Think Out Loud

The City Club of Portland says big changes are needed in the city’s unique commission form of government, and the way Portlanders elect their representatives. No other U.S. city of its size governs this way, and the population has tripled since the early 1900s when it was adopted. The City Club spent the better part of 18 months evaluating how the system serves the public, in terms of equity and efficiency. On both counts, the report says, it comes up very short. We get the details from City Club executive director Julia Meier, and a member of the volunteer research team, Portland lawyer, Sarah Carlin Ames.