Ethan Seltzer
Seltzer is an emeritus professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University. He lives in Portland.
Portland has a new city charter determining how Portland will be governed. Big changes are coming to our city, and the roles that our elected leaders will play. Make no mistake: the transition from our commission form of government ushers in a brand-new chapter for Portland and for Portlanders, who have long elected representatives to both make law and run city bureaus handling transportation, parks management and other operations.
Though little will be the same as it is now when the change in government goes in effect in January 2025, the role for the mayor will change most significantly. While 12 new city councilors – three from each of four districts – will no longer be responsible for running city bureaus, they will continue the most visible part of the job of legislating. However, under the new charter, the mayor will be responsible for ensuring that the administrative and service efforts of the city are carried out effectively, responsively and fairly, but will only cast a vote in legislative policymaking in the event the council is tied.
Consequently, the first person we elect to be mayor under our new charter will have an enormous impact on the way that role gets defined, how the city does its work and influencing the very culture of city government. The news last week that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is not running for re-election in November 2024 only underscores how the city is headed into uncharted waters.
Keep in mind that the city of Portland today employs about 6800 people, and they are involved in a wide range of enterprises and functions. Few organizations are as big and complex as a city government, and Portland is no exception. Further, city employees are fundamentally engaged in “public service.” This is a real and important value at the heart of the organization, one that makes it distinctively different than other organizations and enterprises. Stewarding that value for public service in the culture of city government is probably one of the most important roles the next mayor will play.
As candidates begin to line up to run for mayor, we should expect them to answer some key questions. First, do they have a vision for what the mayor of tomorrow should be? Can they explain how the new charter changes the role, and consequently the way that Portlanders should change the way they understand the position? Can they speak to the culture change both inside and outside of city government that needs to go along with the charter change?
Second, do they have any experience running the administrative aspects of an organization approaching the size and complexity of the city? Have they ever, for example, provided leadership for a large and complex organization? Have they ever created a strategic plan for a large and complex organization? Note that serving as a commissioner-in-charge is not the same thing as being hired as a CEO.
Third, what have they done in the past that demonstrates their ability to make others underneath them successful? As part of the charter changes, the city will also be hiring its first city administrator in Portland’s history. What in the candidate’s experience will show us how they’ll effectively work to make both the role of city administrator and the individual selected for the position successful?
This isn’t your grandfather’s mayor that we’ll be electing. This is a new, complicated – and still essential – role. Especially given the major changes coming to city government, in both structure and representation, we need candidates for mayor to show us something other than the same old story.
