We are excited to announce the progression and new recommendations of the Portland Charter Commission.
The Portland Charter Commission is a once-a-decade independent body that convenes to review and recommend amendments to the City of Portland’s Charter/City Constitution. This proposal will make Portland’s government more accountable, transparent, and effective. It positions us to get Portland moving in the right direction and address our most pressing challenges – expanding affordable housing, eliminating gun violence, building climate resilience, and improving the city’s infrastructure.
Recently, all twenty members of the Charter Commission voted to recommend three major changes:
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Allowing voters to rank candidates in order of their preference, using ranked-choice voting
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Creating four new geographic districts with three members elected to represent each district, expanding the city council to a total of 12 members.
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A city council that focuses on setting policy and a mayor elected citywide to run the city’s day-to-day operations, with the help of a professional city administrator.
The Urban League supported the efforts of the Charter Commission this past year by engaging in numerous work sessions and community presentations to ensure the voices of the Black community were centered to provide recommendations and broadcast the work of the Charter Commission. Most recently, our “Know your Rights” community presentation on March 24th allowed us to field recommendations and hear community concerns, which were then presented to the Charter Commission for formal review.
Community members will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed package of reforms during a series of public hearings in May. The Charter Commission will take its final vote in mid-June. At that point, at least 15 commissioners must say yes to send the proposal directly to Portland voters for the Nov. 8, 2022, general election.
To learn more, please email ace@ulpdx.org.
Join us and our community partners to learn more about your candidates for local office.! Our 2022 Candidates Forums begin this week. The primary ballots will be in the mail soon – who will earn your vote? We will be asking candidates about when they’ll be doing for Black communities, what their plans are for jobs, justice, safety, and housing for all of us. Our first forum on April 15th is for the Governor’s race. Ulpdx.org/forums to register!
