Eight candidates are competing for three Tigard City Council seats on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot, giving voters a wide field of choices on housing, transportation and city finances.
Tigard Life profiled all eight candidates in its September issue. The winners will serve four-year terms starting Jan. 1, 2027.
The candidates are Yousef Allouzi, Tom Anderson, Jeff Darland, Sue Garino, John Goodhouse, Shawne Martinez, Kate Ristau and Gabriel Elijio Velásquez.
Housing affordability dominates the race.
Councilor Tom Anderson, a real estate broker appointed in 2026 after previously serving from 2016 to 2020, listed guiding the River Terrace 2.0 development and downtown revitalization among his top goals.
Former councilor John Goodhouse said he would streamline permitting to lower home construction costs. Jeff Darland, a Budget Committee member, proposed community land trusts so taxpayer-supported housing stays affordable across future resales.
Gabriel Elijio Velásquez, chair of the Tigard Town Center Advisory Commission, called for restricting corporate investors from buying single-family homes during their first two years on the market.
Traffic safety splits the field along different lines. Yousef Allouzi, a data analyst and Budget Committee member, and Shawne Martinez, a program coordinator with Oregon's Safe Routes to School network, both named safer streets as a top priority. Martinez received The Street Trust's Safe Streets for All Award in 2023 and wants to expand walking, biking and transit access.
Kate Ristau, Tigard Library Board chair since 2022, listed completing missing sidewalks on Southwest 72nd Avenue and filling gaps on the Fanno Creek Trail.
Fiscal policy drew sharp contrasts. Sue Garino, who recently retired after nearly two decades in civilian roles at the Tigard Police Department, said she wants to end the city's use of one-time funds for ongoing operations.
Darland said he would audit ratepayer fee allocations and ensure new development funds its own infrastructure through updated system development charges (SDCs).
The race follows a turbulent stretch for Tigard. A $150 million bond measure for a combined police and public works facility failed on May 19 with more than 62% of voters opposed. Mayor Yi-Kang Hu closed a $6.5 million budget shortfall during his tenure. Public safety surfaced as a priority for Goodhouse, Garino and Velásquez, who called for an in-house police evidence facility and expanded transitional housing.
Tigard Life is accepting reader questions for a final candidate interview round. Residents can email [email protected] by Friday, Sept. 18. Ballots for the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election will be mailed to registered voters.
