The Charter Commission’s vote to put significant changes to our charter on the November ballot is a watershed event in Portland. “Plan to radically reshape Portland’s form of government, rewrite mayor and City Council powers advances to the fall ballot,” June 15.
Earlier efforts (think 2007) failed, in part, because they were not bold enough – they did not address both the form of our city government and the way we elect city councilors. Having attended all the commission’s meetings for well over a year, it was clear to me that this group was not going to make the same mistake as their predecessors, and they didn’t disappoint.
Some people have already voiced concerns about specific parts of what is a very large and comprehensive package. Over the past year, it was clear that many of the commissioners themselves had different views of a best solution. This has been true in other cities that made similar changes, and few cities get it perfect the first time. Luckily, all of them took the first step and then changed parts that didn’t work as expected. As we will also, if needed.
We should not starve for fear of choking!
Hank Schottland, Portland
