[Read all of our 2026 election endorsements here.—eds]

This measure seeks to implement a participatory budgeting program in Portland, giving residents the chance to decide how to spend a certain amount of the city’s annual budget through an engaged, democratic process. Proponents say it’s a proven way to improve people’s faith in local government, something that’s sorely lacking in Portland right now. 

The Mercury’s endorsement team spent hours weighing this measure’s pros and cons, arguing with each other and with ourselves. Ultimately, we have too many concerns to warrant a full-throated endorsement, and we feel it would be irresponsible to give a tepid one. So, forced to choose a binary “yes” or “no” answer (wishy-washy endorsements aren’t much of a public service), we must opt for the latter. 

Our biggest concern is about funding the program on a budget with little room to spare. The measure would require Portland to allocate the equivalent of 2 percent of its annual discretionary general fund to the program. Calculated against the current budget, that’s about $16 million. It’s unclear whether that would cover the program’s administrative costs. However, while the measure’s funding calculation is based on the discretionary general fund, the participatory budgeting program could, in theory, be funded through another pot of money. The details would be left up to the City Council to decide. While we’d love to see the city rethink its budget priorities, we currently struggle to imagine how this program could be funded without causing other problems. 

Then, there’s the question of participation. We believe measure proponents when they say the program they’ve crafted would be dedicated to reaching Portlanders from all walks of life. Still, we’re skeptical about participation rates. While everyone wants more community engagement, most people can’t attend city functions. That leaves the same groups of lobbyists and activists who show up at most meetings. We don’t see this as the plan needed to expand that reach.

So, we’re just going to accept we can’t have nice things? Well, no. As measure advocates say, Portland’s existing civic engagement process is a mess, particularly when it comes to budget decisions. The budget is crafted mostly behind closed doors, and a small number of bureaus eat up the majority of spending. Plus, issues like the ongoing Moda Center funding debacle are certainly not going to do anything to improve public trust. 

But while a participatory budgeting program may relinquish some power to residents, we don’t think it would address the larger problems holding our city back from being truly representative of and accountable to the people. That will require City Council members to truly step into their roles as district representatives and wrest budgeting power back from the mayor and unelected city administrators. 

We find the measure’s aims to be noble, and think a more specific participatory budget program, like one for environmental projects funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund, could work well. But, as is, we think the measure has too many potential pitfalls to support it.

The Mercury Election Strike Force is News Editor Courtney Vaughn, Reporters Taylor Griggs and Jeremiah Hayden, Managing Editor Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey.