Susheela Jayapal, ’88, Starts Second Term as District 2 Multnomah County Commissioner
Susheela Jayapal sworn in for second term representing District 2
Sworn in for a second four-year term Thursday, Jan. 5, Commissioner Susheela Jayapal reflected on the challenging times Multnomah County faced during a worldwide pandemic — and all of the work that she said deeply confirmed her reasons for seeking office four years ago.
“The pandemic confirmed the problems that led me to run for office,” said Commissioner Jayapal, who was reelected to the Board of County Commissioners in May 2022 after serving North and Northeast Portland since January 2019. “Our collective response to the pandemic confirmed that we can tackle big problems.”
She says she ran for a second term last year because she believes the County can continue to solve — or at least move the needle on — big problems in our community.
“Homelessness. Community safety. Climate change. Income inequality. Racism,” she said, adding that maybe they can’t be completely solved “in the lifetimes of those sitting in this room. But we can make significant progress, and we can make an incredible difference in the individual lives of the people in our community.”
Jayapal noted she took office four years ago advocating for local funding to help with long-term rent assistance, a way to prevent and end homelessness. Today, she said, she’s proud to be able to tell people in other jurisdictions that our community now has that local funding, thanks to the Supportive Housing Services Measure.
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