"The government exists to fill the gap between what citizens need and want, and what they are able to achieve on their own."
Sharon Nasset
Sharon Nasset
In the 1970s, after moving to Portland, Sharon’s mother continued to provide for the family by taking in emergency foster care, pregnant teenagers, and adults with emotional and mental challenges. Sharon attended several schools in Portland, including All Saints, Holy Cross, St. Mary’s Academy, and Portland Community College, where she pursued studies in restaurant management, became a Specialty Events Director, and earned her license as a real estate Sales Associate and Broker.
Sharon purchased her home in North Portland in 1988, where she continues to reside today. Throughout her life, she has been dedicated to working towards a better life for all, driven by her strong commitment to social justice.
Sharon's Journey A Life Dedicated to Community, Advocacy, and Social Justice
Citizen Advocacy and Community Involvement
As a citizen advocate since the early 1980s, Sharon has attended hundreds of meetings and hearings on various subjects, where she has had the opportunity to listen to the concerns of many and propose ideas that she believes would lead to solid solutions and better outcomes. She is well-known as a longtime North Portland Transportation advocate and a former Board Member of the North Portland Business Association, focusing on economic and transportation needs.
Volunteer Work and Community Events
In addition to her transportation advocacy, Sharon has been a dedicated volunteer for various non-transportation-related projects, including the Boy Scouts and organizing a large annual Christmas Bazaar for ten years. She has also organized the September Fest, a school reunion for 13 former North Portland Catholic schools. Sharon has been a member of the North Peninsula Optimists and of the North Portland Eagles.
Transportation Advocacy and Leadership
Sharon spends a significant amount of time presenting to boards, committees, community leaders, and elected bodies on the importance of better transportation and transit, highlighting how these issues impact the economy, safety, and the environment. She has been actively involved with the I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership and has created plans to remove non-local truck traffic from the peninsula and St. Johns' Bridge. Sharon served as the NPBA Transportation Chair during the renovation of the St. Johns' Bridge, the St. Johns' Truck Strategy, and the Lombard St. project. She has led initiatives such as Concerned Neighbors for Lombard, the Economic Transportation Alliance, and a Think Tank, and has developed a proposal to build a Third Bridge over the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. She has also been an active participant in the Labor Round Table and Environmental Justice Groups for many years.
Third Bridge Now Project
Sharon Nasset is currently working on the Third Bridge Now project, aimed at removing freight from neighborhoods in Oregon and Washington. She firmly believes that the government exists to fill the gap between what citizens need and want and what they are able to achieve on their own.