Mailboxes are shown for multifamily housing units in Astoria.

The November election will reshape the Astoria City Council at a time of leadership change at City Hall.

As the city emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, policy challenges around housing, homelessness and child care will come back into clearer focus.

Scott Spence, an experienced administrator in Lacey, Washington, will take on the city manager role as a new mayor and two new city councilors are elected.

The City Council steers public policy and supervises the city manager, who oversees day-to-day operations.

Sean Fitzpatrick, who owns Wecoma Partners and serves on the Planning Commission, is unopposed for mayor. There are competitive campaigns for Uniontown’s Ward 1 and downtown’s Ward 3.

Our view is that there is consensus on policy priorities. City leaders and the candidates for election also understand that a small city like Astoria cannot alone change the economic and social forces that have driven up housing costs and pushed more people into the streets.

We do believe the city — and Clatsop County — can do more to influence the trajectory. The countywide housing study in 2019 recommended a path forward. A year-round homeless shelter could help reduce some of the behavioral problems downtown and the crisis response calls to police. A direct appeal to large, private-sector employers that they should play a bigger part in child care could provide more options for parents.

Our endorsements for City Council were influenced more by experience, background and perspective than ideology, as well as our hope that local boards and commissions reflect a cross section of the community.

Ward 1

We endorse Andy Davis, a senior research analyst for the Oregon Health Authority, for Uniontown’s Ward 1.

Part of reframing the way we look at local boards and commissions over the past few years means that experience is not always the overriding criteria. Getting people with more diverse backgrounds and perspectives to step forward into nonpartisan leadership positions requires weighing a range of qualities.

But we still recognize the importance of preparing for elected office by serving in appointed roles on local committees or being engaged in the political process.

Davis has served on the city and county budget committees and the countywide citizen advisory committee guiding the comprehensive plan. He has served as the chairman of Clatsop County Democrats.

After an unsuccessful campaign for the county Board of Commissioners in 2018, he took the time to gain a deeper understanding of local government.

Davis is also involved in Copeland Commons, a nonprofit tied to First Presbyterian Church working on an affordable housing project at an underused building off Marine Drive.

“For me, homelessness, housing are the two big issues here,” he said. “I think there are long-term issues still around climate change, sustainability sort of things that will affect the county.

“But, as far as what the city is doing, I think we sort of literally need to get our house in order in some ways and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have a roof over their head so that they can make the best life of it they can.”

Geoff Gunn is the chef and general manager of Bridgewater Bistro. He is an active volunteer, including with Clatsop Court Appointed Special Advocates, a vital resource for abused and neglected children.

“I just want to see something better for our community,” he said. “I’ve gotten a little bit sick and tired of seeing us kind of left on the back burner in terms of where we can go forward. I want to see forward progress.”

We hope more people from the restaurant, lodging and retail industries get involved in city policy debates around housing, labor and our growing reliance on tourism. These perspectives, particularly from cooks, servers, front-desk workers, housekeepers and clerks, are often missing in discussions about income thresholds and cost-of-living pressures.

Ward 3

We endorse Elisabeth Adams, the owner of Wild Roots Movement & Massage, in downtown’s Ward 3.

Adams grew up in Svensen and has seen how our region has changed over time. She has worked on mobility and health care issues. As the owner of a small business on Commercial Street, she has experienced the difficulties linked with the increase in homelessness and behavioral problems downtown.

She would bring a distinct perspective to the City Council as a single mother and renter closer to the urgency around child care and housing costs.

“I think that we need to have a really diverse look at who gets to make the decisions for the majority of our population and whether they really have a direct understanding of what’s going on with our population,” Adams said. “This is where representation really matters, right, in very small local politics and very small decision-making boards.”

Kris Haefker is a carpenter and general contractor who restores historic buildings and other properties for housing. His work sits at the intersection of the city’s identity and policy challenges: preserving our historic character while providing enough housing to sustain residents and attract visitors.

“One thing that we can do is, as we reassess the city land inventory: decide what really is buildable,” he said.

Haefker’s insight on housing would serve the city well on planning, historic landmarks or design review panels.