Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland mayoral candidate Eileen Brady has picked up a couple of endorsements from business groups this week, including the city's new generation of tech entrepreneurs.

Brady was flanked by the CEOs of three homegrown startups, MergerTech, Urban AIrship, and Rumblefish. While not as big as Intel or HP, they've widened Oregon's profile in high tech. Rumblefish COO Josh Friedman was involved in crafting a city seed fund for tech-sector entrepreneurs.

"What that whole effort made me realize was that getting involved in a city requires that a city government - specifically, a mayor would stand up and get behind the community. And Sam's done an OK job with that. But in spending time with Eileen, I realized there's someone we can pass the baton to," says Friedman.

Brady says if elected, she’d expand Portland’s brand, streamline permitting, and help create more usable real estate spaces for growing companies.

On Tuesday, the Portland Business Alliance endorsed Brady.

Candidate Charlie Hales, said he was not surprised a group of local CEOs chose one of their own. He’s been campaigning for a plan to set up loan guarantees through credit unions. Candidate Jefferson Smith's campaign noted he was recently voted a small business champ by Oregon's Microenterprise Network.