City Council meetings have reverted to in-person only as the norm, and still this meeting brought out heated debate. Following a State of the City address, a years-in-the-making impact study on the effects of Historic Preservation was presented to the Council, with unexpected results. A controversial but non-binding resolution on the “deprioritization” of psychedelic drugs inspired debate, and after a long grappling with the subject, the Council rejects adding more capacity to the Homelessness Services Center. Ashley Keenan fills in for Erica Snyder-Drummond on this week’s City Council Review.
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In this Policy Matters interview, Ashley Keenan interviews candidate Mark Dion, a former police officer, sheriff, and state legislator, and currently a city councilor and attorney.
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The Portland Townsman presents Policy Matters, a series of audio interviews, with transcriptions, with each of the mayoral candidates running in Portland this November. These interviews, hosted by editor Ashley Keenan, are focused less on the background and character of candidates, and primarily on the candidates’ policies, platforms, and proposals.
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In this editorial, Ashley Keenan asks you to consider whether, given the onslaught of trolls, the depersonalization of politics, and the interminable frustration, it’s time to give up on pandemic-era Zoom comments.
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In another double-header meeting, the City Council hears reports on encampments and the imminent closure of the Expo shelter – currently housing nearly 200 asylum seekers. The Equality Community Center receives support for its LGBT senior housing, and a surprising request from the Irish Heritage Center divides the council. Another referendum on rent control is approved for the ballot, conflicts of interest are alleged, and right-wing trolls disrupt the comment section, all in this month’s City Council Review, with Ashley Keenan filling in for Erica Snyder-Drummond.
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If the City Council is supposed to meet at least twice each month, why does it sometimes only meet on one night? In this column, learn more about the interesting loophole behind double-meetings, and the potentially deleterious effects it can have on an overstretched council.
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At a short-notice and little-publicized City Council meeting assembled to discuss just one item, a raft of criticism was directed at the Council’s decision to enter into a contract to build a 180-bed shelter explicitly for single, non-family asylum seekers in the Riverton neighborhood. The two-hour debate over this approval brought out heartfelt emotions and shocking statistics, but not unity of purpose.
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The Portland Townsman was asked to investigate claims of election fraud leveled by the DSA against Northern Light Health, alongside Enough is Enough and the Rental Housing Alliance. Follow editor Ashley Keenan’s independent investigation into the matter and weigh the evidence for yourself.
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If you missed the city council’s first workshop, if you don’t understand the debate, or if you want to know what you may be voting on in November, read on. Chapter 9 of the city code, which governs the rules around citizen referenda, is being reformed by the City Council and Mayor Snyder, and will be going to the voters. Learn the lay of the land and see what changes will be on the ballot.
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