Ep. 52 – You Are Not Just a Number: How Portland Builds Belonging (with Pious Ali)

In this episode of The Jentry Podcast, host Jonathan Mason sits down with Pious Ali, Portland City Councilor, to explore what it means to build a city where people feel seen, valued, and included. Pious shares his journey from Ghana to Portland and how his lived experience shaped his approach to public service. He reframes politics as service, not status, and explains why local government is most powerful when it treats residents as individuals—not data points. The conversation spans housing, immigration, civic engagement, and the importance of meeting people where they are.

At its core, this episode is about belonging. Pious makes the case that cities succeed when they invest in dignity, human connection, and policies that reflect the real lives of the people they serve.

Takeaways
Belonging Starts With Seeing People: Pious emphasizes that residents are more than numbers in a system. Effective governance begins with recognizing individuals as neighbors with names, stories, and lived experiences.

Politics Is an Act of Service: For Pious, public office isn’t about power—it’s about responsibility. He believes leadership means listening deeply, showing up consistently, and acting with humility.

Housing Is About Humanity: Housing policy isn’t just technical—it’s moral. Pious discusses why stability, affordability, and dignity must be central to any housing solution.

Change Begins Locally: Real movements don’t start on big stages. They begin within your sphere of influence—block by block, relationship by relationship.

Representation Matters: Pious reflects on the importance of having leaders whose lived experiences mirror the communities they serve, especially for immigrants and marginalized groups.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome and introduction
01:45 Pious’s journey from Ghana to Portland
05:12 Why people are more than numbers
08:34 Politics as service, not power
12:18 Housing, dignity, and belonging
16:41 Immigration and representation in leadership
20:27 Building trust through local government
24:09 Civic engagement and grassroots change
28:36 Advice for future public servants
32:10 What it means to belong in a city
35:22 Closing reflections

Keywords
Portland, Pious Ali, city council, belonging, community engagement, housing policy, immigration, civic leadership, representation, public service, local government, inclusion, grassroots leadership