Portland's crop of City Council members may share an unlikely bond in January: All five could end up living west of the Willamette River.

In a city 133 square miles in size, that surprising factoid is a distinct possibility now that Commissioner Nick Fish, a former eastsider, has downsized and moved with his wife and son into a Goose Hollow apartment.

That type of westside concentration would appear to be a first in the 103 years since voters approved Portland's commission form of government, which doesn't require district representation.

"I think it's about your values and about the work you do - not about where you live," Fish said.

Combined with Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler (Southwest Hills), Commissioner Dan Saltzman (Hillsdale) and Commissioner Amanda Fritz (West Portland Park), Fish's move means four of five members next year will live in Southwest Portland.

And Commissioner Steve Novick, who is seeking re-election, also lives in Southwest Portland's Multnomah neighborhood. Novick holds a commanding position heading into the November general election, having secured a 28 percentage-point lead in the primary over challenger Chloe Eudaly, who lives in Northeast Portland's Woodlawn neighborhood.

Fish, for one, isn't concerned about the westside concentration.

"I lived on the eastside for 20 years, and I'm an eastside person," said Fish, who until this month lived in a home just beyond Northeast Portland's Grant Park neighborhood. "I'm not going to stop advocating for the eastside just because I live in Goose Hollow."

Two years ago, The Oregonian/OregonLive took an exhaustive look at the historic ramifications of citywide elections and the concentration of political power it allows. The news organization tracked the home address of each member of the City Council at the time they were elected - but not every address they subsequently moved to.

A review of that data suggests the City Council has always had at least one person living east of the Willamette.

Among America's 50 most populous cities, only Portland and Columbus, Ohio, elect politicians exclusively through at-large elections. Columbus voters in August will decide whether to scrap at-large elections in favor of some district representation.

Efforts to change Portland's government structure have been shot down by voters eight times. This month, a ninth attempt failed to qualify for the November ballot.

Proponents of Portland's at-large voting system say it's appropriate given the city's unique form of government, which assigns both legislative and administrative responsibilities to the mayor and commissioners. They also say citywide elections encourage elected officials to consider geographic equity and accountability rather than focusing on parochial issues.

Opponents, however, say the system has historically left poor areas -- such as east Portland -- without representation or attention to local needs.

Either way, each member of next year's City Council could end up sharing more than simply a Southwest Portland mailing address.

Not only would all five members be white, but, should Novick win, each will begin the new year between the ages of 53 and 63.

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com

503-294-7628

@cityhallwatch