Portland Association of Teachers endorse Nick Fish for City Council

Contact: Nick Fish for City Council
Phone: 503-593-8172

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2008

PORTLAND ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS ENDORSE NICK FISH FOR CITY COUNCIL

 Portland, OR, March 20, 2008: The Portland Association of Teachers announced they have granted their sole endorsement to civil rights lawyer Nick Fish in his bid to replace outgoing Commissioner Erik Sten on the Portland City Council.

The organization, which represents 4,000 Portland educators, is one of the most coveted in city elections because of their leadership on improving Portland's public schools. 

"Nick Fish has our support because he supports children and public education," said Jeff Miller, president of the Portland Association of Teachers. "He has a long and successful track record that suggests he won't just be an advocate for Portland schools, but a successful advocate for our schools."

Fish said he was proud to receive the endorsement because quality public schools are a key part of his platform for improving the city.

"Over the last decade, Portland has lost thousands of children to other communities because families can't afford to live here, and it has harmed the vibrancy of our city. To reverse this trend, we need someone on the Council with a track record and ideas to expand affordable housing in our city and advocate for funding that will help shrink class sizes and reduce the achievement gap," Fish said.

In addition to serving as a parent volunteer at his children's schools, Fish previously served as a parent representative on a public school child care task force; is co-chair of the Advisory Board of the Sidney Lezak Project, which encourages young people to become engaged in social justice movements; and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships for students who want to pursue careers in public service.

For the past three years, he has hosted Outlook with Nick Fish, a public affairs program that shines a light on local, state and federal government issues.

The Portland Association of Teachers joins other organizations that have recently endorsed Fish including Stand for Children, AFSCME, Local 189 and Teamsters Joint Council 37. Fish has also received "Green Light" ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon and Basic Rights Oregon Equality PAC. For the list of additional endorsements, go to www.nickfish2008.com.