Charter Commission grants mayor tiebreaking vote.
Legislation needs a path to move forward, commissioners agree.
After a deluge of warnings about a deadlock on the proposed 12-member city council, charter commissioners have revised their proposal.
In the case of a 6-6 split on the council, the commission agreed that Portland’s mayor should step in to break the tie.
Last week, Portland’s Charter Commission unanimously agreed to revise its reform proposal to give the mayor a tiebreaking vote on the proposed 12-member city council.
The decision came in response to rising public concern about gridlock on an even-numbered council. Prior to the Charter Commission’s meeting, Mayor Wheeler urged charter commissioners to allow a future mayor – who under the proposal would no longer serve on the council – to step in to break a tie.
Charter Commission co-chair Melanie Billings-Yun said the public’s strong preference for a tiebreaker made her change her mind, although she was previously a proponent of an even-numbered council.
“I want to respond to the people of Portland,” she said.
Mayor Wheeler asks charter commissioners to give mayor a tiebreaking vote.
City Commissioner Carmen Rubio: Gridlock would only fuel frustration.
Rose City Reform had a chance to catch up with City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who sided with Mayor Wheeler about the need for a tiebreaking vote.
“As much as we’d want a majority to align around any policy agenda or issue that comes before City Council, sometimes that just doesn't happen,” she said.
“The public is already frustrated around city council gridlock. If we don't have a tool to break through those impasse times, it would just produce a different kind of gridlock and cause more frustration.”
Mayor’s role should be clear to Portlanders, Rubio says.
Commissioner Rubio also said it’s important that the mayor have a mechanism to propose policy to council.
Portland’s current system, which divvies up responsibility for city bureaus between the mayor and four city commissioners, already makes it hard for the public to understand what’s in the mayor’s purview, she noted.
“Externally, everyone thinks the mayor has more power than he actually does,” she said, adding that the reform proposal should eliminate that ambiguity and give voters clarity about who is in charge of what at City Hall.
“If we have a mayor who is responsible for all of the bureaus but has no authority, that’s a problem. And if we’re going to have a mayor with responsibilities, they should be able to stand up for their decisions and take responsibility publicly.”
In their meeting last week, charter commissioners appeared to be of the same mind.
They instructed the city attorney’s office to draft language that would allow the mayor to introduce legislation directly to City Council without having to go through a city council member.
Charter commissioners show little interest in veto power for mayor.
Commissioner Rubio said she is supportive of a mayoral veto over legislation, a position shared by Mayor Wheeler who has asked the Charter Commission to consider vesting veto power in a future mayor.
So far, the request has gotten little traction.
“I'm personally against the veto because we want majorities to govern,” Charter Commissioner Robin Ye told fellow commissioners, who mostly agreed.
Charter Commissioner Vadim Mozyrsky, who ran for City Council this year, was the only commissioner to champion a veto in the meeting, although some others said they were open to the idea.
“We have to be cognizant that there's also the possibility of tyranny by majority,” Mozyrsky said, arguing that a mayoral veto would provide a check on the district-based council by a mayor who would be elected citywide.
Mozyrsky also clarified that his first preference is for the mayor to continue to serve on City Council, which he said would eliminate the need for a veto, and instead bring a citywide perspective to every council decision.
One week left until final vote on reform package.
Tonight, charter commissioners will hold a last work session to discuss remaining details. Watch the meeting live between 5:30pm and 8:30pm.
On June 14th, the commission will hold its vote on the reform package.
If it passes with a supermajority of fifteen votes or more, it will bypass City Council and go straight to the ballot.
Then the future of charter reform will be in the hands of voters.