PORTLAND, Ore. — Liv Østhus, best known as exotic dancer Viva Las Vegas, has emerged as an influential Portland mayoral candidate.
She's a single mom, longtime Portlander, author, musician and sex worker advocate.
"Portland is suffering," Østhus said. "It’s going through a dark patch right now and I care passionately about Portland, and I am a creature who shines light in dark spaces. That's what I do on stage at Mary's (Club) and that's what I want to do for the city. I want to guide us forward with hope, inspiration and using an artist's skills to think creatively about our problems and bring solutions."
Østhus has not served in an elected office before. In this episode of Straight Talk with Laural Porter, Østhus talks how "it's time to think outside the box" in Portland.
"A lot of the other candidates are coming from this old model," she said. "It's time for leaders to look new across the county, across the world."
This mayoral election is a historic one in Portland, as it is the first time voters will pick elected leaders under the new city government structure. In it the mayor will have a slightly different role.
READ MORE: Portland City Council triples in size next year, taking on an entirely new role in local government
In the new city government, Østhus said she sees the mayor more as a figure-head, with the city administrator handling the majority of the day-to-day operations. This allows the mayor more free time to interact with Portlanders and "reflect the best" of the city to the outside world, while still staying in touch and keeping not only the city administrator but also the city council accountable.
Climate change
"I say without Mama Earth, we're all homeless which is very true," Østhus said.
If elected, Østhus said she plans to focus on improving the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Northwest Portland, which holds over 90% of the all liquid fuel in Oregon. A study found that in an earthquake, the soil underneath the hub would liquify and the fuel supply could flow into the Willamette River.
"I think that is priority one and spreading the awareness about it, so we can act," Østhus said.
Arts and culture and homelessness
Østhus said that the arts are not only a "huge economic engine" but also bring a level of hope with it. When working at Mary's Club in Portland's Old Town, she sees a lot of people who are experiencing homelessness.
"Those people are human," she said. "We need to remember that."
Coming from an artistry background, Østhus said she wants to give them a face and not just be seen as a "monochromatic community."
While impressed with her mayoral candidate opponent Keith Wilson's ambitious homeless plan, Østhus said a more people-oriented approach is needed. She noted that if she's elected, she wouldn't mind seeing Wilson's resume for city administrator.
One thing Østhus said she's heard the most from nonprofits is that people need bins to hold their things that can lock, so they can go to medical appointments, rehab and be able to sleep peacefully without worrying about whether their valuables will be taken.
"Humans need to be rooted to grow," she said.
If elected, Østhus said she would want to get 5,000 to 10,000 locking bins so that people can lock up their belongings.
"So that people realize that we recognize that they're humans, and that they have things that are special to them and they want those things at the end of the day to come back to," she said. "Just something simple like that to honor their dignity and make it possible for them to heal and recover."
Straight Talk airs Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and Monday at 7 p.m. Straight Talk is also available as a podcast.