THE "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR" ARE BELOW THE EDITORIAL

From The Editor

Want your new city government to work? VOTE!
Here, again, is the city’s map of the four City Council voting districts. As we’ve mentioned earlier, the map errs in including Ross Island in District 4, since the Brooklyn neighborhood has long claimed it as part of their neighborhood – which is in District 3. But that’s only academic, since there is no voter registered as residing on Ross Island.
Here, again, is the city’s map of the four City Council voting districts. As we’ve mentioned earlier, the map errs in including Ross Island in District 4, since the Brooklyn neighborhood has long claimed it as part of their neighborhood – which is in District 3. But that’s only academic, since there is no voter registered as residing on Ross Island. (Map courtesy of City of Portland)

THE BEE was in the forefront in advocating for a new form of city government a year ago, with a first-ever series of editorials on the same subject – urging the passage of the reform plan on the ballot. The big vested interests downtown worked hard to create fear intended to defeat the measure, as had worked every time before when city government reform reared its head – after all, the old inadequate city government form meant keeping the power in the city centered downtown, as it had been for over a century.

But this time it was pretty obvious that the city had outgrown what the Portland Tribune called our “clown car form of government”, and was clearly dysfunctional – and the voters in the city took a deep breath and voted for change. It was a good decision. And, if some aspects of our new and more representational form of city government prove not to work as intended, the measure passed last year does allow for informed change to fix it.

So now our first city governmental election, using ranked-choice voting, is coming up as part of the Presidential election in November – and you’ll be asked to pick a Mayor and, through a “rank six” preference system, the three City Council members who will represent the one, of the four city districts, in which you live.

The advantage of the tiered ranked-choice voting system to be used in selecting three council members for each of the city’s four districts is that it is intended to bring about a more representational City Council – and, indeed, it has brought forth both more, and more diverse, candidates per district than conventional voting ever would have. In the two city districts that THE BEE serves – Districts 3 and 4 – there are some thirty candidates each! And for the city’s four districts as a whole, there are nearly a hundred candidates for the twelve available seats.

Oh, and there’s one other advantage to this ranked-choice system: It eliminates run-off elections, which draw out the election process, reduce subsequent voter participation, and cost a great deal of money to conduct.

But, ranked-choice voting in such races requires a bit more from Portland voters than they have ever been asked to do: To know something about ALL the candidates in their voting district. Or at least as many of them as possible. If you are to rank your choices, you DO have to know something about the choices, do you not?

This has been a concern of ours, because in past city and county elections, candidates have been elected and ballot measures have been passed based mostly on simplistic and sometimes misleading political ads – even though what these candidates and measures would actually do were clearly and accurately outlined in the voters’ pamphlet.

Those of us who actually do read the pamphlet avoided voting for the candidates and issues that were contrary to our views, and the rest of the voters who voted for them apparently were caught by surprise by what the winners actually did – which was what they said they would in the voters’ pamphlet! And it was not what the ads suggested. Candidates who won that election seemed to think their election validated what they promised to do, but it shocked the voters instead, because they hadn’t read the pamphlet – and some of the candidates and measures faced voter opposition in the next election. (And we have had to repeal a state drug measure that did far more than most voters understood, expected, or wanted.)

It’s possible to be cynical about voter apathy leading to failure to learn what they need to know to make informed ranked choices – and, if ranked-choice voting disappoints in Portland, it will only be because of the voters did not do what they needed to do to make INFORMED ranked choices.

One thing we at THE BEE were hoping for was that there would actually be some form of Portland City Election candidate voters’ pamphlet. We have informally been told that all the candidates have already been asked to contribute to the Oregon Voters Handbook, where their statements will be included with the state and federal election candidates. We are relieved to hear it. There had better be, or many voters who really do want to be diligent in learning about the candidates they are being asked to choose from may have difficulty doing that.

In the City Council races, voters are being asked to choose – in order of preference – six of the many candidates for the three available seats in your district. If you vote for fewer of them, your vote might disappear from the process, we are told, after any candidates you ranked votes for have been eliminated in successive ranked-choice steps, to arrive at the three winners.

So the city is urging you to make your preference selections down to the sixth choice which the ballot allows you. One piece of advice from the experts, though, is to avoid ranking among your six ANYBODY you DON’T want to serve on the City Council. You don’t want even your sixth-ranked vote to eventually help elect somebody you really don’t want on the council!

We hope every BEE reader, and every voter in the city, will step up to take the remaining time before the election to get acquainted with ALL the City Council candidates in their district.

In-person candidate forums are a good place to do that; for District 3, Southeast Uplift presented such a forum in September – but without enough notice to THE BEE for us to include it in our September calendar of events. (But as soon as we learned of it, we added it to our websites’ online list of events.) However, individual neighborhood associations, and perhaps other groups, will seek to hold more such gatherings to let voters meet the candidates. Attend one if you can.

For District 4, SMILE – the Sellwood and Westmoreland neighborhood association – is holding such a meet-the-candidate event early this month on Sunday, October 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. It’s been moved to the Sellwood Community House, S.E. 15th and Spokane in Sellwood – and it’s free, and open to all. All declared District 4 candidates have been invited to come and briefly introduce themselves, to provide election materials, and to stay and chat with their new District 4 voters east of the Willamette River.

And when you get your Oregon Voters Handbook? Set some time aside, sit down, and read it all the way through for your own City Council voting district – marking, and ultimately ranking, the six candidates in it who most appeal to you. Then use that research to cast your votes on your mail-in ballot!

The adventure begins!





Letters to the Editor

Want to help at park’s “Portland Marathon” stop?

Editor,

Volunteers and musicians are needed to support the October 6th “Portland Marathon”, as runners pass through Sellwood-Moreland. Be a part of the Portland Marathon without breaking a sweat!

The Moreland Presbyterian Church invites 40 volunteers of all ages gather at the location where they will be hand out water, pick up cups, and cheer for the runners as they run past – at the corner of Knapp and S.E. 22nd Avenue – on Sunday morning, October 6th. Volunteers will be divided into two shifts with 20 volunteers staffing each shift; the shifts will be 6:15 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 8:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m. 

Each volunteer will get a Portland Marathon T-shirt to wear while volunteering and then to take home. Volunteers also will get donuts, coffee, and the thrill of watching thousands of runners, young and old, try to fulfill their dreams! Cheering on others is a fun and inspiring activity for families, friends, neighbors, clubs, and co-workers. Cowbells will be provided but feel free to bring whatever inspires you! We’re also inviting local musicians to volunteer to perform during the marathon.

To volunteer, go online to – https://tinyurl.com/sellwoodsignup  

Musicians can send their information in an email to – hyesung@morelandpres.org

Lisa Daniels
Westmoreland


“Flight for Freedom” October reunion planned

Editor,

Four years ago on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I published my book, “Oregon Loves New York: A Story of American Unity After 9/11”, about the historic Flight for Freedom [originating in Oregon in response to the attacks].

I'm writing you now because I'm organizing a reunion for the Freedom Fliers and their families, and I’d like to get the word out. It will be the first reunion since the trip in 2001.

I have been given seed money for a documentary film about the Flight for Freedom, and I'm using this reunion as an opportunity to capture people and their memories. We’ve [since then] lost many people involved with the 2001 trip, and none of us is getting any younger. In fact, Loen Dozono, who had the original idea for the trip, passed away in June. . .

The reunion will take place on Saturday, October 19, at the Sheraton Portland Airport from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a reception with a cash bar – and people can have dinner on their own. The fee is $70, which includes the buffet lunch, breaks, and reception appetizers. This is the link to book a room there for that date – https://tinyurl.com/3kmz6dmx

Sally Ruth Bourrie
author, via email

 

More, concerning our August BEE editorial

 Editor,

Perhaps you could provide background information to each of the District 4 City Council candidates, and then ask them whether they would support restoring the four Southeast Neighborhoods to Southeast Uplift. I believe that many of your readers would be interested in reading their responses – and that this would assist them in ranking the candidates.

Herb Weiner
S.E. 33rd Avenue

Executive departing the Garden

Dear Rita,

It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve as Executive Director of Crystal Springs [Rhododendron Garden] for the past three and a half years. I’ve decided it is time to move on from the garden and pursue new challenges. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you and hearing your stories about this treasured urban greenspace. Your passion and care for this garden are what make it special and I know you will continue to stay engaged. Public Gardens like Crystal Springs are integral to a thriving city. Evidence continues to mount that they contribute to the mental and physical wellbeing of residents and I am proud to have been one of many stewards of this amazing garden.

The Board of the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is in the process of determining the process for recruiting a new Executive Director. In the interim, any questions you might have had for the Executive Director can be sent to our Operations Director, Elizabeth DeHaven. Thank you and all the best,

Brandon Baker
Executive Director
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

EDITOR’S NOTE: Our correspondent Rita Leonard received this note from the gentleman, and wanted to share it with BEE readers, so here it is.



Letters to the Editor may be submitted via e-mail by clicking HERE.

All letters to the editor are subject to editing for clarity and available space, and all letters become property of THE BEE.


 


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