If you spend any time in East Portland, you might notice how the region lacks the parks and sidewalks common in the rest of our city. The lack of city infrastructure is mirrored by the fact that East Portland residents also feel perennially underrepresented by city government — but that’s about to change. Today we’re talking with one of the city’s East Portland experts: Randy Leonard. He’s a former state legislator and Portland commissioner who first moved to East Portland in the ’80’s. Leonard is here to talk about the history of that area, the politics that led to its lack of infrastructure, and how those issues might factor into the coming election.

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