Civic Research Engagement and Action Teams

Our CREAT projects support close-knit teams of volunteers who research and develop recommendations on policies, civic life, and public processes. It’s a great way to build community and make a difference.

Current Project: Charting Portland Elections and Governance

In 2022 Portlanders voted to change our city’s form of government, introduce district representation and change how we vote. Our “CREAT - Portland” project is digging into how to evaluate these changes. They have identified measurable evaluation factors that can be used to support an assessment of the changes and are gathering comparison data from Portland’s past elections and from other major cities with similar reforms.

Their goals are to depoliticize the important evaluation process following Portland’s landmark changes to the city Charter in 2022, and to provide resources for all Portlanders to better understand the impacts of those changes on voter participation, electoral choice, representation, and how our city works.

Their research will culminate with an accessible data dashboard to track Portland’s progress toward our shared community vision. The dashboard will be launched prior to the 2024 election – stay tuned!

Meet the Team:

  • Dave Johnson – Retired Intel engineer with a passion for democracy reform.

  • Linda Nettekoven – Community advocate.

  • Oscar Pulliam – Junior at Reed College studying Quantitative Economics.

  • Shannon Grimes – Democracy Researcher at Sightline Institute.

  • Frankie Spurbeck – Senior Research Assistant at PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative.

  • Joy Wang – GIS and market analyst with a diverse background in consulting, transit, and startups.

We’re also grateful for past volunteers who have joined us along the journey and contributed ideas, research, analysis, and good vibes:

  • Jefferson Smith – Democracy nerd, passionate about politics and government.

  • Jay Lee – Democracy researcher at Sightline Institute.

  • Debbie Kitchin – Small business owner, former economist and Charter Reform Commissioner, and community advocate.

  • Maja Viklands Harris – Writer and community volunteer, publisher of Rose City Reform.

  • Melanie Billings-Yun – Former Professor and Negotiation Expert, Charter Reform Commissioner, and community advocate.

  • Ethan Seltzer – Emeritus Professor in PSU's School of Urban Studies and Planning.

  • Roan Chafee – Political science graduate of Reed College.

  • Cameron Blossom – Communications director for the National Conference on Citizenship.

  • Gabriel May – Political science student at Reed College, North Star Compass Fellow.

  • Jacob J. Flomo – founder of the Institute for Policy Evaluation and Research (IPER) in Liberia, research fellow at North Star.

  • Nikki Martinez – Senior at Portland State University studying Economics and International Studies.

Interested in learning more or joining the group? We’d love to chat.