Commissioner Amanda Fritz

Amanda's official title is Commissioner of Public Utilities, Position Number 1, but neither the "Public Utilities" part nor "Position Number 1" has any real meaning.   Born and raised in England, and a graduate of Cambridge University with a Master's degree in Biological Sciences, Amanda immigrated to the United States in 1979 at the age of 21.  She completed nursing training in Pittsburgh and spent four years in Rochester, NY, then realized that Portland is the best place in the world to live and raise a family, and moved here in 1986.  She worked for 22 years in inpatient psychiatry at OHSU, and served for seven years on the Portland Planning Commission, before winning election to the Portland City Council in November 2008.  She was the first candidate ever elected from the community using Portland's Public Campaign Finance system, and she remains committed to being the voice of community members in City Hall.  Amanda has been married to Steve for over 30 years, and is the mother of Luke, Maxwell, and Ali -- all graduates of Portland Public Schools.  To relax, she likes to scrub out graffiti, plant trees, and yell at football and basketball games.

Tom Bizeau, Chief of Staff, has over 20 years' experience in government service in Oregon, including City, County, and Regional Planning.  Tom is a graduate of Marylhurst College with a B.A. in Human Studies, and of Portland State University with a Master of Urban Planning.   In the 1990s, for seven years he was an associate and senior planner in the City of Portland.  He then managed transportation and water resource planning grants for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments.  He was Assistant Planning Manager for Jackson County in Medford, and also worked as a planner in Salem.    Tom is our lead on  Oregon Liquor Control Commission matters, land use cases, and multiple other issues. 

Tim Crail, our Labor liaison and liaison to the Bureau of Emergency Communications, is a graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School and a member of the Oregon State Bar Association.  He worked at the State Capitol in Salem as a Legislative Assistant for the 1995, 1997, and 1999 sessions.  He was Amanda’s campaign treasurer, steering committee chair, and chief advisor during her City Council campaigns in 2006 and 2008, meeting the challenges of the initial runs of Portland's Public Campaign Financing system.  For nearly ten years, Tim was a home-parent to his two children, volunteering at Markham Elementary School, including three years on the Site Council.  He served on committees at Metro, SW Neighborhoods, Inc., City of Portland, and Portland Public Schools, and for nine years on the Multnomah County Planning Commission.  Contact Tim if you have questions, comments, or concerns on the City budget, union bargaining, or State/Federal legislative agendas.  Tim is also our office's primary press contact. 

Patti Howard is Amanda's liaison to the Office of Healthy Working Rivers, working towards continued improvement of the health and vibrancy of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The Office improves communication and coordination among City Bureaus, creating efficiencies and tangible outcomes sooner for our rivers.  Patti attends Public Utility Review Board meetings, and works on Portland Harbor issues. She monitors the Budget Advisory Committees of the Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Services, and provides analysis on ordinances proposed by these bureaus.  Previously, Patti served the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for seven years as Water Quality Coordinator, and in 2008 managed contracts for the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership.  She earned a B.A. in Biology & Anthropology from Grinnell College in Iowa, and an M.S. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin.  Please contact Patti if you have questions and/or would like to be involved on the Rivers action strategies, or if you have concerns about drinking water issues.