All Politics Is Local

With a new City Council and Ranked Choice Voting starting THIS NOVEMBER, here’s what you need to know.

Tip O’Neil told us that “all politics is local”, and Portland is the center of a once-in-a-lifetime political earthquake this year.

For over 100 years Portland’s Charter (the city-equivalent of a national constitution) has implemented a “commission” form of government. Our 5 Council members (Commissioners) and the Mayor are elected citywide, by majority vote, and serve as both legislators and bureau chiefs.

Every 10 years a 20-person commission reviews the City Charter. In 2020 they recommended changing to a “mayor-council” government, increasing the number of councilors, and implementing ranked choice voting. In 2022, voters accepted their recommendations with a 57% majority. This year, in about 8 weeks, those changes become real.

On November 5, 2024, Portlanders will elect a completely new City Council. It will be the first election under Portland’s new form of government, the first without a primary, the first where every seat will be up for election, and the first conducted by ranked choice voting.

We voters rarely have the chance to participate in such a ‘clean slate’ election, where both the system and people of government are starting from ground zero. We’re writing this article so you can educate yourself about the changes and cast the most informed ballot you possibly can. Make sure you check out the end of the article where we give you more resources including candidate forums where you can meet the people who want your vote.

The new City Council system

The City Council

The new Council will increase from 5 to 12 seats.
Currently, all of Portland’s City Commissioners are elected at-large and represent the entire city.
Under the new plan, the city will be divided into 4 Districts. Three Councilmembers will be elected from each of the 4 Districts
City Councilors will no longer oversee the City Bureaus.
New City Councilors will each get one Staffer (current Commissioners have 6-7 each). The Staffer’s priorities will be up to the Councilor to decide.
Members of the City Council will be called “Councilors” instead of “Commissioners”.

The Mayor

The Mayor will change from a daily administrative position to “more of a figurehead”.
The Mayor will no longer be a part of the City Council (except to break ties)
The Mayor will appoint the City Administrator, City Attorney, and Police Chief, all subject to the City Council’s approval.
The Mayor and City Administrator will create a budget and implement policies approved by the City Council

City Administrator

A new City Administrator, who reports to the Mayor, will be responsible for day-to-day administration of the City Bureaus
The Administrator will have an assistant and six deputies, each assigned to oversee a cluster of similar city offices.
The City Administrator will also be regularly attend City Council meetings to serve as a resource for bureau-related questions.

MEET THE DISTRICT 4 CANDIDATES! Our very own SMILE (Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League) will be hosting an IN-PERSON candidate forum for District 4 City Council candidates on Sunday, Oct 6^th, 1-4p, at the SMILE Station on 13^th and Tenino.

The new Districts

Under the old system, Commissioners were elected at-large across the City. Now, Portland is divided into 4 districts and you’ll vote for 3 people to represent your District on the Council. Here’s a tool from the City of Portland to look up your address on the map. (FYI, here in Sellwood we’re in District 4).

The Ranked Choice Voting changes

In a Ranked Choice voting system, voters rank candidates by preference instead of picking just one. (And there’s space to write in a candidate, too.)

How Ranked Choice Voting works (video)

Votes are counted in a series of rounds. In each round, one of two things happens: either one candidate gets 50%+1 and wins, or the candidate with the least votes is eliminated. Voters who ranked that candidate first will have their votes counted for their next choice.

Ranked choice voting results in one general election, eliminating primary elections and runoffs.

Ranked Choice Voting can seem confusing at first, but gets much simpler with just a little digging. This is a great video that explains the process, and Multnomah County is offering a series of Ranked choice Voter Education Town Halls (both in-person and Zoom) to help us all understand it. Each presentation will be about 20 minutes long, focusing on how to mark your ballot, how winners are determined, and featuring a mock election where you can practice ranking your vote and filling out a ballot. Each event includes about 20 minutes for questions.

Thur, Sep 19, Parkrose High School, 6p

Thur, Oct 10, Blanchet House, 230p

Thur, Oct 10, 630p, ONLINE

Sat, Oct 19, 1p, ONLINE

Think globally… act locally

Think about the things Portland is dealing with… homelessness, drug use, vandalism, violent crime, traffic, emergency services, and so many more. These are all mainly, if not exclusively, City issues. These are the ones in OUR community, that touch EACH of us, EVERY day. We hope you take time to learn about the new government and new voting methods, as well as the old problems they’re designed to face. Whatever we do with the information, whatever or whoever our vote is eventually for, we’ll be better informed citizens of our community. The best Portlanders, creating the best Portland, for ourselves and our posterity.