Ding ding! Hey, visitor, get the hell out of the way! We’re joking, of course. We’re so excited you decided to visit Portland, and enjoy watching you meandering around the waterfront as we breeze past on our bicycles. But why not join the real Portlanders and ditch walking for a bike of your own? If […]
Dirk VanderHart
I'm a news reporter for the Mercury. I've spent a lot of the last decade in journalism — covering tragedy and chicanery in the hills of southwest Missouri, politics in Washington, D.C., and other matters elsewhere.
I've been in Portland three years, love it and want to help make it better. Let's keep it amicable!
Posted inNews
City Commissioners Now Directly Control Portland’s Election Finance System
Kristine Evans The city’s campaign finance program is facing something of a housing crisis. While the City Auditor’s Office oversees local elections, it has refused to take in Portland’s new system for funneling public money to candidates for city office. Multnomah County elections officials have declined as well. And now, in a situation that’s raising […]
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor: That Old Dusty Trail
I’m Out! And I’ll Miss You.
I’m out! And I’ll miss you.
Posted inNews
City Commissioners Now Directly Control Portland’s Election Finance System
Commissioner Dan Saltzman Says That’s a Recipe for Disaster. Others Agree.
Commissioner Dan Saltzman says that’s a recipe for disaster. Others agree.
Posted inNews
A Lot of Local Officials Are Getting Sued
Dirk VanderHart The other day, it occurred to me that I’ve never seen so many local elected officials being sued at the same time. Right now, County Commissioner Loretta Smith, Mayor Ted Wheeler, and City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly all face lawsuits—each of them filed by constituents who are representing themselves. It’s not a coincidence. More […]
Posted inCity Hall
With Dan Saltzman Absent, City Council Passes a Campaign Finance Tweak He Stopped Yesterday
Yesterday, Commissioner Dan Saltzman refused to approve a new arrangement that would put the city’s public campaign finance system directly in the hands of Commissioner Amanda Fritz. So now Fritz and the rest of council have gone around him. In an extremely rare maneuver, Fritz at this afternoon’s city council meeting called up an ordinance […]
Posted inNews
City Council Candidate Jo Ann Hardesty is Stepping Down from the NAACP, Following Concerns About Dual Role
Jo Ann Hardesty calls for more robust renter protections at a January press conference. Dirk VanderHart Jo Ann Hardesty has mounted a campaign for City Council based partly on the recognition and influence she has as president of a local NAACP branch. Now she’s being forced to depart that position. In the face of concerns […]
Posted inHousing
Portland’s Renter Relocation Policy Is Now Permanent—And Stronger Than Ever
Outside City Hall on February 28. Dirk VanderHart The city’s controversial renter relocation law is here to stay. After kneading out disagreements over the policy, the Portland City Council this morning unanimously expanded and made permanent the requirement that landlords pay between $2,900 and $4,500 in tenant moving expenses in some instances. As expected the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Better Naito’s Coming Back—And You Can Help Create the City’s Next Street Experiment
Dirk VanderHart For the last four years, the grassroots group Better Block PDX has been at the center of some of the most innovative transportation experiments Portland’s seen. From its Better Old Town Chinatown project beefing up bike and pedestrian access on Northwest and Southwest Third (a buffered bike lane was eventually installed after the […]
Posted inNews
A New Report Shows Highway Widening Won’t Solve Portland’s Congestion Woes
And as a Tolling Plan Rushes Forward, Some Officials Want to Know Why ODOT Won’t Research a World Without New Construction Projects
And as a tolling plan rushes forward, some officials want to know why ODIT won’t research a world without new construction projects.
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor: Lawsuit Roundup Time!
Lots of Local Elected Officials Are Getting Sued! Here’s a Rundown.
Lots of local officials are getting sued! Here’s a rundown.
Posted inNews
A Judge Has Ruled Multnomah County’s New Campaign Finance Rules Unconstitutional. That Was Sort of the Plan.
Vinnie Neuberg After taking seven months to decide, a Multnomah County judge today smacked down local campaign finance reforms enacted by voters in 2016. In an 11-page ruling [PDF] Multnomah County Circuit Judge Eric Bloch ruled that provisions limiting how much could be donated to candidates for county office, how much could be spent independently […]