voices were heard during this critical period. This included an extensive phone banking operation, Teams and email messaging, and in-person social hours. With all of these actions, I have sought to give members the space to ask questions, seek clarity, disagree, and, most importantly, be heard. As Chief Organizer, I would look to solidify and streamline our existing systems for member engagement and continually look for ways to bring more voices in.
For Chief Steward
Kevin Block, Coordinator II, Planning and Sustainability My name is Kevin Block, and I am CPPW’s Chief Steward. It has been an exceptional honor to serve in this role, and I am seeking your vote to serve for a second term. During my two years as Chief Steward, I co-lead our organizing drive to help us win our first contract. Once we had our contract, I immediately started growing our steward network across the City. At the start of my first term our union had only four stewards and no system for training or certifying new ones. As we approach the end of this term, we now have standardized training that we have successfully used to train 16 additional stewards.
The work is far from over. Our new stewards need experience and support systems. Our training system needs to be updated to include continuing education and role-playing opportunities. Finally, we are rapidly approaching our contract reopener where we will be bargaining for our new classification and wage system. If our first contract fight is used as an example, I believe that we have a lot of work in front of us to win a classification and wage system that we deserve.
Ultimately, this is your union. You are going to have to fight together to ensure that the services you provide to your community are valued the way they should be. I would like to serve as your Chief Steward to do my part.
For Member At-Large 1 (Portland Building)
Stacy Brewster (he/him), Coordinator II, Transportation Stacy has worked at the city since 2008, first as a Commissioner’s Rep in City Hall, then as a Coordinator on the communications team at PBOT as a writer and web lead, with a policy and training focus on language access, digital accessibility, and plain language. He was elected to the CPPW Board in March and sworn in as a steward this summer. A longtime member of the Queer Alliance and City Disability Network employee resource groups, he is a staunch advocate for queer, trans, and disability rights in the workplace, including protecting hybrid and remote work. He is currently focused on advocating for members who will be impacted by the city’s core services realignments. An Oregon Literary Arts fellow in drama, and published fiction writer and poet, Stacy has also worked in television, advertising, nonprofits, publishing, and political campaigns.
For Member At-Large 2
Myrna Ortiz, Coordinator II, Police My name is Myrna Aracely Ortiz, and I serve as an Advocate in the Victim Services Unit.
I am honored to put my name forward for Executive Board At-Large Position #2 because I care deeply about supporting my colleagues, amplifying member voices, and strengthening our union’s presence across the city.
In my day-to-day work as an advocate, I support survivors of crime through some of the most difficult moments in their lives. This role has taught me the importance of listening with empathy, showing up with consistency, and working collaboratively to find solutions. These are the same values I bring into my role as a CPPW steward and into every space where I represent others.
I believe our union is strongest when members feel connected, represented, and respected. Serving on the Executive Board is an opportunity to expand that commitment; building bridges across bureaus, fostering open communication, and ensuring that decisions reflect the diversity of experiences within our membership.
I am especially passionate about equity, transparency, and collaboration. As an advocate and union steward, I have seen how important it is to create spaces where all voices are heard and valued. On the Executive Board, I will continue that work by showing up with dedication, energy, and a genuine commitment to representing members with integrity.
I look forward to the opportunity to serve and to contribute to the strength and growth of CPPW.
For Member At-Large 3
Kim Campbell-Groen, Analyst III, Environmental Services My name is Kim Campbell-Groen, I’m an Analyst III at the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), where I lead our Training and Workforce Development work. I’m the incumbent and running again for our At Large Board Member 3.
I moved to Portland from Minneapolis, MN back in 2001 with my spouse, two dogs, and many house plants. I was a social worker for over ten years, and believe strongly in creating easy access, transparency and preventing gatekeep whenever possible. I come from a union family, my Grandpa John started the Groceries Union in Minnesota.
