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Sharon Meieran

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Sharon Meieran
Multnomah County Commissioner
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2017[1]
Preceded byJules Bailey
Constituency1st district
Personal details
SpouseFred[2]
Children2[2]
EducationUC Berkeley (BA)

UC Law SF (JD)

UCSF (MD)[2]

Sharon Meieran is an American physician, lawyer, and politician. She has served as a county commissioner for Multnomah County, Oregon since January 3, 2017,[1] representing district 1.

Early life and education

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Meieran grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in English and Economics. She earned her JD at UC Law and MD from UCSF School of Medicine.[2] She has two children.[2]

Career

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Multnomah County Commissioner

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In her first term as commissioner Meieran sponsored a resolution to declare prescription opioids an "ongoing public nuisance" in Multnomah County.[3] The resolution passed unanimously on July 27, 2017, granting county attorneys the authority to bring litigation against drug manufacturers.[3] On August 4 the county filed lawsuits against dozens of drug companies including Purdue Pharma.[4]

Meieran was an early advocate of shutdown orders at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for restaurants and bars to be closed on March 16, 2020.[5] On April 2 Meieran criticized Governor Brown's shutdown order for exempting construction and manufacturing, and called for the appointment of a "coronavirus czar" to oversee the statewide response.[6]

In October 2020 she proposed absorbing the Portland Police into the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, citing overlap in their responsibilities as well as the county's existing roles in prosecution, incarceration, and supervised release.[7]

In an April 28 interview Meieran criticized the Joint Office of Homeless Service's plan to spend the $2.5 billion Metro homeless services bond passed the previous year, calling it vague and lacking urgency.[8] She proposed an alternate 6-month plan to identify where temporary homeless shelters could be built.[8]

In July 2023 Meieran opposed a plan by the county health department to distribute tin foil and straws to fentanyl users, stating "Not all harm reduction is created equal. Narcan distribution and syringe exchange have been proven to save lives. Distribution of safe smoking kits is done in a number of places, but it’s not clear what harm is prevented, if any."[9] The plan was suspended by chair Vega Pederson 3 days after it was first reported.[10]

In September 2023 Meieran criticized a decision to replace the county's former sobering center, which closed in 2020, with a stabilization center intended for longer-term treatment.[11] Unlike the previous center, which accepted drop offs from first responders and was often described as a "drunk tank", the replacement would provide 30–60 days of transitional housing and stabilization treatment for patients leaving other sobering programs.[11] Meieran emphasized the need for a new crisis treatment center, saying she frequently sees patients with addiction issues in the emergency room due to the lack of better options.[11]

2022 Run for Multnomah County Chair

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On September 13, 2021, Meieran announced her candidacy for Multnomah County Chair in the 2022 election.[12] Her campaign focused on pandemic recovery, homelessness, mental health, and addiction issues.[13] Meieran promised to create alternative shelter sites in every Portland neighborhood with sleeping and sanitation facilities, as well as "safe parking sites" throughout the county where homeless residents could sleep in their vehicles.[13] She also emphasized her volunteer work providing medical care to homeless Portlanders.[13]

With no candidate receiving an outright majority in the May primary, Meieran advanced to a runoff election against fellow commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.[14] The runoff received significant media coverage due to its potential impact on large sanctioned camping sites proposed by Mayor Wheeler, who had previously threatened to pull city funding from the Joint Office of Homeless Services overseen by the County Chair.[15] On October 29 Wheeler invited both Meieran and Vega Pederson to give testimony before city council regarding his proposals.[15]

On November 8, 2022, Meieran was defeated by Vega Pederson in the general election.[16] Meieran remains a county commissioner with her current term ending in 2024.[16]

Personal life

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Meieran lives in Southwest Portland with her husband and their two children.[2]

