This is part of a series of questions posed by The Oregonian/OregonLive to May 19 primary election candidates seeking the seat on the Portland City Council currently held by Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who is seeking reelection. Surveys were also sent to candidates running for Position 1, Position 2 and Mayor.

Portland’s commission form of government will likely be one of the topics discussed during the city’s charter review process in 2021. Portlanders have voted against changing the city’s government structure eight times since the late 1910s. Would you support Portlanders voting to change it if it once again went to the ballot during your term? Why or why not? And what government structure do you believe is most appropriate for Portland?

Sam Adams: I believe the discussions of changing Portland’s form of government could be centered around transitioning to Multnomah County’s organizational structure. The county chair serves as the government’s executive, the chief operations officer serves as the county administrator and the board, elected by districts, fulfills the legislative and oversight responsibilities. Portlanders want to change but also need certainty that the new form proposed has been ground-truthed locally.

It’s a good question whether in the uncertainties of the present moment Portlanders would be motivated to undertake a change in their city government. The public should be surveyed to understand the desire and urgency for change. Regardless, I think efforts should begin so an eventual proposal is ready when the political timing is right.

Chloe Eudaly: Regardless of the path we take, there are clear lessons to be learned from past efforts. Success will require extensive outreach and engagement. If we can’t communicate how these reforms will benefit Portlanders, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure. My office was the first to begin work to prepare for charter review. We have started reaching out to community leaders to learn from their experience and listen to their priorities for the charter review commission.

A city manager system of government has certain advantages, but that doesn’t necessarily mean doing away with at-large commissioners. The Sightline Institute has flagged concerns with a system with individual representatives serving a geographic district. No district in Portland is majority Black, Indigenous and people of color, so a district system alone is not a guarantee we would see a more diverse and representative City Council.

A ranked-choice voting system with a built-in instant runoff component is another possible consideration. Such a system incentivizes coalition building and allows voters to support a diverse array of candidates without concerns about diluting voting power.

I look forward to the City Club’s follow-up report that will have recommendations on representation and voting methods. I’m very open to the discussion.

Mingus Mapps: Replacing Portland’s commission form of government is one of my top priorities. Portland is one of the last large cities in America to use a commission form of government. Our commission form of government encourages city commissioners to look out for the interests of the bureaus they manage and look past the interests of the city as a whole.

Portlanders deserve better government. That is why I would fight for three common sense reforms to our city’s charter:

● Instead of electing members of City Council through at-large elections, let’s use electoral districts to choose our city commissioners. This simple change will ensure voices from every corner of the city are represented in City Hall.

● Let’s institute a city manager system to oversee the day-to-day operations of city bureaus. That common sense reform will make it possible for the city to deliver services more efficiently and with greater accountability.

● Finally, let’s add more council seats so every neighborhood in Portland is heard in City Council chambers.

Keith Wilson: Yes, our current commission form of government is outdated and not being administered as it was originally intended. Commissioners are no longer being elected to run specific bureaus but are assigned by the mayor. For example, the Portland Bureau of Transportation commissioner has no practical or educational experience in transportation or process flow management, and yet is entrusted to manage a $500-plus million budget. We hope commissioners will be effective leaders, but hope is not a course of action in any successful planning process.

I am an advocate for a change from our current commission form of government with at-large elections to a city manager-council form with council seats representing districts. Our current voting process leads to a lack of diversity, equity and opportunity for minorities with few exceptions. At-large elections have resulted in only three people of color being elected in more than 100 years, and only one council person from East Portland in the past few decades.

Finally, our city auditor reports often highlight bureau deficiencies and undelivered promises. A city the size of Portland needs a professional experienced manager that is effective and accountable and can coordinate and collaborate among all bureaus.

Seth Woolley: Yes, we should use a district-based, mixed-member proportional representation system and shift to a city manager model at the same time. It’s not viable to switch to a district form of government and have councilors be bureau commissioners. At-large council elections such as we have now are unrepresentative of different geographies in the city.

Within districts, we still want for diverse voices. To ensure that each voter gets a highly preferred candidate elected, we could use ranked-choice voting for multiple seats with transferable ballots. This way you can be much more certain you are actually represented by somebody you voted for. Ranked-choice voting is used in Benton County, San Francisco Bay Area counties and other places all over the world.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.