Jeff Cogen graduated from Brown in 1984. He is currently running for Multnomah County Commissioner, for the position to fill Serena Cruz's open seat.

1) What made you come to Oregon?

My wife, Lisa, and I moved to Portland almost 13 years ago because we thought it would be a good place to raise a family. We were looking for a beautiful, progressive city with great access to nature, but more affordable and less crazy than San Francisco, where we were living at the time. Portland seemed to fit the bill. We were right. My daughter Johanna is now 8, my son Alex 6 - and we love it here!

2) Please briefly describe your exciting work and travels.

My day job is serving as Chief of Staff for Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman. We manage a number of City Bureaus, including Parks, the Children’s Investment Fund and the Office of Sustainable Development. My favorite project I’m working on right now is an effort (soon to be complete!) to make Portland the first major City in the world to get 100% of its municipal electricity from wind power. I also get involved in all the wacky and interesting issues that swirl around City Hall. It’s a fun job, never boring! My other, more recent, job is that I’m running for Multnomah County Commissioner.

My best trip was the one Lisa and I took after we had been practicing law in San Francisco in the early 1990s. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time so we left our jobs and told people we’d be back in 6 months. A year and a half later we returned, after exploring Israel, Egypt, India (for 9 months), Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia. I’m really glad we got to do that before we had kids.

3) Are Portland's current housing prices sustainable?

I don’t think so, unless we find a way to rapidly grow the median income here. Fewer and fewer people who live in Portland can afford to buy a house here, especially young families. Once interest rates rise, as they are starting to, the current prices are going to be even less affordable, and people with adjustable rate mortgages will start to be squeezed. It’s been a boon for those of us lucky enough to have bought a house more than 5 years ago, but its not a good thing for this community when people who grow up here – and all the bright young people moving here from around the country – have to move elsewhere when they decide its time to raise a family.

4) What's your funniest Brown memory?

This is funny only in hindsight, but the first thing that occurs to me is the time first semester freshman year when I decided I wanted to ace my poli sci 101 mid-term so I stayed up all night cramming my head full of information. Finally it was almost 10:00 a.m. - time to go - so I got dressed, sat down on my bed to tie my shoes…and the next thing I knew I was sprawled out on my bed and it was 2:30 in the afternoon. Luckily, the professor took mercy on me and I was allowed to take the test later that afternoon.

5) What's your favorite restaurant in Portland?

Pho Van.