I joined the board in January of 2023, after completing work at on elections committee and helping to write our constitution and bylaws. During my tenure on the Executive Board, I have facilitated multiple union meetings including our monthly membership meetings, planned and led our strategic retreats, and organized and coordinated our weekly strategic meetings related to our contract.
I am currently leading the group responsible for the distribution and approval of our Professional Development Funds provided by the Contract. My goal is to establish a more streamlined process that reduces the current processing time and to simplify the application procedure.
My skill set includes organizational management, covering areas such as scheduling, facilitation, agenda development and project management. CPPW now has a contract, and in this next term I want to focus on creating and putting into place organizational structures to keep our union running smoothly now and down the road. There is much more work to be done as we establish our union and enter our contract reopener next year. I ask that you vote for me to help continue to put structures in place and organize our efforts. I will also look for ways to get more members involved- It takes all of us to get this work done!
For Bargaining Team (Elect Up To Five)
Evelyn Brenes Eayrs, Analyst II, Environmental Services I am a 30+ year City of Portland employee and have held positions as a Management Analyst, a Training and Development Analyst and a Financial Analyst. I am currently an Analyst II with the Bureau of Environmental Services and thrive in roles where I can bring my experience and knowledge to solve problems, provide strategic planning, and improve work processes. As a member of the CPPW Class and Compensation Committee I have had the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the variety of skills and expertise that our members bring to our City government. I would enjoy continuing to serve the CPPW on the Bargaining Team to advocate for our collective interests.
Ocean Jasso, Analyst I, Community and Civic Life My name is Ocean Jasso (pronounced Hah-sow) and I serve as the City’s Advisory Bodies Program Analyst. I’m seeking your vote to serve on our next CPPW bargaining team.
I’ve worked at the City of Portland for six years, beginning with overseeing constituent services for two council offices before moving on to my current role overseeing the City’s Advisory Bodies Program.
All my roles at the City privileged me to work with many colleagues from across most bureaus, granting me insight into the functions of our City while building connections. From making programs and policies happen with a shoestring budget to doing the work of three people in the midst of layoffs: I see the pressures you face.
Right now, the City faces a $16 million budget shortfall during the current fiscal year. CPPW was fortunate over the previous budget cycle to minimize layoffs and achieve our current contract. If you elect me to represent you on our bargaining team, I will continue to operate with that lens, balancing the need to ensure a fair contract and job protection for all of us with the reality of our unpredictable political climate.
One of the most powerful things about being a union member is solidarity. To borrow from Thomas Paine, these are the times that try our souls, but if we stick together and do our best, we can achieve a contract that will benefit us, the City, and ultimately all Portlanders, who we serve.
Once again, my name is Ocean Jasso. I humbly ask for your vote to serve on our next CPPW bargaining team. Thank you for your consideration.
Brooke Gardener, Administrative Specialist II, Water Bureau. Brooke Gardner (she/they) is currently an Administrative Specialist II based in the Water Bureau Operations Group. Her role includes several office admin duties but most of her time is focused on Timekeeping for Operations as well as FMLA Leave Coordination for Operations and Engineering Services groups.
Brooke has worked for the City for 7.5 years. Before Water, they worked closely with leadership in City Hall (1 yr) and at Portland Parks & Recreation (3.5 yrs) during Director transitions, budget crisis, and pandemic response.
During the final months of the bargaining process this year, they accepted the invitation to give testimony at Council. Though they are usually more comfortable behind the scenes, they found through this experience testifying that their voice and perspective were valued and celebrated by the CPPW Union. They want to continue to support the Union membership bringing to the bargaining table their experience and knowledge of time/payroll processes, familiarity with the City’s labor contracts implementation, and understanding of the importance of elevating employee voices and expertise.
Angelique Nomie, Administrative Specialist III, Bureau of Emergency Management. I have been represented by the CPPW since February 20, 2025.
I have experience managing contracts, developing policy and clerking City Commission meetings. I believe that a healthy staff morale produces the best work quality and would be honored to collaboratively advocate for appropriate contract considerations for City of Portland staff.