Hallett Demands Angelita Morillo Stop Attacking Portland’s Small Business Owners - Warns Portland will be the Next Detroit.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, OR — July 12, 2026 — Matthias Hallett, candidate for Portland City Council District 3, today called on Councilor Angelita Morillo and her DSA-aligned colleagues in the Peacock progressive caucus to immediately stop their assault on small business owners and let local job creators thrive.
“Portland’s small businesses are the backbone of our neighborhoods — they create jobs, serve our communities, and keep our economy alive. They’re also the largest source of tax revenue for the city and they’re leaving in droves.” Hallett said. “Exponentially rising taxes, fees, and regulations are crushing entrepreneurs from every background. These policies treat small business owners like their personal ATM machines. It has to stop before our economy completely fails and we end up like Detroit.”
Hallett pointed to the pattern of anti-business policies advanced or supported by Morillo and the Peacock caucus, including new fees, regulatory burdens, and a hostile environment that has driven businesses to close or leave Portland. He argued that this approach is not only economically destructive but fundamentally at odds with what Portlanders need to recover.
“Small business owners aren’t the enemy. They are the people who take risks, hire locally, and invest in our city,” Hallett continued. “I’m demanding that Angelita Morillo and the rest of the Peacock bloc drop their ideological war on entrepreneurship. Portland needs leadership that cuts red tape, reduces the burden on job creators, and creates real opportunity instead of punishing risk and success.”
Hallett’s demand is a core part of his “Let’s Put the Love Back in Portland” campaign, which prioritizes economic vitality alongside public safety and accountability for taxpayer dollars. He has pledged to reverse the trend of treating small businesses as revenue sources for failed social experiments and instead focus on policies that help them survive and grow.
“Every time a small business closes because of hostile city policies, we lose jobs, tax revenue, and neighborhood vitality,” Hallett said. “I will fight to make Portland a place where business owners from all walks of life can thrive and serve their communities - not flee or be forced to shut their doors. That means real relief from the tax-and-fee onslaught pushed by Morillo and the DSA.”
Hallett challenged Morillo and the Peacock caucus to publicly commit to stopping the attacks on small business and to work with the small business owners who power Portland’s economy.
“Portland deserves better than ideological experiments that destroy the very businesses that make our city livable,” he said. “It’s time for accountability and a pro-opportunity agenda that puts working Portlanders and local job creators first.”
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About Matthias Hallett Matthias Hallett is a Portland attorney and small business advocate running for City Council in District 3. With a background in law, entrepreneurship, and service to this country, he is campaigning on a platform of restoring public safety, cutting red tape for local businesses, and demanding full accountability for every tax dollar. His campaign is built on the simple promise to put the love back in Portland through results, not rhetoric.
Media Contact: Laurin Hallett, vote@matthiashallett.com
