Thanks to everyone who came out to Bike Happy Hour last week. A lot of our regulars were on the Urban Shade Equity ride, but we still had a nice crowd. With perfect weather on tap, I’m looking forward to seeing all your beautiful faces again tomorrow. Keep reading for a quick recap of last week and a note about who’s coming to the patio this week.

Last week we were treated to a fun and informative presentation about ranked-choice voting and the City of Portland government transition. We had several city staffers on hand to answer questions and we held a mock election. Francisca Garfia and Leah Benson from the city’s elections team tallied votes for the most important bike path in Portland. They explained that ranked-choice voting is a process of counting votes in multiple rounds and throwing out the option with the least votes in each round. Since voters make up to six choices, any votes for the losing option get transferred to that voter’s next highest-ranked choice until there are three winners who reach the required vote total.

After 413 total votes cast, the winners where Eastbank Esplanade, Springwater Corridor (Southeast) and Springwater on the Willamette. I highly recommend checking out the results page to watch the rounds play out in real time and learn more about the voting process. Thanks to everyone who voted! And I appreciate the City of Portland folks for coming out. Francisca, Leah, and Charter Transition Project Manager Shoshanah Oppenheim weathered a hot sun and some very spirited questions.

This week we’ve got at least two special guests: Josh Hetrick from the Shift calendar team and Jacob Apenes from Sunrise PDX.

Josh is a lead volunteer for the Shift website and calendar. If you haven’t heard, Shift is the original group who began organizing Portland’s bike fun community in 2002 and has remained a stalwart part of its foundation ever since. Their calendar is the go-to source for fun group rides and other events. At Bike Happy Hour tomorrow (Weds, 7/24) he’ll ask trivia questions about the calendar, give away a few spoke cards, and promote his ride, “Biking & bits – a ride towards the Shift website,” which leaves from the patio at 6:00 pm.

Jacob is on the outreach team for Sunrise PDX, a local chapter of the national climate change advocacy nonprofit. Jacob and his crew requested time to speak on the mic about their latest campaign, “Portland Rise,” which has the goal of electing city council candidates, “who prioritize people over the wealthy few and are focused on building a livable and affordable city for all Portlanders.”

Everyone is welcome to speak when the mic opens at 5:00, these are just the folks who’ve given prior notice. Come on out to meet Josh, Jacob, and tons of other really fun and nice people. We have first-timers every week and they all seem to have a wonderful time. We can’t wait to meet you.

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Bike Happy Hour #67 – Weds, 7/24
3:00 to 6:00 pm at Gorges Beer Co (SE Ankeny Rainbow Road Plaza at 27th)
3:00 – Quiet(er) time. Bend my ear and enjoy smaller group conversations before the crowds show up!
4:00 – Free Fries at Four (please help pay for them if you are able)
5:00 – Open mic to speak your mind.