May was a Bad Choice

Anna Griffin reported in Monday’s Oregonian that the relationship between Mayor Potter and Commissioner Erik Sten is strained. Well, gee, what a surprise. Did Mayor Potter, Dan Saltzman, and Sam Adams really believe the “conversation” about Charter change would lead to everyone sitting around singing Kum-ba-yah, when they voted to refer four measures to the May ballot, in-your-face to Randy Leonard and Erik Sten?

I don’t entirely agree with Anna’s assessment, after attending the City Council meeting yesterday morning. Erik Sten made a point of saying reports have exaggerated the level of tension, and the five men on the Council seemed congenial even when discussing difficult issues like Drug Free Zones. Mayor Potter wasn’t best pleased by challenges to his Police bureau ordinance, but the frostiest moment came when Randy Leonard challenged fellow Charter Change opponent Erik on whether or not Portland Parks & Recreation staff have been unfairly accused of keeping issues out of public process.

But pressured relationships on the Council is only one reason May was a Bad Choice for the Charter Change ballot measures. The most important, urgent question facing the Portland City Council right now, is the Budget for the next biennium. The need to do the Budget is no surprise… it comes around at this time, right on schedule. Choosing to refer the Charter changes at the same time as doing the Budget has led to more unpleasant side-effects than Mayor Potter being at odds with three other members of the Council who oppose the changes. Citizens are fearful of speaking out for or against the changes, for fear of alienating support for funding requests in the Budget process. Staff must be wondering whether their positions will be switched to “non-classified” (i.e., “fired at will”) if 26-90 passes, and how hard they should push on their bureau funding requests. And how many citizens have time to be deeply involved in both the Budget process and Charter change discussions?

Coming to agreement on the Budget is always contentious for the five members of the Council. One of the virtues of the current form of government, is that theoretically each bureau has a champion, ready to go to bat for its needs. Some Commissioners care more about some of their bureaus than others, of course. And Mayor Potter’s strategy of dividing the other Council members into two teams, to reduce the silo effect, has been helpful. But still, each has particular projects they especially want funded, and tension is always high until the Budget is done. Having the Charter changes on the ballot at the same time, makes the process even more high-stakes and fraught with innuendo.

And taxes are due. The weeds are springing up and the grass needs mowing again. Families with children are buried in getting major homework projects completed, Little League, college choices, the School Board elections. Congress and the State Legislature are in session. Charter changes? What Charter changes?

It’s like Mayor Potter said, “We need to talk”, at the moment the baby cries, the phone rings, the toast burns, and the debt collector is at the front door.

“Not now, dear” should have been the answer.