Mayor Ted Wheeler's office is kicking off a new tradition: Monthly press conferences.

Starting Friday, July 27, Wheeler will being holding a 30-minute press conference with reporters on the last Friday of every month. According to Wheeler's new chief of staff Michael Cox, this is one of three new steps to improve transparency in Wheeler's notoriously opaque office.

The other two: Creating a work space for reporters on City Hall's third floor (so we'll no longer have to file stories from hallway benches on the second floor) and promoting Sophia June to be the "primary media contact" for the Wheeler administration. Cox held this position before June.

This announcement comes on the heels of a number of wide-ranging interviews Wheeler has given to local publications, including the Oregonian, Portland Tribune, and (as of today) the Mercury. The decisions appears to be a direct response to a growing demand—from both the media, members of the public, and city hall staffers—for Wheeler's office to improve its communication style.

We're not complaining.