Portland is
better together
I’m Brandon Mullen, and Portland is our home.
better process, better outcomes
Collaborative leadership: Portland has urgent challenges. We need every leader pulling in the same direction and making sure those closest to the work have power of that work.
Housing for all: More housing of more kinds, including social housing, giving younger people, families, and our elders choice in where they live.
Helping small businesses: Our small retailers, restaurants, and creatives are our economic engine, providing jobs and defining Portland’s culture. They deserve our support.
Streets for everyone: Our roads and streets are public spaces and should be safe for transit, wheelchairs, walkers, and bikes: not just cars.
I’m running for Portland City Council in District 3. As Portland flexes a new form of government, my combination of education, experience, perspective, and approach is something I feel would be useful in this unique moment in our city’s history.
Want to help? Just want updates on our campaign?
Fill out the form below or email brandon@mullen4pdx.com!
This campaign belongs to all of us.
We need 250 Portland donors ($5 to $25) to earn a 10x match!
Our campaign has filed a Notice of Intent to run under Portland’s Small Donor Elections program.
The first $5 to $25 of every donation from a Portland eligible voter is matched 10x if the campaign meets minimum donation thresholds of 250, 750, and 1250 unique donations.
Our campaign will become Portland Small Donor Certified once we reach 250 unique Portland donations.
About Brandon
Growing up in Corvallis, Oregon, I paid my way through community college on food stamps working fast food jobs. For a short time, I lived under my friend’s dining room table with a few boxes of my stuff, a large blanket thrown over it for privacy.
I eventually graduated from Oregon State University and have spent a decade in Portland where I met my wife, Cassie. After her work and education took us away from Oregon for a bit, we are now back home in Portland raising our daughter (Parker) with our cats (Zora and Czar).
Spending 12 years in public service in nearly every level of government - including with the City of Portland - and holding a Master’s in Leadership and Organizational Development, my work and education have focused on bending government toward justice and making sure people have more power over decisions that impact them.
I work hard, care deeply, and bring people together to get stuff done for the common good.
from vision to action
My superpowers are my energy, optimism, and ability to turn vision into action. We can both imagine new ways of doing things AND get specific on how to make them happen.
Among other work, my career has allowed me to:
Lead the creation and passage of a Social Equity Program at the City of Portland and helped make Portland the first city in the nation to have equity-centered grants funded by local cannabis tax dollars.
Directly managed staff, research fellows, and interns at multiple levels of government around the country and the world, including with the City of Portland.
Designed and led trainings with garbage, recycling, and hazardous waste workers at Metro with an explicit focus on empowering workers and keeping them safe.
Managed multi-million dollar budgets over several years.
Helped write and project managed a $2M grant with the City of New Haven for more affordable housing and to reconnect neighborhoods split by I-91.
Designed and facilitated organizational culture and leadership trainings for staff in the US, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Portland needs practical and visionary leadership more than ever.
In my work and life, I have always encouraged my staff, colleagues, friends, family, and leaders to dream big and reject statements like “we’ve always done it that way.”