Jake Oken-Berg ‘02, ASPC Commissioner of Academic Affairs, did more this Thanksgiving break than most other Sagehens. He got home a day early and decided that on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, he would walk into Portland’s City Hall, and declare his candidacy for mayor. And that’s pretty much what he did.

Yep, Oken-Berg, is using his ASPC skills to vie for a more public office, against Portland’s incumbent mayor Vera Katz–and the public seems to like him. He has just formed a campaign fund, with donations already pouring in–and by the time you read this, he will have had at least one television and three radio interviews. The soundbites from these interviews have been recycled into dozens of other programs, and more interviews are being scheduled for winter break. The Oregonian ran a story on him just two days after he filed, and two additional newspapers have contacted him requesting a chat.

My favorite jam back in the day was Jake O-B for president...

Why exactly is he running? Oken-Berg cites a lack of opposition to Portland’s incumbent. He says that "no one would step up to the plate against her." Katz has already served two terms in office, and is expected to officially declare her candidacy for a third. Jake feels that she is "not a bad mayor, but not necessarily a great one," citing her inability to prove to the city she has contributed anything worthy of another four years in office. Portland’s government is based on a system revolving around four commissioners and one mayor. According to Oken-Berg, Commissioner Charlie Hales had expressed desire in the office, but backed down when Katz announced she might run again. Some Portlanders feel that Katz is untouchable, and Oken-Berg wants to prove them wrong.

Jake also thinks that he’s got better ideas and a more solid platform. He discusses them on the campaign’s webpage, www.jakeformayor.com, where you can learn about his vision, see a few photos of him and the city of Portland, and find out how to send Jake money or tell him what’s on your mind. Oken-Berg even formed his own PAC, Jake Oken-Berg’s Campaign for Mayor 2000, contributions to which are tax-deductible under Oregon state law.

Jake’s interest in politics started when he was a freshman in high school, and he recently interned in Portland’s City Hall at Commissioner Eric Sten’s office. He thinks that now is the best time to get more involved in politics, because he’s got the "time and energy" to do it. He’s also well aware of all the free publicity his age is getting him. Jake planned on calling a contact at The Oregonian first thing last Friday, to try and solicit a story on his campaign. The paper somehow (even Jake doesn’t know how) found out about his candidacy, and actually woke him up at 7 am to get a few quotes. The story broke Monday, and his publicity has been multiplying ever since. Aside from the print, radio and TV spots, his website has been getting over 300 hits a day, and he’s got a stack of emails to which he’s committed to replying.

Pomona Portlanders seem split on their support of Oken-Berg. When asked if he would vote for Jake based on his webpage, Michael Lieberman ’01 replied "Absolutely not. His policies are overly simplified: as a responsible politician he should be saying more than just empty pull-quotes." Lieberman also criticized Oken-Berg’s vision of free Tri-Met services. "His idealism is under-researched and naive. Intelligent public transit already exists in Portland; making it free, nice as it sounds, would put Metro in the red, or, worse, necessitate higher taxes simply to keep it running." Will Hawkins ’01, however, responded a bit differently to the same question. "Yeah! Sure I’d vote for him."

Aside from free public transportation, Oken-Berg’s platform includes an aggressive public buyout of utilities, an emphasis on education, less closed-door city hall decisions, an end to "big-money" campaign contributions and spending, and affordable housing.

If December’s politicking bodes well, Oken-Berg will take a leave of absence, and enroll in nearby Willamette University. If he wins the race, Jake plans on taking an extended leave of absence from Pomona–but has every intention of graduating as a Sagehen.