Category: Union Leadership

Executive Board Election – 2 Open At-Large Positions
Thursday, March 27th

✏️ Members must sign their union card by 5pm, March 24th to be able to vote in this election. ✏️

The CPPW Election Committee manages our union elections and will use an online software to organize the vote for the two open at-large positions.

Ballots will be delivered by email to CPPW card signed members on Thursday, March 27. Members will have until midnight to cast their ballots.

Here are the candidates in alphabetical order:

August Burns – Project Manager (Coord. II), BPS

I’m August Burns (they/them), a Project Manager (Coordinator II) for PCEF over at BPS. Previously, I worked as an Analyst II at Portland Permitting & Development (formerly BDS). I have been with the City of Portland for a year and a half. I don’t have previous union leadership experience, but I’m eager to help advocate for a strong contract, equitable policies, and strong member engagement. This is important to me because I am a lifetime Portlander; I believe in this city and the workers that bring it to life. I have professional experience managing websites for public and private organizations. I’m running for the At Large position to apply my skills to assist with CPPW’s communication/website, improve accessibility, and keep our members engaged and informed. My background is in policy development, program management, equity-centered community engagement. I am committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and fair representation for all our union members. I want to help build whatever systems and tools are needed to support the growth of CPPW & our members. I would be honored to serve and represent you—thank you for your support!

Ilana Tarasyuk – Analyst I (WOC), BES

I have been with the city for 1.75 years. I am excited to submit my candidacy for the CPPW board, Portland Building position. I have extensive experience in utilizing technology to drive efficiency, streamline data management, and enhance processes, all while cultivating a strong network of meaningful relationships across diverse groups. I am passionate about being a strong voice for all members, particularly junior employees, and advocating for their unique challenges. I aim to ensure they feel supported, heard, and empowered in their careers.

The success of our union lies in making every member feel valued, regardless of tenure. Junior employees need resources, guidance, and advocacy to succeed. I will work with fellow board members to promote fair treatment, career development, and necessary support for all employees. I am committed to listening to concerns and working toward solutions that benefit everyone, fostering a union where all employees—new and experienced alike—are respected.

Thank you for considering my candidacy. It would be an honor to serve on the union board.

Stacy Brewster (he/him), Coordinator II, PBOT

I’ve worked at the city since 2008, all non-repped (until CPPW). For 10 years I did constituent, admin, and policy work for Commissioner Saltzman. Since 2018, I’ve worked as a Coordinator on PBOT’s Communications team primarily as a writer, copyeditor, and bureau web lead, although my work has expanded to broader policy areas of language access and digital accessibility. I’ve been a longtime active member of (and advocate for) city employee resource groups including the Queer Alliance and City Disability Network.

I have no prior union or board experience but joined CPPW’s Contract Action Team (CAT) last summer and am part of a cohort helping our leadership with communications and media relations. I bring decades of writing, communications, facilitation, and production expertise from my time at the city as well as work in television, advertising, nonprofits, publishing, and political campaigns. Most recently, I’ve helped organize CPPW and PROTEC17 members to have fuller ownership over the citywide communications “reset” and helped agitate against the mayor’s blanket, return-to-office mandates for supervisors (which will affect us eventually).

I’m running to support finalizing a strong contract, growing our capacity to connect with members, and helping guide our communications for the fights to come.

Steven Conlow – Contract Coord., BTS

I am running for an at-large position on CPPW’s Executive Board. I am a Contract Coordinator in the Bureau of Technology Services, where I have worked for two years.

My interest in labor rights first arose nearly a decade ago during my five years working as a school teacher in Bilbao, Spain. Even though it is a poorer country with fewer resources than the United States, the Spanish government mandates generous vacation leave, sick leave, and maternity and paternity leave for all workers, including employees of American corporations such as McDonalds and KFC. As a result, the quality of life was noticeably better, and I was left wondering why American business can give these rights to their employees abroad but not here at home. This experience instilled in me a passion for labor rights and is a large part of why I would like to bring whatever technological, advocacy, and communication skills I can to CPPW’s Executive Board.

In addition to my passion for labor rights, I will bring my previous experience as a member of the CPPW Election Committee during CPPW’s first election, and as a volunteer on multiple presidential campaigns while growing up in Des Moines during the Iowa Caucus. Finally, I am dedicated to fair and equal representation and will do my best to work on behalf of those I represent.

Thank you for your consideration.

Wing Grabowski

no candidate statement provided.

We are about to elect our first Board of Directors and a Bargaining Team! The Election Committee (Stephen Conlow, Katie Robb, Anna Shook, Connor Anderson and Kimberly Cambell-Groen) will be supervising the election.

The Board consists of nine members, six named officers and three at-large members. The Bargaining Team has room for 12 members. The candidates for each office are listed below with links to their candidate bios (if one was provided).

The follwing link goes to the Schedule and Rules of the election. There will be a candidate forum at Noon, January 9 and ballots will be e-mailed out at 1:00 p.m. following the forum. The forums are open to all represented employees but only members in good standing may vote.

Ballots are due by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 18, just before the (remote) Monthly General Meeting at 5:30. Event information including the video conference links will be available through the CPPW Calendar.

Candidates

Links in the candidates’ names opens their bio in a new browser tab.

President:
Kari Koch, Coordinator II, BDS (Build Strong Slate)
Jeff Winkler, Analyst III, OMF Facilities

Vice-President:
David James, Coordinator I, Parks (Build Strong Slate)

Secretary:
Jessica Irvine, Coordinator I, PPB (Build Strong Slate)

Treasurer:
Christopher Gustafson, Financial Analyst III, Housing (Build Strong Slate)

Chief Steward:
Kevin Block, Coordinator II, BPS (Build Strong Slate)

Chief Organizer:
Annette Wood, Administrative Specialist II, Water (Build Strong Slate)

At-Large Members: (Three positions, one must be based in The Portland Building)
Lee Dudley, Analyst III, OMF-BTS (Build Strong Slate)*
Grace Fenton, Analyst II, BDS
Jay Richmond, Coordinator II, BPS (Build Strong Slate)

*Works in The Portland Building

Bargaining Team: (Twelve Positions, can be a board member or any other member in good standing.)
Ashly Hoffman, Analyst II, PBOT
Jamey Duhamel, Analyst III, OMF-CAO
Annette Wood,  Administrative Specialist II, Water
Jay Richmond, Coordinator II, BPS
Kristin Johnson, Financial Analyst III, OMF-CAO
Anna DiBenedetto, Administrative Specialist III, OMF-CAO
Kari Koch, Coordinator II, BDS
Kimberléa Ruffu, Coordinator II, Parks