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Charter Reform
Posted inNews

Six Months Ahead of Official Government Transition, Portland Launches a Test Run

Six new deputy administrators will take over bureau administration as Portland commissioners take a step back.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

In less than six months, Portland will officially implement its new system of government that voters approved in a 2022 charter reform measure. With so many changes on the horizon, government leaders are taking steps to ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible. This week, thanks to an executive order from Mayor Ted Wheeler, […]

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Portland’s Government Transition Team Wants Your Input on Future Council Operations

Charter reform will usher in a wave of new processes and transform how City Council conducts business.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland’s government structure will look a lot different come January, when 12 city commissioners representing four geographic districts will take their seats in City Hall, which will be renovated to accommodate them. Portland’s charter reform will also herald in a new system of voting, a reformed organizational chart for governmental departments, and a new role […]

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Charter Reform: City Approves Lucrative Salary, Severance Packages for Temporary Managers

Portland’s new governing structure calls for a handful of deputy city administrators. Commissioners aren’t sure they can recruit them.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Portland is one step closer to transitioning control of city operations from elected politicians to professional managers. Portland City Council approved the city’s human resources department to hire five interim deputy city administrators for a one-year contract, with a built-in six-month severance package. The salary ranges from $204,880 to $307,300 per year for each employee […]

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Portland City Council Says Au Revoir to Meetings at City Hall Until 2025

Amid remodel of council chambers, councilors will meet virtually until January, when in-person meetings resume at city’s 1900 Building.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Wednesday, November 15 marks the last time the Portland City Council will meet in the current council chambers at City Hall until January 2025.  Following a Thanksgiving week break, the council will meet virtually, until in-person meetings resume at an alternate location in mid-January. By then, the council is slated to hold meetings at the […]

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City Council Won’t Let Go of Bureau Control as Charter Reform Transition Continues

In the race to implement government changes, commissioners break with the mayor over a timeline for bringing in deputy city administrators.
Avatar photoAvatar photo Courtney Vaughn and Taylor Griggs

Portland’s elected leaders are pushing back on a key element of the city’s charter transition. After a lengthy City Council meeting Wednesday, November 1, commissioners voted to approve a new reporting structure for city bureaus and offices, but not before rewriting language to ensure current commissioners will continue overseeing city bureaus through the end of […]

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UPDATED: Charter Reform: District Commission Moving Ahead With Voting Map Combining Sellwood With West Side

The Independent District Commission is expected to vote to approve the Alder map, marking the next step in the city transition.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Updated August 22, 6:30 am: The Independent District Commission voted unanimously on August 21 to officially approve the Alder map.  When Portland’s new charter reform is officially implemented in January 2025, it will bring a lot of changes to the city government, some of which will have a more direct impact on Portland residents than […]

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Rogue Commissioners’ Plan to Subvert Voters With New Charter Reform Measure Falls Flat—For Now

Commissioner Dan Ryan backpedals on most of the new policies he and Commissioner Rene Gonzalez promoted in a proposal to overhaul the original charter reform measure—but is more interference with progressive policies on the way?
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

A little over a week after the public found out about the plan, most elements of Commissioners Dan Ryan and Rene Gonzalez’s proposal to overhaul Portland’s government transition have lost steam. Advocates for the original measure that voters approved last November came out strong against the new changes, and a Tuesday work session on the […]

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Commissioners Push for Last-Minute Charter Reform Changes in Chaotic Work Session

Pro-charter reform advocates showed up en masse to the meeting, decrying Commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Dan Ryan’s proposed overhaul of the voter-approved measure.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Proponents of Portland’s ongoing charter reform effort were thrown for a loop last week when news broke that some Portland City Council members were working on their own, new charter reform proposal that would change significant aspects of the policy 58% of Portland voters approved in November 2022. Portland’s government transition has been officially underway […]

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Updated: Commissioners’ Proposal Could Throw a Wrench in Voter-Approved Charter Reform Plan

Commissioners Gonzalez and Ryan want to make substantial changes to the charter reform measure passed last November. Proponents of the initial measure say the move is a power play that could threaten the entire plan.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

UPDATE: July 13, 5:00 pm Portland City Council will hold a Charter Reform Amendments Referendum Work Session on Tuesday, July 18, from 9:30-11:30 am, to discuss the proposed ballot initiative altering aspects of the voter-approved charter reform measure. Proponents of the original charter reform measure are planning a rally at City Hall at 9:00 am […]

Posted inPolitics

Portland’s Charter Reform is Moving Full Steam Ahead

Elected leaders would make at least $140K under new salary proposals, while draft voting district maps draw concern over geographic splits.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Since Portlanders voted to approve city charter reform last November—effectively calling for an overhaul of the city’s government structure—there’s been substantial work to make sure the city is prepared to implement a suite of changes before January 2025.  Key updates have taken place since the last time the Mercury looked at the charter reform process […]

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Five Months Down, 20 to Go: Checking In on Portland’s Charter Reform Makeover

Portland will need a city manager, voting district maps, retooled software for ranked-choice elections, and much more. Can it all be accomplished by November 2024?
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

It’s been nearly five months since Portland voters approved substantial changes to the city’s government. With a long list of critical tasks to complete by next fall, it begs the question: Can they get it all accomplished in time? Here’s what’s happened so far.

Posted inCharter Reform

Candidate School Eyes Progressive Takeover of Portland City Council

Former mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone wants progressives to seize new council seats in 2025.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

When former mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone launched her second campaign in 2019, she still had plenty to learn about being a major candidate for public office. Some of the lessons were predictable. Others were not.  “One of the first things that someone taught me when I was running for office was how to get fitted […]

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