“A Seat at the Table for East Portland”: Leaders Urge Support for Charter Reform Measure
Press Release: Thursday, September 1st, 2022
Contact: Damon Motz-Storey, damon [at] colororegon [dot] com
“A Seat at the Table for East Portland”: Leaders Urge Support for Charter Reform Measure
State & regional lawmakers and East County Rising encourage Portland voters to approve charter reform measure for better city services and local representation
[PORTLAND, ORE.] — Today, a group of elected leaders and communities representing East Portland announced their enthusiastic support for the city government reform measure that will appear on the November 2022 ballot.
East Portland has long been underrepresented on Portland City Council and the needs of its residents are often overlooked. Only two Portland City Council members have lived east of 82nd Avenue. The charter reform measure will create four city council districts with three representatives each, ensuring that there will always be a quarter of City Council from East Portland.
The group of East Portland leaders includes East County Rising and State Representatives Khanh Pham and Maxine Dexter, State Senators Michael Dembrow and Kayse Jama, and Metro Councilors Duncan Hwang and Shirley Root Craddick as well as Metro Councilor-elect Ashton Simpson. All of the elected officials represent parts of the city east of 82nd Avenue where infrastructure like sidewalks, street lights, and safe pedestrian crossings are lacking.
“We need this city to work for the people, for the parts that I represent in East Portland and along 82nd Avenue,” said State Representative Khanh Pham, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 46th House District. “Portlanders deserve a more representative and effective government. The charter reform measure will give everyone a seat at the table.”
“At the state level, Portlanders in my district have lawmakers who are local to their area representing them as a team in the state house and senate. It makes sense for Portland City Council to work the same way,” said State Senator Michael Dembrow, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 23rd Senate District which includes neighborhoods along Interstate 205 from Lents to Parkrose.
“It’s about more than just district representation – this charter reform measure will fundamentally connect East Portlanders to city services and bureaus for more efficient and coordinated approaches to improving the communities quality of life,” said Ashton Simpson, councilor-elect for Metro’s East Portland seat (District 1). “This measure presents an incredible opportunity to make Portland the city that works for everyone.”
Click here for a full list of Portland charter reform endorsements.
The Portland charter reform measure was referred to the November 2022 ballot by an overwhelming majority of the Portland Charter Review Commission, an independent body appointed once every ten years to suggest improvements to city government. 17 out of the 20 members of the Charter Commission supported the proposal, which will increase the size of Portland City Council from 5 to 12 members, allow voters to rank all local candidates in order of preference, and transfer oversight of city services from council members to a professional city administrator. Polling from FM3 Research, GBAO Strategies, and Lake Research Partners show broad support for all aspects of the reform measure.
Learn more about the Portland charter reform measure at PortlandUnitedForChange.com.
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