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The 2018 election cycle is proving to be an important one, with critical races impacting our industry all across the Portland-metro region. The HBA Government Affairs team has identified 20 keys races going into the primary elections, including Metro Council president, Washington County Commission Chair and two other critical commission seats, as well as two open seats on Metro Council, two seats on the Clackamas County Commission and Portland City Council. The HBA Government Affairs and PAC sub-committee, a group of over a dozen informed and involved builders, developers, and other member representatives, has already begun the interview and/or endorsement process for some top tier races. It has held interviews with current candidates over the last few weeks for Washington County Chair, Washington County Commission, Metro Council District 2 and Clackamas County. The primary in Oregon will occur on May 15 of this year, with the filing deadline for candidates rapidly approaching on March 6. Of note, Metro Council will be selecting among four candidates for the vacant District 2 seat on the evening of March 8. The appointed candidate and other individuals vying for the appointment will then run for election on May 15. The HBA will release its voters’ guide later this year for our members that will include our endorsements of who we find to be the best candidates to support our industry and housing agenda. A key part of that is conducting interviews with the candidates running for a variety of positions and understanding positions on key issues such as reasonable growth, infrastructure finance, etc. We will be holding several more interviews in the coming weeks and be actively involved in races and supporting candidates in variety of ways. Stay tuned and be sure to check back on future newsletters for more information on local candidates in May and the upcoming 2018 General Election on November 6, 2018.