In Portland, Ore., Amanda Fritz became the first non-incumbent to win a Portland City Council race using the city’s Voter-Owned Elections system. Fritz will become one of the city’s four commissioners, a non-partisan position serving Portland’s 570,000 citizens.   Fritz wrote recently in Democracy Reform Oregon about her campaign, spelling out the benefits of a Clean Elections-style program.  “I attended hundreds of community events and meetings, met with thousands of Portlanders, knocked on doors in 50 neighborhoods spanning the city, posted more than 200 personal reports on my campaign Web site and responded to citizens' questions by phone and e-mail. I was out most days from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and seldom went to bed before midnight.  In a traditional campaign, I'd have had to spend several hours every day making phone calls asking for donations. But asking affluent people for large sums of money isn't a "skill" I want to develop. I ran for office because I want to serve the people of Portland by helping the council prioritize how it spends citizens' money -- in all areas of the city. Frankly, I wouldn't have run a second time without public campaign financing. Now, because I've been elected with public money, I'm beholden to every voter and citizen in Portland, rather than to a few affluent donors with interests that don't always dovetail with community concerns.  The annual cost of public campaign financing since its enactment comes to $1.05 per Portland resident. That's a cost-effective investment to ensure that community interests are heard in City Hall. My campaign used taxpayers' money wisely to convey my core messages about who I am and what I will do. I talked with well-off business owners and with homeless youths, with Democrats and Republicans, with cultural groups, nonprofit boards, high school students. I wouldn't have had time to make personal connections with as wide a range of Portlanders if I had been dialing for dollars every day.”  Thanks Amanda. And thanks voters of Portland for electing a wise proponent of Clean Elections to the City Council.