City Club's podcast sets out to answer questions and to take conversations beyond downtown. Subscribe via your podcast player or listen below.

"Next at the Mic" is a homegrown, team production. Dan Rivas is the content producer. Will Romey of XRAY.fm is our technical producer. Max Voltage (aka Max McGrath-Riecke) wrote and performed the music. But enough about us. Here are the episodes.

Season 2

Episode 1: So Fresh, So Clean

To kick off season 2, we dig into the Portland Clean Energy Initiative. Dan Rivas interviews Kat Taylor, the founder of Beneficial State Bank, and Aiko Schaefer from Front and Centered in Washington State.

Episode 2: The Ghost of Measure 97

Measure 103 claims it is trying to protect your groceries, but a closer look at the ballot language makes it clear that this is about a lot more than just groceries. Join us as we take a look at Oregon's ballot measure. We'll also talk to Washington State Senator Reuven Carlyle about Initiative 1634 in Washington, a nearly identical initiative in Washington.

Episode 3: The Washington County Strategy

The election is now over and Democrats won big. We'll look at the trends in Oregon that have made a purple state turn deep blue. This episode was sponsored by DHM Research—thank you!

Episode 4: Greater Expectations

Black students face significant barriers in public schools. In this episode, we talk about the Friday Forum on November 30, 2018, "How Oregon Is Failing Black Students and What We Can Do About it." We also meet Amarien Simmons from Rosemary Anderson High School to hear about his experiences in school. And we'll break down survey data about school equity with John Horvick in a new segment called "In the Margins."

Dan Rivas and Justice Rajee are our hosts. DHM is our sponsor. Listen below or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 5: Portland's Inequitable System of Government

For more than 100 years, Portland's commission form of government has been inequitable, inefficient, and ineffective. City Club's new research report recommends that Portlanders rethink our system of government.

In this episode of "Next at the Mic," Dan Rivas talks to Ken Fairfax and Christopher Bacher, two of the researchers who produced City Club's new report. He also digs into the Portland Business Association's recent survey data on Portlanders' attitudes toward district representation with John Horvick from DHM Research. Dan Rivas is our host. The music is by Max McGrath-Riecke.

Episode 6: Is Oregon's Environmental Ethic Slipping?

Oregon is seen by many as an ecotopia, but have we gotten complacent about environmental issues? We'll look at survey data of environmental attitudes with John Horvick of DHM Research in a regular segment we call "The Margins." Then we'll zero in on how climate change might affect East Portland with Portland State University professor Heejun Chang. Dan Rivas is our host. The music is by Max McGrath-Riecke.

Episode 7: Call and Response

Homelessness is again on the rise in Portland. Are Portlanders ready to rise to the challenge? And what is the street response plan Street Roots proposed recently and that's currently in Mayor Wheeler's budget?

In this episode, we'll hear from John Horvick of DHM Research as part of our recurring segment "The Margins," which looks at what Oregonians really think about the issues. We'll then talk to Emily Green from Street Roots and Tremaine Clayton of the Portland Fire and Rescue's CHAT program about how to fix Portland's chaotic and ineffective approach to calls for "unwanted persons" and other incidents involving homeless people.

Dan Rivas is our host. The music is by Max McGrath-Riecke.

Episode 8: We're Talking About Baseball?

The Portland Diamond Project is trying to bring Major League Baseball to Portland. What questions do we need to be asking as this effort moves forward? Is there a path for baseball in Portland that enriches our entire community? (And not just a few people with deep pockets.)

In this episode we talk to John Horvick of DHM Research for our segment "The Margins" about how Oregonians feel about financing sports stadiums. Then we'll talk to Marcelino Alvarez and Devon Pouncey about what's happening with baseball in Portland right now.

Dan Rivas is our host. The music is by Max McGrath-Riecke.

Episode 9: Right Direction, Wrong Track

DHM Research asked Oregonians whether they thought the state was on the right track and what it means to be an "American." Join us to dig into the data with John Horvick.

Dan Rivas is our host. The music is by Max McGrath-Riecke. Our episode partners include DHM Research and XRAY.fm.

 

Season 1

Episode 1: What Does an Endorsement Mean?

In this episode, Justice Rajee and Dan Rivas talk about the recent debate between candidates for the District 2 seat on the Multnomah County commission, including the accusation that not all the candidates were playing fair when it comes to endorsements.

Episode 2: Portland's Mayor Has a Conflict

This episode digs deeper into the State of the City events we held with Mayor Wheeler. Todd Kimball and Dan Rivas review the highlights and take a closer look at the conflicts created by the commission form of government.

Episode 3: The Elephants in the Room

Our third episode asks how the candidates for Portland City Commission, Position 3, will step forward in a crowded field. Steph Routh and Christine Dupres discuss the highlights from the April 30 debate.

Episode 4: Are Newspapers Doomed?

Our fourth episode looks at journalism and news—can community-driven journalism projects provide the trustworthy news and information that we need to be informed, active members of a democracy? Dan Rivas talks with Douglas Tsoi and interviews University of Oregon professor Andrew DeVigal.