Another critic of Commissioner Chloe Eudaly’s proposed changes to Portland’s Office of Community and Civic Life (OCCL) has joined the 2020 race for her seat.
Mingus Mapps is a former political science professor, former director of Historic Parkrose Business District, and has a PhD in government from Cornell University. Mapps’ most recent job, however, was working for the City of Portland, running OCCL’s neighborhood program (his email is still listed on the city webpage). The OCCL is one of several city departments that fall under Eudaly’s purview.
Mapps was fired from the OCCL in June, after only six months on the job. Mapps told Willamette Week that he was fired after refusing to discipline an employee for their body language. That claim has not yet been confirmed by the city’s human resources department.
His brief tenure at OCCL left Mapps with a negative opinion of how Eudaly runs the city bureau. In his WW interview, Mapps said he was specifically critical of Eudaly’s interest in rewriting the city code that defines OCCL’s purpose—a proposal that would extend the benefits the city offers neighborhood associations and business districts to other types of community groups. City Council is scheduled to vote on the code change in November.
Mapps is not the only candidate who’s cited the proposed code change as a reason to challenge Eudaly. Software engineer Seth Woolley, who announced his campaign in August, called Eudaly’s interest in allowing other groups recognition in city code “irrational.” Woolley and Mapps join renewable energy consultant Jack Kerfoot and banker Kevin McKay in the race to unseat Eudaly.
Eudaly, who was elected to City Council in 2017, has said she intends to run for reelection.
Alex: I see you’re already showing your hand in your favoritism toward Chloe. Good to know.
I searched the Portland Mercury archives, and could not find a headline describing Eudaly as a “failed bookstore owner” or “high school dropout,” yet this highly educated and respectable candidate with actual bureaucratic experience is immediately branded as “recently fired.”
So weird.
Alex misunderstands what this proposed Code change is about. The article states “a proposal that would extend the benefits the city offers neighborhood associations and business districts to other types of community groups.” No, that’s not what the proposed code change does at all.
There’s no mention of “benefits” extended to anyone in the draft Code. Under the current Code, the “benefits” are referenced in 3.96.030(D), which then refer you to the Standards for what these are. The Standards section III.B list what the 5 “benefits” are, on condition that NAs comply with the Open Mtgs and Public Records rules. Plus, getting the “benefits” are only to those entities formally recognized in the Code.
Under this proposed Code Change, in 3.96.030 the term “benefits” is erased and the entire Standards are torn up, along with the Open Mtgs rules. Under the proposed Code, no one gets any Code or Standards defined “benefits.” Plus, no one has any formal recognition under the Code — no one has a Code-protected seat at the table of civic engagement.