Sellwood Moreland Improvement League

June 2026 SMILE Newsletter

Upcoming SMILE Meetings!

The June SMILE General Meeting will be on June 3rd, and as usual it will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m., at SMILE Station – on the southeast corner of S.E. 13th Avenue and Tenino Street (a block south of Tacoma Street). Everyone in the neighborhoods of Sellwood and Westmoreland is always invited to attend, and to participate in these neighborhood meetings.

 

The June Board Meeting, also always open to the public, will take place on the third Wednesday evening of the month, June 17th, also always open for anyone to attend. This is the first meeting with the newly elected members of the SMILE Board.  The Board Meetings also take place at SMILE Station from 7:30 until 9 p.m.

 

 

2026 SMILE Board Election completed!

 

President David Dugan introduced the annual May SMILE Board Election at the May 6th SMILE General Meeting, and brought up to the front of the room Eli Fabens, a Board Member and the Chair of the SMILE Election Committee this year, and committee member Vikki DeGaa, to introduce the candidates signed up to run for seats so far.  They were:

• Vice President:  Suzanne Kruse
• Treasurer:  Pat Hainley
• Secretary: Eric Norberg
• At-large Board Seat Candidates for the four open seats: Zack Duffly, Grant Huling, Michelle McCoy, and Melody Valdini

 

Pat Hainley, Eric Norberg, Zack Duffly, and Grant Huling were all seeking re-election, and each made a brief self-introduction.  Suzanne Kruse, Michelle McCoy, and Melody Valdini were not present, and President Dugan read a prepared statement from Suzanne Kruse, and then went on to read from our website the brief statements submitted by Michelle McCoy and Melody Valdini.

 

After that, Eli Fabens asked if any SMILE member present wanted to throw their own hat in the ring for any of these positions – but there was no response.  Consequently, the nominations were closed, with the balloting to begin shortly in person at this meeting, and for 24 hours online.  Our election was being overseen, and its implementation enabled, by a D4C representative present in the room, Carl Hinds, Program Manager for the District Four Coalition.

 

President Dugan then led a warm round of applause for her years of service in a tribute to our Vice President of the past year – previously a Board Member, and a SMILE Committee Member – Elizabeth Milner, who had decided to step down from the Board, at least for the time being.

 

D4C’s Carl Hinds then activated online voting – which, for the first time in years, featured only the same number of candidates as the number of available seats.  The voting was to be closed online the 24 hours later, and the winners determined.  With no contested seats this year, it seemed likely that the entire --announced slate would be elected – and indeed D4C later announced that that to be the outcome.

 

 

SMILE hears about challenges facing Portland's new form of city government

 

the featured speaker of the evening at the SMILE General Meeting, on May 6th, was Olivia Clark, who is one of the three new City Council members representing our District 4, and is also the Vice President of the Portland City Council this year. 

She arose and said she would be reporting on the first months of our new form of city government – which has a Mayor, a City Manager, and twelve City Council members – three from, and elected by, each of the four Portland Districts.  She went on to tell how it all is working so far.  The new City Council immediately faced the need to cut $170 million in budgeted items to balance the budget this year. 

She said she was personally disturbed by proposed cuts to the police, the fire department, and city parks.  She commented on the city’s street conditions (deteriorating), and the new road-repair fee the city that will be collected on water bills to address that; she also explained the new street fee that contractors with permits to dig up the streets to install infrastructure will be having to pay for street maintenance.  

Then she went on to answer questions from those in the room – many of which had bearing on the budgeting process, and the proposed budget cuts.  After answering all questions, she concluded her presentation.

 

 

SMILE 2026 community events

 

A number of public events will be presented by SMILE this year.  The first event was Saturday, April 4, at 11 a.m. Oaks Park – our Easter Egg Hunt.  Our partners again were Moreland Presbyterian Church, and the Sellwood Community House.

 

On Saturday, May 16, it will be our annual Neighborhood Cleanup, at the south end of the Westmoreland Park’s parking lot – once again back on its traditional mid-May date – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; fees charged.

 

The Summer Solstice Parade, again starting in Sellwood Park, will take place on Saturday, June 13 – a week before the actual solstice – which is when the city is willing to issue a permit for it, said Zack Duffly.  The event after that is the Milk Carton Boat Races in late June, run by the Royal Rosarians’ Connie Shipley, as the final event of the Rose Festival – we are supporting it with a donation, and it takes place as always at the Westmoreland Park Casting Pond.  The free Saturday evening July and August live concerts at the Moreland Presbyterian Church parking lot, at S.E. Bybee Boulevard and 19th Avenue, will continue this year, in cooperation with the church.

 

Jim Friscia reported that PP&R wants to present our Sellwood Park “Summer Free for All” concert on August 15, and they have already booked the band.  Jim said he is still trying to change the date – perhaps to the Thursday before the Sellwood-Moreland Business Alliance’s “Summerville” on the first Saturday in August, and “Sundae in the Park” on the first Sunday in August (or, alternately, at the end of August).  The date may be changeable, but the selected band will not be changeable, he said – without mentioning what band it might be. 

