Update Portland’s Antiquated City Council Structure NOW

I have watched this “Portland Needs A New Government Structure” show several times since I became a Portland voter in 1975. The results have always been the same. Failure. Why? Because two of the most powerful group influences on the outcome opposed it, namely, members of the Portland city council and the major establishment business association. With very obvious reasons.

The city council members would lose their good paying, powerful, high status jobs. The business leaders would lose their historical easy influence at city hall. This time is no different. So I say, IGNORE THEM. Their interests are not our interests.

Don’t Let The Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good

Yes, I have concerns about the proposed new structure.

The matters of volunteer versus part-time versus full-time commissioners have not been publicly debated and were shunted off to some unknown committee and/or unaccountable arbiter. Bad idea. [Most elected city commissioners throughout Oregon are volunteers. Without bureaus to run the daily workload of commissioners could conceivably drop by 70% or more. As always, keep in mind the inevitable propensity toward mission creep and the truism that the amount of work expands to fill the time available for its completion.]

The size of salaries for the new city administrator, mayor, council members and staff have not been publicly debated and were shunted off to some unknown committee and/or unaccountable arbiter. Bad idea. [The job would shift from a management based salary to constituent support and policy development based compensation. A vastly different accountably and stress level.]

The number of staffers for mayor and council members have not been publicly debated and were shunted off to some unknown committee and/or unaccountable arbiter. Bad idea. [Instead of commissioners starting with a very limited number of staffers the pressure will be on to grab as many staff positions as possible. More staffers equals more power.]

Sharing office space is one thing but the proposed sharing of certain staffers among council members is a terrible idea. [One boss only please.]

The committee proposing these changes failed to fully and publicly address these significant issues which will have a direct and meaningful impact on how well and how costly the new government structure works for the taxpayers of Portland. The committee’s purposeful evasion of these difficult issues need to be publicly addressed and fixed.

I also recommend that upon passage of this measure that the team at Portland State University that created the Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps , goodgrowthnw.org/maps, be contracted to make the four sections district map called for in the proposal.

All things considered, the matters mentioned above are merely bumps in the road. NOT a roadblock.

As for the “don’t vote for the year-long citizen’s thoughtful, defensible hard work reform ballot measure because I have a better plan IF only the city council will let me put it on the ballot sometime in the future” fantasy, NO. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Or, more likely, there are none in the bush.

It’s Way Past Time For A Change - Let’s Make It Happen This November

Richard Ellmyer

Portland Taxpayer, Voter, Citizen Activist since 1975