City Club of Portland Is On the Move

The 103-year-old civic organization will stop holding its Friday forums at the Sentinel Hotel downtown.

Downtown Portland skyline. (Ian Sane / Flickr)

The City Club of Portland announced big changes this week.

The 103-year-old civic organization will stop holding its Friday forums at the Sentinel Hotel downtown and will reduce the forums' frequency from weekly to twice a month, with none in July or August.

City Club executive director Julia Meier says the changes came not for financial reasons but as a result of extensive research into what would best serve the club's members. Meier says members want more opportunities for networking and deep discussion.

Forums will now be held at Ecotrust's buildings in Northwest and Southeast Portland and will continue to include candidate debates and research into ballot measures and other topics of broad public interest.

Meier notes the club will build on a report it adopted earlier this year advocating for a change in Portland's commission form of government. In a Sept. 17 presentation, the club will examine whether a city manager form of government would work here.

"People are looking to us to keep the form of government issue moving forward," Meier says. "We feel like we have an obligation to do that."

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