Charter Reform, Part 4 – PDC

I haven’t heard anything further on whether proposed Charter changes regarding the Portland Development Commission (PDC) are a done deal. But this is one topic on which the elected City Council has had many, many discussions, worksessions, and hearings over the past two years. Although citizens should be allowed to give input with still a chance of effecting the outcome, I’m willing to cede that at least four of the five Councilmen know more about PDC than I do. I might still know different things, from a different perspective, and so do many other citizens. Public hearings are important, even on topics the Council knows well.

I have one observation I have not seen highlighted in discussions of Charter mandates on how urban redevelopment money is raised and spent. That is:

It isn’t possible to address the issues covered in the Charter Review Commission’s recommendations for the Portland Development Commission, or in the Sten/Potter amendment, without consideration and resolution of other problems within PDC and urban renewal policy citywide.

Equity in sharing the prosperity of urban renewal with people in historically disadvantaged minority communities, raising taxes to support urban renewal from property owners outside target areas, gentrification, and fair wages/benefits, to name just a few outstanding issues. There is nothing in the Charter about any of these. There probably should be. I am uncomfortable making any changes to the Charter regarding PDC right now, without certainty these other difficult issues will be reviewed and dealt with. The current process/proposal does not provide that assurance.