If plan is accepted, Portland would have a “strong-mayor system” with geographically representative commissioners.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
An initiative to shake up Portland’s system of government could appear on the November 2016 ballot if its proponents can gather 31,345 signatures in time.
If the plan is accepted by voters, Portland would have a “strong-mayor system” with geographically representative commissioners.
The plan is the latest in several attempts to change Portland’s system of government. Portland is the only large U.S. city with a commission form of government, in which City Council members serves as administrators and in a quasi-judicial role. Portland and Columbus, Ohio are the only large cities in which they’re elected exclusively citywide.
Earlier this year, petitioner Collene Swenson said the plan would ensure Portland politicians are “beholden and accountable to the neighborhoods they represent.” According to an analysis from The Oregonian/OregonLive last year, just one city commissioner has been elected from east of 82nd Avenue in the past 30 years.
(SOURCE: OregonLive.com)
The electorate rejected an attempt to change Portland’s government in 2007.
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