Lykins looks for a break in traffic before merging onto SW Vermont from Shattuck Rd. (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
If you count the words of every Portland City Council candidate’s platform, it’s likely Chad Lykins would have the highest tally. The District 4 candidate is big on policy. His BikePortland debut was all about him wanting to have the best transportation platform of any candidate in the race. That might be because he has a lot of ideas and is eager to implement them, or because he has a PhD in research and public policy.
I spent a few hours with Lykins in his district yesterday. We rode our bikes and talked about infrastructure and policy — from protected bike lanes to homeless shelters. We both wore microphones as we pedaled around and I’ve shared the conversation above (and on our podcast feed).
Lykins is a leading candidate in District 4. Last month he became one of only seven candidates to qualify for $40,000 in matching funds. He’s a former professor, small business owner, and nonprofit leader. He’s also a proud progressive. It’s a label he defines as the center of Portland politics.
When I asked him how he’d navigate the divisive discourse that defines (and plagues) local politics these days, he said, “I think that for this next city council to be successful — and I’ll borrow the phrase from [Paul] Wellstone — ‘We don’t need to focus on if we’re on the left, or the right, or the center. We need to be out in front where the problems are.’ That’s really what I’m focused on.”
The pinch where SW Multnomah goes under Capitol Hwy.
SW Capitol Hwy bike lane through Hillsdale Shopping Center.
SW Multnomah raised bike lane.
SW 45th (I think).
Hillsdale bus only lane.
Corner of SW Multnomah, 45th, and Maplewood.
SW Cameron (or Illinois).
Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.
Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.
Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.
Very sketchy lane taking on SW Bertha transition to Barbur.
SW Barbur Blvd near Terwilliger.
S Corbett downhill.
S Moody.
Lykins says his guiding light isn’t a particular ideology or political label; it’s evidence. “Before I think about ideology, whether something’s progressive or moderate… I just look at the evidence. Trying to win a seat on city council is really trying to elevate a bunch of people that care about evidence-based policy so we can govern.”