Protection Order Controversy Forces Portland Council Candidate Out of Race

A Portland City Council candidate has suspended her campaign after a protection-from-abuse order involving a sitting councilor triggered an extraordinary political and legal controversy at City Hall.

Jessica “Jess” Falero abandoned her campaign for an at-large council seat after District 1 Councilor Sarah Michniewicz publicly raised concerns about the possibility of serving alongside someone legally prohibited from contacting her.

The dispute presented Portland with a situation that city officials may never have encountered before: two elected councilors potentially sharing meeting rooms, committee assignments and municipal responsibilities while one remained subject to a court order barring contact with the other.

Falero, a 29-year-old community organizer who narrowly lost an at-large council race in 2024, announced Friday that the campaign would not move forward despite having qualified for the November ballot and nearing qualification for Portland’s clean-election financing program.

“It is with great sadness that I have decided to suspend my campaign,” Falero said in a statement posted on the campaign’s website and social-media accounts. “Upon reflection, although we qualified for the ballot and I am almost qualified for clean elections, I need to take some more time before I embark on another grueling campaign.”

The announcement came days after details became public about a protection-from-abuse order that prohibits Falero from having direct or indirect contact with Michniewicz, who represents Portland’s District 1.

The order has been in effect since October 2025.

Michniewicz obtained the order after alleging in court documents that Falero subjected her to months of obsessive and increasingly intrusive conduct. Falero has denied Michniewicz’s allegations but agreed to the order without admitting that the councilor’s version of events was accurate.

According to the court allegations reported by the Portland Press Herald, Falero and Michniewicz met while campaigning for separate council seats in 2024 and initially developed a friendship.

Michniewicz alleged that the relationship deteriorated after Falero repeatedly crossed personal boundaries. The councilor claimed Falero used a photograph of Michniewicz as a social-media profile picture, became upset when Michniewicz did not respond frequently enough, parked unnecessarily on her street and arranged for other people to contact her after Michniewicz blocked Falero.

Michniewicz also alleged that packages were sent to her home.

“It became clear that they wanted an intense level of attention that I was unable to give them,” Michniewicz said in court documents quoted by the newspaper.

Falero and attorney Tina Nadeau have disputed that characterization of the events. Nadeau has said Falero did not accept Michniewicz’s account by agreeing to the protection order and continues to deny the allegations.

The original order contains an exception allowing Falero to attend City Council meetings and speak during public comment. Michniewicz said she initially agreed to that provision because she did not want to prevent Falero from participating in the democratic process.

Falero’s decision to run for the council again, however, created an unusual and potentially unprecedented situation at Portland City Hall.

Had Falero won the November election, Falero and Michniewicz could have been required to attend the same council meetings, workshops, committee sessions and municipal events while Falero remained legally prohibited from contacting Michniewicz.

Michniewicz said the possibility of serving alongside Falero caused serious concern.

“It’s basically a job in the same office,” Michniewicz said, explaining that she and her attorney were attempting to determine how similar circumstances had been handled in other workplaces. “It’s pretty much a daily thought now, but there doesn’t seem to be an answer.”

Michniewicz asked a court to modify the protection order to require Falero to remain at least 50 feet away from her — or the maximum practical distance — while at City Hall. As an alternative, Michniewicz asked that Falero be required to attend council meetings remotely.

A judge denied the requested modification in early July.

The ruling did not invalidate the original protection order or determine that Michniewicz’s underlying allegations were false. It meant only that the court declined to impose the additional distance and remote-participation requirements sought by the councilor.

Nadeau praised the decision, arguing that stronger restrictions would have improperly infringed upon Falero’s First Amendment rights.

“Nothing in that agreement accepts Michniewicz’s version of the events — which Jess denied then and denies now — nor does it prevent Jess from serving on the City Council,” Nadeau said.

The controversy was further complicated by Falero’s January arrest for allegedly violating the protection order.

The alleged violation occurred when Falero emailed Michniewicz with a question about snowplowing. Michniewicz represents the district where Falero lives, although Falero reportedly did not first contact another councilor about the issue.

Nadeau emphasized that the criminal charge remained pending and called the snowplowing email the “silliest” alleged protection-order violation she had seen during her career.

A pending charge is not a conviction, and Falero is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Falero told the Press Herald that before entering the 2026 race, the candidate consulted elected officials about whether the protection order would prohibit service on the council and was told that it would not.

Falero ultimately decided to suspend the campaign after hearing Michniewicz publicly discuss her concerns.

“My priority is that people feel safe, heard and seen,” Falero said. “And that is more important than running for elected office at this time.”

Falero’s formal campaign statement did not discuss the protection order directly. Instead, it emphasized the responsibility of municipal government to care for both residents and public servants.

“While this chapter is coming to a close, my commitment to a Portland where every person feels safe, heard, seen, and cared for remains unchanged,” Falero wrote. “I have always believed that while municipal government has a responsibility to care for its residents, we also have a responsibility to care for the people who choose to serve our communities.”

Michniewicz said she was relieved by Falero’s decision.

“I look forward to putting my time and energy back where it belongs, on the people and issues of District 1,” she said.

Michniewicz was elected to the council in 2024, defeating Todd Morse by a vote of 3,809 to 2,745.

Falero competed for a separate at-large seat that year and finished behind Benjamin Grant following a ranked-choice runoff. Grant received 13,668 votes, while Falero received 11,638.

Falero’s suspension appears to have spared Portland officials from having to immediately resolve the complicated legal and logistical questions that would have followed a Falero victory.

In full disclosure, this reporter serves with Michniewicz on the Portland Social Justice Housing Task Force.

The case nevertheless leaves unresolved broader questions about the rights of candidates to seek public office, the obligation of municipalities to protect elected officials and the practical challenges created when a court order collides with the requirements of representative government.

The protection order remains in effect, and the charge involving the alleged January violation remains pending.