by Britton Taylor

In June 2022, 17 out of 20 Portland Charter Commission members voted to bring their proposal to change local government to the November ballot. Here is a quick summary of the proposed changes and update on what’s happening next.

The measure would change city government by establishing a mayor-council government structure, including an expanded city council of 12 members focused on policy and budgets, a mayor focused on carrying out laws and a city administrator managing city services. 

MultDems PCP and Charter Commission member Candace Avalos explains, “Increasing the size of City Council to 12 members and creating geographic districts will mean that all residents are represented by multiple elected officials who can work to solve local challenges in places such as East Portland. This reform will ensure communities have a representative in their district that can help them and hear their concerns.”

To learn more about the measure, we recommend reading the Charter Commission’s latest report, which can be found here. 

Britton Taylor is a PCP and serves as the MultDems Communications Chair. Reach him at communication@multdems.org.