Support Grows for Portland Charter Reform as Legal Challenge is Dismissed
Press Release: Monday, August 15th, 2022
Contact: Damon Motz-Storey, damon [at] colororegon [dot] com
Support Grows for Portland Charter Reform as Legal Challenge is Dismissed
New endorsements from the Urban League of Portland, Latino Network, the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, and state lawmakers Michael Dembrow, Kayse Jama, and Khanh Pham signal growing momentum for November 2022 charter reform as the Portland Business Alliance’s lawsuit fails in court.
[PORTLAND, ORE.] — Today, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Stephen K. Bushong determined that the charter reform measure headed to Portland voters this November 2022 did not violate the single-subject rule for ballot measures.
"All the provisions in this package of reforms are properly connected to the unifying principle of reforming the structure," read an excerpt of Judge Bushong's ruling in Hoan v. Caballero.
The decision comes as new endorsements pile up in favor of the charter reform measure from State Senators Kayse Jama and Michael Dembrow, State Representative Khanh Pham, Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang, and community organizations such as the Urban League of Portland, Latino Network, and the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon.
“Portlanders are ready for change, and now we can focus on voter education without distraction,” said Sol Mora, campaign manager for Portland United for Change, the campaign to pass Portland charter reform. “Time is of the essence – we should not have to wait any longer for meaningful representation and a form of government that works well for everyone.”
“Each component of this measure is fundamentally connected to the others,” continued Mora. “Portlanders have been very clear that we need better representation on our City Council in order to have an effective and responsive government. Now that the process is complete, we hope that the challengers to this measure will join the campaign to pass this much-needed change to improve Portland for everyone.”
Portland’s independent Charter Commission voted 17–3 in June to refer the charter reform ballot measure to the November 2022 ballot. The measure will grow Portland City Council from 5 members to 12 representatives elected in four geographic districts of the city, transfer oversight of city services and bureaus from city councilors to a professional city manager, and allow voters to rank local candidates in order of preference.
Learn more about the Portland charter reform measure and its supporters at PortlandUnitedForChange.com
###
