Activism and political career: add clarification re "commissioner" vs city council member← Previous revisionRevision as of 09:03, 26 October 2026 Line 31: Line 31: She worked as a neighborhood activist, including as a coordinator for the City of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Associations and later on the staff of Commissioner [[Mike Lindberg]] as a liaison to neighborhood organizations.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Linda |title=Strachan, Blumenauer stage last-minute blitz |newspaper=[[The Sunday Oregonian]] |date=March 29, 1981 |page=B1}} She was the campaign manager for [[Charles Jordan (American politician)|Charles Jordan's]] first run for election to the city council, in 1974, after Jordan was initially appointed to the council. She worked as a neighborhood activist, including as a coordinator for the City of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Associations and later on the staff of Commissioner [[Mike Lindberg]] as a liaison to neighborhood organizations.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Linda |title=Strachan, Blumenauer stage last-minute blitz |newspaper=[[The Sunday Oregonian]] |date=March 29, 1981 |page=B1}} She was the campaign manager for [[Charles Jordan (American politician)|Charles Jordan's]] first run for election to the city council, in 1974, after Jordan was initially appointed to the council. She was elected to the Portland City Council in March 1981,{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Linda |title=Strachan's 'packaging', ability to project image credited in council win |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=April 2, 1981 |page=A25}} and was sworn in on April 9, 1981. Her 1981 election was to a partial term only, to fill a vacancy on the council created in November 1980 as a result of [[Frank Ivancie]]'s succeeding [[Connie McCready]] as mayor, but she won re-election in May 1982.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Linda |title=Both Strachan, Schwab coast to easy victories |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=May 19, 1982 |page=B1}} She was elected to the Portland City Council in March 1981,{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Linda |title=Strachan's 'packaging', ability to project image credited in council win |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=April 2, 1981 |page=A25}} and was sworn in on April 9, 1981. (Until 2024, members of the Portland City Council were officially known as commissioners, because Portland used a [[city commission government|city commission]] form of government.) Her 1981 election was to a partial term only, to fill a vacancy on the council created in November 1980 as a result of [[Frank Ivancie]]'s succeeding [[Connie McCready]] as mayor, but she won re-election in May 1982.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Linda |title=Both Strachan, Schwab coast to easy victories |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=May 19, 1982 |page=B1}} She ran for re-election again in 1986, but lost to [[Bob Koch]]{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=New City Council's inexperience debated |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=November 10, 1986 |page=B1}} and her time on the council ended at the end of 1986.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Strachan leaves office; future undecided |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=January 1, 1987 |page=C4}} During her term she was involved in developing the Central City Plan and building [[public housing]] along the [[South Park Blocks|Park Blocks]]. She ran for re-election again in 1986, but lost to [[Bob Koch]]{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=New City Council's inexperience debated |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=November 10, 1986 |page=B1}} and her time on the council ended at the end of 1986.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Strachan leaves office; future undecided |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=January 1, 1987 |page=C4}} During her term she was involved in developing the Central City Plan and building [[public housing]] along the [[South Park Blocks|Park Blocks]].