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Last week’s cover story (“Ripped City,” WW, July 6) pondered the latest chapter in Portland’s civic dysfunction: a looming fight over how to fix its paralyzed government. For years, elected officials, including Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Mingus Mapps, promised charter reform would unlock City Hall’s potential. A commission of volunteers have proposed an ambitious overhaul—with several proposals that Wheeler says he doesn’t understand and Mapps says he can’t support. It’s poised to be the latest fight between progressives and centrists over who holds power. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Suffer247, via wweek.com: “Of course those with something to lose will oppose this. As long as the change advocates continually frame the opposition in that manner, voters should overwhelmingly approve this. This is Portland’s last shot before it implodes completely. At some point, the number of people leaving will outnumber the people coming in, and Portland becomes the Detroit of the West Coast.
“Portland cannot continue forward in its current form, it’s just that simple. If this fails, we’ll be making plans to move, sooner rather than later.”
Marjorie J. Simpson, in reply: “So you think that an election two years from now with 12 new City Council members, a new mayor, and a newly hired city manager (hired by the current inept City Council) will miraculously turn this ship around? The commissioner system of governance is certainly flawed, but we at least know the pros and cons. “The currently proposed multimember districts with ranked-choice voting is purely a creation of the current ideologically driven charter committee members. Why do you think that a system that even Eugene decided not to adopt would somehow do a great job in Portland? I mean, our record of experimenting with new and novel ways of doing things hasn’t worked out too well over the last decade or so, right?”
Iain McKenzie, via Twitter: “The incredibly frustrating thing about this is that the City Council has the power to refer charter amendments to the voters. Wheeler/Mapps seem annoyed that they appointed people to an independent commission, who then exercised their independence.”
CH, via wweek.com: “No one on the Charter Commission should be allowed to run for council for at least 10 years in the event these changes are made.”
Dubious, via wweek.com: “There’s so much twisted logic here. Just because someone doesn’t support this entire package of reforms doesn’t mean they’re opposed to the values underlying the recommendations. Just because they don’t want to do five things at once doesn’t mean they are opposed to change or that they endorse the old guard. By sending a mixed bag of reforms, they have doomed the effort.”
Tony Jordan, via Twitter: “Opposition to this is cynical and transparent. “The few people in power now don’t want to dilute their power or their ability to threaten chaos or stalemate if their patrons aren’t kept happy.”
LETTERS to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: PO Box 10770, Portland OR, 97296 Email: mzusman@wweek.com