Electoral history

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2022 Multnomah County Commission Chair[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jessica Vega Pederson 164,914 54.03%
Nonpartisan Sharon Meieran 138,034 45.23%
Other Write-ins 2,263 0.74%
Total votes 305,211 100.00%
2022 Primary for Multnomah County Commission Chair[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jessica Vega Pederson 77,529 41.95%
Nonpartisan Sharon Meieran 33,651 18.21%
Nonpartisan Sharia Mayfield 27,713 14.99%
Nonpartisan Lori Stegmann 23,210 12.56%
Nonpartisan Bruce Broussard 12,895 6.98%
Nonpartisan Joe Demers 9,544 5.16%
Other Write-ins 290 0.16%
Total votes 184,832 100.00%
2020 Primary for Multnomah County Commission District 1[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Sharon Meieran 59,184 90.01%
Nonpartisan Jason Tokuda 6,290 9.57%
Other Write-ins 280 0.43%
Total votes 65,754 100.00%
November 2016 General Election Official Precinct Results[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Sharon Meieran 58,904 67.22%
Nonpartisan Eric Zimmerman 28,214 32.20%
Other Write-ins 516 0.59%
Total votes 87,634 100.00%
2016 Primary for Multnomah County Commission District 1[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Sharon Meieran 24,728 42.35%
Nonpartisan Eric Zimmerman 13,089 22.42%
Nonpartisan Mel Rader 6,492 11.12%
Nonpartisan Marisha Childs 5,889 10.09%
Nonpartisan Brian Wilson 5,119 8.77%
Nonpartisan Ken Stokes 1,492 2.56%
Nonpartisan Wes Soderback 1,205 2.06%
Other Write-ins 372 0.64%
Total votes 58,386 100.00%
2012 Democratic Primary, Oregon House of Representatives, 36th District[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jennifer Williamson 5,418 53.3%
Democratic Sharon Meieran 4,509 44.3%
Democratic Benjamin Jay Barber 240 2.4%
Total votes 37,840 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ a b Manning, Rob (January 3, 2017). "Multnomah County Swears In All-Female Commission". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "About Commissioner Meieran". Multnomah County. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cruz Guevarra, Ericka (July 27, 2017). "Multnomah County Plans To Sue Maker Of OxyContin". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "Multnomah County files suit against dozens over opioid crisis". multco.us. Multnomah County. August 4, 2017. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Monahan, Rachel (March 16, 2020). "Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran, an Emergency Room Doctor, Calls For Shutting Down Restaurants, Bars". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Ligori, Crystal (April 2, 2020). "Multnomah County's ER Doc Commissioner Pushes For Stronger COVID-19 Response". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 20, 2020). "County Commissioner Publicly Suggests Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Absorb Portland Police Bureau". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Peel, Sophie (April 25, 2021). "Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran Wants More Aggressive Plan to Shelter Homeless People". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Lucas, Manfield (July 10, 2023). "Two County Commissioners Demand Health Department Delay Plans to Distribute Foil to Fentanyl Smokers". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Manfield, Lucas (July 10, 2023). "Multnomah County Reverses Plans to Distribute Foil to Fentanyl Smokers". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Parfitt, Jamie; Dooris, Pat (September 27, 2023). "Some Multnomah County commissioners displeased with proposed replacement for Portland's long-shuttered sobering center". KGW. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (September 13, 2021). "Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran Will Seek Chair's Role Next Year". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Stites, Sam (April 22, 2022). "Four candidates hope to become Multnomah County's next chief executive". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Stites, Sam (May 17, 2022). "No clear winner in Multnomah County chair race". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Dooris, Pat; Parfitt, Jamie (November 4, 2022). "Portland's push to address homelessness could hang on the election for Multnomah County chair". KGW. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Hayden, Nicole (November 9, 2022). "Jessica Vega Pederson wins race for Multnomah County chair". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "Multnomah County Official Precinct Results - Chair, Board of County Commissioners" (PDF). Multnomah County. December 5, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  18. ^ "Official Precinct Results - Multnomah County Chair" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 9, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "Multnomah County Elections - Update 12 - Final Summary" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 5, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  20. ^ "May 17, 2016 Primary Election" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 23, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  21. ^ "May 17, 2016 Primary Election" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 23, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  22. ^ "2012 Primary Election Official Results". Oregon Secretary of State. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
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