Thank you for your advocacy. I share widely that I first came to Portland to skateboard at the Burnside skate park. Little did I know that it was next level and I was never a skilled enough skateboarder to skate there. That was 29 years ago and as a result, Portland remains my home today. I have been back many times through the years and understand the value skate parks bring to our community. 

If I am elected to the City Council, I aspire to help lead the budget process for the city. As such in over a year of campaigning, I have not made budgetary commitments.  I won’t do so until I have the opportunity to review the overall budget once we are in office, should I be honored to be elected.  

I hope you appreciate I start with an understanding of skate parks bring to the vibrancy of our community.

My best,

**sent from mobile - and probably voice to text. please excuse typos and brevity. 

Thank you for reaching out and for all the work Skaters for Portland Skateparks does to enrich our city. I’m fully committed to seeing Portland’s skatepark system plan through and ensuring it gets the attention and funding it needs.

Regarding the 2005 Skatepark Plan, I understand the importance of completing the remaining parks, and as a City Councilor, I will advocate for budget allocations that prioritize public spaces like skateparks. These parks are not just recreational spaces but essential community hubs for youth engagement and physical activity. I would work closely with Portland Parks & Recreation and other stakeholders to ensure these projects remain a priority, and I'd explore public-private partnerships and grant opportunities to accelerate their development.

As for the Steel Bridge Skatepark in Old Town, I’m excited to see this project take shape. I recognize the significance it holds as the crown jewel of the skatepark system. My support would include advocating for continuous funding through to its completion in 2029 and ensuring the community remains involved in the planning and execution. I’ll also ensure the project stays on the council’s radar to avoid any unnecessary delays.

Finally, I fully support Portland’s DIY skateparks like Burnside and the other grassroots projects that contribute so much to our city’s skate culture. I believe that, when done responsibly and with community input, these projects enhance the neighborhoods they’re part of. If elected, I’d commit to collaborating with local skaters and neighborhood associations to ensure these DIY spots are safe, sustainable, and legally supported when possible. This includes being a vocal advocate for preserving existing DIY parks and creating pathways for future projects.

I look forward to working alongside the skateboarding community to ensure that Portland remains a leader in skatepark development.

Thank you again for reaching out!

Angelita is extremely committed to creating more public spaces that are oriented around people--not cars--and work to build foot traffic to create a strong sense of community. Skateparks are a fantastic way to promote healthy lifestyles and bring life to spaces that are underutilized by neighborhoods, and the Burnside Skatepark (in the heart of District 3!) is an amazing example of that and a jewel in Portland's civic culture and grassroots activism history. Angelita would be happy to work with stakeholders to help implement the skatepark system plan to activate these spaces and make them centers by and for the community.

Thank you for this email.

Skate boarding is not my "cup of tea".

But, I think that skate boarding is great.
Not only as for fun, but,as for transportation.

I was with the Portland Parks as a Parks Supervisor.
And, saw that skate boarding as a very useful activity.
Good for fun and transportation around town.

I look forward to making things happen for skate boarding in Portland.

John Sweeney
for Dist #3

Below is an answer I recently gave the Parks foundation when they asked me about parks and recreation. I think it applies here, because skate parks play a really important role in our parks as third places for people to spend time! Some of my former students are really active in these communities and I know skateparks are very important to them!

Parks are not a nice-to-have, they are a must-have, for the reasons outlined above. I don’t consider them optional, just as I don’t consider our public schools optional (obviously), and both are operating with far less money than they require and deserve given their respective roles in our community. I know that a budget is a moral document and that shaping that document is fundamental to our work as City Council. I also think that we have evidence all around us that Portland remains a city with tremendous resources, but they are unevenly distributed. And we have seen from the windfall success of programs like Preschool for All and PCEF that Portland is not suffering from a shortage of wealth. I will not pretend to know exactly what funding mechanism will rescue our parks from this dire financial position, but I can promise that I will fight very hard for parks to receive the prominence in our budget they deserve, and I will fight for creative solutions that don’t land on the backs of the poor. As an educator for sixteen years, I know that lives literally depend on it.

What I’m learning during this campaign is that City Council isn’t just engaged with crafting policy; it’s also their job to make sure that projects that are underway don’t to fall by the side of the road just because there’s a new group of people in office, or transition within the city bureaus and departments. I will be counting on the advocates who did so much to push these projects forward to keep me informed so that I know what to ask, who to ask, where to push, and what is needed to get these vital programs truly in place. 

I know that a city’s culture is created by the people in that city, and community needs are best identified and developed by communities! If DIY skateparks are part of the fabric of a neighborhood, and being used and cared for by the people in that neighborhood, they are absolutely part of the community fabric and need to be supported and pointed out as an example for how we create community spaces where people can be active and spend time outside without having to spend money.