County Commissioner Shannon Singleton is more do-er, less talker.
Salomé Chimuku knows this as Singleton’s policy advisor. Which means she also knew that allotting Singleton five minutes for a speech would seem an eternity for the new District 2 Commissioner during her Dec. 11 ceremonial swearing-in ceremony in North Portland.
“She can actually speak for as long as she would like, but she often chooses 30 seconds,” Chimuku said, drawing laughter from an audience of family, friends, past coworkers, advocates, campaign supporters and staff. “But we're going to ask her for five minutes.”
Singleton, smiling as she took the mic, made no promises on her speech length, but she was clear about her commitment to doing.
“I ran for office because I believe we need to jumpstart a transformation in Multnomah County,” she said. “We need to make sure that anyone who touches County services is served by the whole system.”
Along those lines, her immediate to-do shortlist includes addressing the needs of:
- People booked into County jails: “We need to make sure that you have access to healthcare.”
- Patients at County health clinics: “We should make sure you can quickly find out what other services you might qualify for, and knock down the barriers, so that you can get access.” That includes bridging relations “between our homeless services providers and the rest of the County.”
- People and families who need library services while the St. Johns Library is closed for remodeling: “We need some computers for kids to do their homework.”
- Community members awaiting the opening of the East County Homelessness Resource Center in Gresham: “[S]o that we can serve people in our community and not just sit on an empty building;”
- Workers who will build the new earthquake-ready Burnside Bridge who need childcare: “Because having a good-paying job doesn't mean much if you have to stay home to watch the kids.”
Singleton, a clinically trained social worker, has been a leader in social services for years, from providing direct services on the front lines to leading organizations.
Among her past posts, Singleton provided contract management as a program administrator for the Portland Housing Bureau; served as executive director for JOIN, a contracted nonprofit that works with people experiencing homelessness to move off the street into housing; served as housing policy advisor, and then as director of equity and racial justice, for former Gov. Kate Brown; and worked as interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
“It taught me that if you want to change the world, you have to start at home,” Singleton said
of working in the governor’s office. “It also taught me how to move bureaucracy from a ‘no’ to a ‘yes.’”
Singleton officially took office once election results were certified Dec. 2. She was formally sworn in by County Attorney Jenny Madkour before a Dec. 3 board briefing. Singleton’s term will run through Dec. 31, 2026.
The Dec. 11 ceremony, at Chill N Fill in District 2’s Portsmouth neighborhood, was an after-work, lively social affair with people and conversation filling a room and enjoying refreshments including a tasty charcuterie plate, chicken/waffle bites with maple syrup, and chips and guacamole.
Singleton concluded her just-under five-minute speech by introducing her current staff: Chimuku, policy adviser; Christian Gaston, transition adviser; and Jenna Bazner, executive assistant. Quinn Colling, Singleton’s chief of staff, who worked alongside her at JOIN as outreach director among other roles, will start at the end of January.
Kimberly Melton, a District 2 resident for nearly 20 years and Chief of Staff to former County Chair Deborah Kafoury, conducted the ceremonial swearing in and oath.
“This week, we said farewell to a great poet, Nikki Giovanni. And one of her quotes stands out to me today when I think about Shannon and I think about getting the work done," Melton said during introductory swearing-in remarks.
“I am a huge fan of Black women,” Melton said, quoting Giovanni. “I never hesitate to recommend her when times are bad or when things go wrong.”
“And so,” Melton said, “we have the right Black woman in our space ready to represent us. So, let’s get to this swearing in.”
Less talk, more doing – true to the Singleton way.
