Charter Reform and Sale of Parks
I’ve started work on a summary of the major issues in the City of Portland’s Charter Reform proposal. The Oregonian today prints what will surely be the first of many editorials and “news” articles in favor of Mayor Potter’s proposal. I’m not linking to it, as I don’t agree with their misinformation, plus I doubt their editorial board has actually studied the details of the proposals to be sent to the ballot. Here on this blog, I will give you bite-sized, digestible chunks of those important nuances, over the few days and weeks before Portland voters have to make their choices in May.
Today: Selling off public parks. As noted here on Saturday, Portland Parks & Recreation under Commissioner Dan Saltzman recently tried to sell public land, part of the Mt. Tabor parks facilities. With the current Charter and Administrative Rules, that sale would be required to be approved by the City Council.
Proposed changes to the current Charter, on page 3 of Chapter 1 (current language to be deleted in strike-through, new language underlined):
“The City may sell, dispose of or exchange any buildings, structures or property, real or personal, which it owns or may acquire not needed for public use, by negotiation, bid, auction or any other method the Council Mayor finds appropriate. Favorable vote of at least four fifths of all members of the Council shall be necessary for any ordinance authorizing such sale, disposal or exchange. The City may sell property on contract for such term as the Council Mayor finds appropriate, not withstanding any term limit elsewhere prescribed in the Charter.”
Let me run that by you again, without the strike-through:
For sale of public property:
GONE: Favorable vote of at least four fifths of all members of the Council shall be necessary for any ordinance authorizing such sale, disposal or exchange.
NEW: The City may sell, dispose of or exchange any buildings, structures or property, real or personal, which it owns or may acquire not needed for public use, by negotiation, bid, auction or any other method the Mayor finds appropriate.
Pop Quiz: Name three Mayors or Mayoral candidates in the last three decades that you would NOT have wanted to have sole authority to sell public park land. I don’t want your choices written in the comments, as we avoid personal attacks here. But think about it. Do we really want to give one elected official this authority?