For nearly two months, Portlanders have made their voices heard in demanding systemic change. They have organized marches, coordinated email campaigns and rallied community support in reimagining institutional structures.
These calls for change come at a critical time – just as the City of Portland seeks 20 residents to shape the future of local government by serving on the Charter Commission.
Every 10 years, a commission is appointed to review the City of Portland’s charter, with broad authority to recommend amendments to the City’s founding documents. That process officially kicked off July 16, when the City launched an open call for applicants.
"Our current commission form of government fails to effectively serve the City of Portland. It discourages equitable representation of the diversity of this City, it’s inefficient, and it creates unnecessary conflict and gridlock. Every major city previously operating under this form of government has since abandoned the model for these very reasons," said Mayor Ted Wheeler. "It’s time to reform the way we do business. It’s time we have a form of government that ensures our City services function equitably across our neighborhoods serving all Portlanders.”
The Council heard from members of the 2010 Charter Commission, Anita Yap and Shelli Romero. They reflected on their experiences and made recommendations to ensure the 2020 Commission was set up for success. Recommendations included providing the commission with consistent administrative and political support and committing to diversity and inclusivity throughout the process.
Council pledged to provide commission members with dedicated staff to help them access and explore a variety of topics and research that other organizations have undertaken about Portland’s government and the issues affecting Portlanders.
“It is my hope that the reach of the Charter Review Commission will allow them to tap into a lot of different information sources to paint a whole picture of what governance looks like,” said Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who served as a community representative on the last Charter Commission.
Although commission members will determine their focus and scope of work, some City leaders said they anticipate the group exploring topics related to the racial justice movement and critiques against the current form of government – providing an opportunity for transformative change.
“Ultimately, it’s the community’s decision. It’s their government, and they get to decide what they want and what they don’t want,” Wheeler said.
At the same time, City Council made it clear that the commission is empowered to freely examine the issues they feel are most pressing for the community.
“I don’t want us to in any way try to influence the issues the Charter Commission takes on,” Hardesty said at the June 30 Council work session. “They can look at anything and everything they want to.”
City leaders said they are committed to selecting a Charter Commission that represents Portland’s racial, geographic and demographic diversity. They are encouraging all Portlanders to learn more about the Charter Commission and apply to be part of this unique opportunity.
Applications will be accepted until Aug. 30. Charter commissioners will be selected by the City Council this fall and begin meeting in late 2020.
The commission will be guided by three principles: equity, engagement and representation. The City will continue to consult community organizations to receive input from Black people, Indigenous people, people of color and people with disabilities on how to incorporate these principles into the process.
The Charter Commission has the potential to elevate conversations from the community to City leaders, some community advocates say.
“The Charter Commission has an incredible opportunity to make the City of Portland, and its government, high functioning, more efficient and, above all, a welcoming and inclusive place where all residents – irrespective of color, national origin or length of time living here – can participate and have a voice,” said Marcus Mundy, Executive Director of the Coalitions of Communities of Color. “Portland is part of America, and nationwide we are seeing peaceful and relentless protests decrying institutions that perpetuate, and in some cases that were founded upon, systemic racism and the exclusion of ‘the other.’ Portland's form of government, and how elements of it function, is a vestige of such imbalanced and racist systems.”
Mundy provided advice to City staff as they prepared to launch the Charter Commission, and his colleague Andrea Valderrama echoed this sentiment when she spoke at the June 30 Council work session. “We know we have the opportunity to address institutionalized racism and white supremacy, and to make historic changes to City Hall and our City,” said Valderrama, the group’s advocacy director.
Both Valderrama and Mundy have encouraged City leaders to see the Charter Commission as a transformational opportunity.
“What I hope for this timely effort, in this moment of reckoning for our city and country, is that every decision and recommendation be made with equity in mind,” Mundy said. “Lead with race, and consider the changing demographics of Portland, and Oregon. Then recommend accordingly because racial justice is, simply, justice.”