YOU (and I) may not apply

Two interesting positions are posted on the City’s Recruitment & Selection web page. Both are “limited” – only current city employees may apply.

One is a Management Assistant to help with revisions to Portland’s Public Campaign Finance regulations, policies and practices. The Citizens’ Commission working on a proposal is expected to release its findings in March. What’s interesting to me about this posting, apart from wondering why only city employees may apply, is that it is listed as a limited time position, through the end of June 2007, yet some of the duties include “assist with [Public Finance candidate] training sessions, verify that each candidate has followed all rules and regulations, assist in verifying that the signature and money received was collected accurately and according to City Code.” Unless there is a Special Election, there won’t be any candidates following rules and regulations or turning in signatures and money, by June of this year. In fact, since there aren’t any rules for timing of Public Campaign Financing in a Special Election, not even then, because the current rules only allow collection of signatures and donations to begin in September prior to a scheduled primary election. Are they telling us something here?

The other interesting job posted is Assistant to the Bureau Director in Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R). There is a nice layout of PR&R’s revised organizational structure here on their web site. Since the Assistant to the Bureau Director job is a transfer opportunity available only to current city employees, it will likely be filled by someone whose name is on that page, or a person currently working as staff in a Commissioner’s office.