We have a new Position!
The Board of Directors of the Portland League has approved a new – and dramatically different – advocacy position on Portland’s City Government.
The position is the result of a thorough two-year study of Portland’s government, which led to the report shown at the left. After publishing this report, the study committee presented a panel discussion. Then, groups of League members discussed the findings and agreed upon key changes needed for Portland’s government.
The League’s new City Government position calls for major improvements in the government’s structure and also in the way voters elect the City Councilors. Here are some of our recommendations, which we will use during the City Charter Review process in 2021:
- improve citizen representation by increasing the number of commissioners
- institute a city manager
- establish the City Council as a legislative or policy-setting body
- elect some or all city councilors by district
You can read the entire new League position by clicking here.
During their two-year study, the study committee read more than 30 source documents. They also interviewed 15 government experts and city officials. Then they wrote their report, The City That Works: Preparing Portland for the Future. You can read the this report here. You may view the video of the panel discussion of Portland’s government here.