Sameer Kanal is running for City Council in North and Northeast Portland (District 2) to ensure our future City Council reflects the priorities, hopes, and goals of the people of Portland. A native Portlander with a history of organizing around tough but important issues, Sameer will bring community voices into the Council to put the power back where it belongs: with you.
Born here, raised here
Sameer was born in the Overlook Neighborhood in North Portland. He is from a union family and a small business family, a family that lived in the Portland area for 50 years. Both his parents are immigrants from India and are now retired. His father is a PSU alum who worked as an economist and as a small business owner. His mother worked for over 30 years for the State of Oregon’s Refugee Resettlement Program, and was a member of SEIU. He has one sister, who is in her final year as a medical resident.
As a child, Sameer would come to Blazer games, to community events in the Park Blocks, to cultural events at Pioneer Courthouse Square or the Schnitzer, and later to concerts at La Luna and the Roseland. By the time he was in high school, he was the drummer for one of the house bands at Portland Saturday Market.
Finding his path
After high school, Sameer attended Clark College in Vancouver, then went to the University of Washington in Seattle, studying Economics and Political Science.
In high school and college, he became an activist for the first time, against the Iraq War and in support of Palestinian equal rights. He participated in Model United Nations, traveling to dozens of conferences around the country and world and meeting people who are committed to improving their communities and the world at large. He also took part in student government, focusing on budget management at Clark College and on inclusive leadership in the student senate at the University of Washington.
Graduating in 2008, he learned first-hand about an economy that doesn’t work for everyone, struggling with unemployment, under-employment, and having to leave Portland for a few years to find a job that created stability. Sameer went to grad school at NYU to study human rights and international law, with a specific focus on Israel-Palestine and nonviolent protest. After returning home from writing his thesis abroad, he once again entered the job market during a downturn, alternating between short-term jobs working at the United Nations and monitoring arms control negotiations or working on political campaigns, and working in retail or as a tutor.
Public Service
After working for Governor Inslee in Washington, advising the Gates Foundation on how to better connect with the United Nations system, and another stint in retail, the start of COVID pushed Sameer to reevaluate what he wanted to do - and where. He moved home to Portland and found a job at the City of Portland, as the Project Manager for the Police Accountability Commission.
Working with 20 Portlanders with a wide variety of backgrounds, viewpoints, approaches, and ideologies, Sameer helped the commission navigate the City’s processes. Despite the challenges of working on a high-profile commission and developing recommendations to City Council on controversial, complicated topics, the commission finished its work on time, on budget, and unanimously. Subsequently, Sameer’s role shifted to supporting recruitment, retention, compliance, and project planning for a variety of other City advisory groups focused on public safety. His work also includes inclusive policy development, strategic planning, and legislative coordination for the City’s emerging Public Safety Service Area.
Sameer’s public service also includes activities outside of his day job. He is a co-founder of the Northwest Association for Global Affairs, which provides extracurricular programs focused on international relations for college students. He is a member of the City’s Parks Board. He is also a former member of the DEI committee for Dodgeball Seattle, and a current Board member for Dodgeball PDX. He is also a supporter/member of the NAACP, Democratic Socialists of America - Portland, Coalition of Communities of Color, India Cultural Association of Portland, and several other community groups.