Community work

Since moving to Gresham in 2000, Jenni Simonis has been active in Multnomah County and the city of Gresham.

In 2001, she began walking door to door, speaking with residents and voters in Gresham about the issues that mattered to them most. In 2002, her neighbors elected her a precinct committeeperson, and they have re-elected her twice since.

As soon as she heard about the proposed Wal-Mart at 182nd/Powell, which was within walking distance of her residence at 14th and Pleasant View, she began an information campaign on the issue. Using the city's web site and other resources, she put together a web that that contained information on the property, the surrounding area and neighborhoods, the zoning rules regarding the property, the proposal, and more. The site received more than 100,000 hits during the campaign against the Supercenter.

In 2006, she drove down to Salem in order to testify on the adverse affects an unregulated payday loan industry had on Gresham and its residents. She also spoke before the Gresham City Council on the issue as well.

In the last weeks of 2006, Jenni and her family moved from SW Gresham to NE Gresham. In the past two months, she has been working to re-activate the NE Gresham Neighborhood Association, which has been inactive for some time. With one of the highest renter occupied household rates in the city, the neighborhood has unique problems, needs, and issues.

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