Reuben Berlin

Background

About Reuben Berlin

Reuben Berlin, 46, lives in Northeast Portland’s Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood with his wife and children. Berlin, who said he has lived in Northeast Portland for nearly his entire life, told the Mercury he has “always been interested in the opportunity to serve my community.” “With the new form of city government, I realize that now is the best time to put my skills and desire for public service to use,” Berlin said in an email statement. “I believe our city is facing some great challenges and this next election cycle will have a defining opportunity to address the questions before us and perhaps solve some of these issues we have been wrestling with for so long.” Among the issues Berlin said he wants to address: Crime, drug use, the general appearance of the city, apathy for and distrust of city government. “My focus is on re-establishing the livability of our city,” Berlin said. “The campaign will be centered on reinvesting in public safety and finding solutions that provide for the economic vitality of Portland while building collaborations between local government, businesses, community organizations, and neighborhoods.” Berlin currently works as a mortgage loan officer at U.S. Bank. He said the experience has allowed him to help “hundreds of individuals and families navigate the purchase and financing of their homes, often finding opportunities for first-time home buyers in Portland’s difficult housing market.” Prior to entering the financial sector, Berlin worked in the nonprofit industry, where he said he “provided direct assistance to individuals and families facing houselessness, mental health, addiction, and domestic violence.” "Working both with non-profits and through the bank, I have developed my ability to define individual needs, recognize available resources or programs, and bring together partners to answer questions before us," Berlin wrote to the Mercury."No one person has the ability or knowledge to answer every question, only by building a team and enabling collaboration can efforts succeed…My compassion to help people within our city is met with my desire to find practical solutions to the issues of today. I look forward to finding out how we create ongoing prosperity for all.”