 

 

    January General Meeting focus: Interactions with ICE

 

The centerpiece of the January 7th SMILE General Meeting, as per the agenda, was a talk by two neighborhood experts, as suggested by a SMILE member, on “understanding your rights in interactions with I.C.E.”  Speaking were Jonathan Pulvers and Emily Cooper, both SMILE members.

 

They began by listing local organizations that can be useful in difficult interactions, including the Portland Immigration Rights Coalition, the Immigration Law Lab, the Interfaith Movement for Immigration Justice, and “Oregon For All”.  The Portland Immigration Rights Coalition (PRC) toll-free telephone number is 1-888/622-1510, but the pair emphasized that only eyewitness reports should be reported to that number (no rumors, or third-party reports).

 

Pulvers warned, “We do not encourage any illegal activity”, in responding to any interactions with I.C.E. agents.  They also emphasized that, “no local law enforcement agency is at all involved in any activity involving I.C.E.”

 

In the following question-and-answer period, a SMILE member asked if there had been any I.C.E. activity reported in Sellwood and Westmoreland?  Pulvers said yes – I.C.E. agents have been spotted, mostly on McLoughlin Boulevard, or along S.E. Tacoma Street – although apparently no arrests or detainments have been reported to have been made by I.C.E. agents in our neighborhood, to date.

 

 

    January General Meeting focus: Interactions with ICE

 

The centerpiece of the January 7th SMILE General Meeting, as per the agenda, was a talk by two neighborhood experts, as suggested by a SMILE member, on “understanding your rights in interactions with I.C.E.”  Speaking were Jonathan Pulvers and Emily Cooper, both SMILE members.

 

They began by listing local organizations that can be useful in difficult interactions, including the Portland Immigration Rights Coalition, the Immigration Law Lab, the Interfaith Movement for Immigration Justice, and “Oregon For All”.  The Portland Immigration Rights Coalition (PRC) toll-free telephone number is 1-888/622-1510, but the pair emphasized that only eyewitness reports should be reported to that number (no rumors, or third-party reports).

 

Pulvers warned, “We do not encourage any illegal activity”, in responding to any interactions with I.C.E. agents.  They also emphasized that, “no local law enforcement agency is at all involved in any activity involving I.C.E.”

 

In the following question-and-answer period, a SMILE member asked if there had been any I.C.E. activity reported in Sellwood and Westmoreland?  Pulvers said yes – I.C.E. agents have been spotted, mostly on McLoughlin Boulevard, or along S.E. Tacoma Street – although apparently no arrests or detainments have been reported to have been made by I.C.E. agents in our neighborhood, to date.

 

 

SMILE strives to serve everyone in the neighborhood

A message from the President of SMILE: Over the last several months, the SMILE Board had been meeting to create a set of beliefs and values for the organization that will guide all our efforts to engage with, support, and represent, our growing and ever-diverse Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood. We are grateful for the guidance and support we received from the Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition in this process. We are proud to share an abridged version of our Beliefs and Values here, and we encourage you to visit us online -- http://www.sellwoodmoreland.org -- to read more.

Inclusion and Representation: At SMILE, we believe a strong and healthy community requires a diversity of voices, particularly in leadership roles, and we believe in representing all voices in our community.

Accountability: At SMILE, we believe that our policies, practices, and procedures should be consistent, transparent, and align with our values. We commit to being flexible and adaptable to community needs.

Equity: At SMILE, we believe in and are committed to being anti-racist. We recognize that our practices may have resulted in excluding some members of our community, and we pledge to learn from and correct our mistakes with humility and honesty.

Connections: We believe SMILE is only as strong as the community we represent, and the partnerships we nurture. We believe in prioritizing accessibility and fostering relationships among all residents to create a cohesive community. At SMILE we provide opportunities for our community to hear from one another and from a variety of perspectives. We commit to facilitating a safe space for respectful dialogue

Empowerment: We believe SMILE's role is to actively serve and inform the neighborhood.

Joy: At SMILE we use talents and resources, and collaborate with our community partners, to create opportunities for joy and celebration.

We hope our Sellwood and Westmoreland neighbors will join with us in these efforts.

Elaine O'Keefe, SMILE Past President
Simon Fulford, SMILE Past President

SMILE is a 501c3 nonprofit

Of the 95 recognized neighborhood associations in Portland, SMILE is one of the few to be authorized by the IRS as a nonprofit 501c3 organization. This means that donations made to SMILE are tax-deductible -- and are very welcome!

_____________________________________________________________________________

THE 2026-27 SMILE BOARD OFFICERS (1-year terms)

President -- David Dugan  (Now serving a two-year term ending 2027, after recent bylaws update)

Vice President -- Suzanne Kruse

Treasurer -- Pat Hainley

Secretary -- Eric Norberg

 

AT-LARGE BOARD SEATS (2-year terms)

TERM EXPIRES 2027:

Scott Kelly

Eli Fabens

Jason Sturgill

Seth Caddy

 

TERM EXPIRES 2028:

Zack Duffly

Grant Huling

Michelle McCoy

Melody Valdini