Street Roots couldn’t help but weigh in on the City of Portland’s ballot measures. While the ballot measures aren’t exactly sexy, still, we hold the future of Portland in our votes. If by chance you are not voting in this year’s election — wait, that’s just not going to happen, right?
Ballot Measure 26-89 would require the city to appoint a Charter Commission of 20 residents to periodically review the City Charter. Each member of City Council would nominate four individuals to be confirmed by the council to review the charter at least every 10 years. Well, we love citizen involvement but this reeks of insider politics at its worst. The measure would empower an unelected commission to submit measures to the ballot without review by an elected body. The ability to put items on the ballot is a power that should be reserved for elected bodies or citizen interests with demonstrated public support. Can we say 25,000 signatures worth of involvement? (That’s how many signatures it takes to get something on the ballot.)
Vote no on measure 26-89!
Ballot Measure 26-90 would simplify civil service provisions, authorizing city council to implement merit systems, excluding certain policy-making employees from civil services. This is a good idea that went a little too far. It undercuts the public employees by allowing more “temporary” (nonunion) employees. If this passed and the strong mayor passes, a future strong mayor could clean house, completely reset the policy of the city by firing all the top staff of all the bureaus. Just imagine, if by some miracle, mischance or mischief, one of the “other” guys got elected mayor. Hello sit-lie on steroids, bye-bye affordable housing, bye-bye bikes and pedestrians, bye-bye office of sustainable development!
Vote no on measure 26-90!
Ballot Measure 26-91 would give executive power to the mayor while stripping the power of commissioners to run the city. It isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Street Roots and other homeless grassroots organizations have plenty of access to Mayor Potter’s office. However, that would go away if we became a pro-big-business kind of town — access would also go away for everyday Portlanders. We risk becoming the Orlando of the West. OK, minus Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios, but still, Orlando sucks.
Vote no on measure 26-91!
Ballot Measure 26-92 would give city council oversight with financial and personal audits by the city auditor over the Portland Development Commission. I suppose you know how Street Roots is going to vote on this one. Can we say redlining equals gentrification equals a city of the ultra rich and the extreme poor? Not to mention the Portland Development Commission fought our allies like dogs to resist giving 30 percent of their budget to affordable housing. Reality is, they still aren’t going to give 30 percent, and they can get away with it because there’s no government oversight.
Vote yes on measure 26-92! And tell your roommates, friends, partners, kids, parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents to vote yes too!
