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Mayor Charlie Hales, pictured here in September 2016 photo, argued for appealing a judge's order that calls for the city to report back on progress made in revamping the Community Oversight Advisory Board.

(Mike Zacchino/Staff)

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales has had many opportunities this year to show his commitment to the police reforms settlement between the city and the federal justice department.

He could have regularly attended meetings of the Community Oversight Advisory Board, the citizens' group that has struggled with fulfilling its charge to assess compliance with the settlement. He could have developed a new police complaint process when public outcry tanked the city's first proposal. And he could have modeled accountability and honesty by putting his then-police chief Larry O'Dea on leave the moment he learned O'Dea accidentally shot a friend.

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Editorial Agenda 2016



Get Oregon centered

Better leadership in education

Make Portland a city that works

Build Oregon prosperity

Protect and expand personal freedom

Get pot right

_______________________________

Hales did none of these. Rather, Hales is squandering his remaining time as Portland's one-term mayor by leading an ego-fueled challenge to the authority of the federal judge overseeing the settlement. As The Oregonian/OregonLive's Maxine Bernstein reported, Hales and the rest of the council

from U.S. District Judge Michael Simon that requires the city to report next month on progress it has made toward revamping the community oversight board.

As judge's orders go, that's not particularly onerous. In fact, it's a smart idea considering the city failed to take action sooner to shore up the oversight board, whose members have long complained of a lack of support, resources, training and even interest by top city leaders. As former state senator Avel Gordly, a member of the oversight committee, told The Oregonian Editorial Board in June, "There's nothing that signals this work is a priority for the mayor and the chief."

Yet, Hales and company bristle at the notion that the judge is requiring an update on fixes to a portion of the settlement that the city had previously crowed about. They argue that calling a hearing outside of annual status conferences is beyond his authority in overseeing a settlement between two parties.

However, the city's legal tantrum will likely gain nothing for Portland. The justice department, for one thing, supports requiring the city to report back. And a previous order by Simon - that the city agreed to - plainly references his authority to call annual status conferences "or otherwise as may be directed by the Court." The justice department even italicized that phrase in a filing stating that the judge has the authority to do exactly what he is doing.

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are Laura Gunderson, John Maher, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and Len Reed.

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There seems to be a personal motivation to the legal challenge that is entirely inappropriate for public action. Hales noted that Simon was the same judge who struck down his unconstitutional practice of excluding members of the public from council meetings for month-long stretches based on past disruptions. In addition, Hales and other commissioners believe Simon should have sanctioned a man who made insensitive comments about one of the city's attorneys in the annual hearing in October.

Simon, Hales declared at the council meeting, "has lost credibility and standing in terms of being an impartial body."

It was a classic Hales moment: Imperious and clueless, all at the same time.

When it comes to "lost credibility," Hales owns the title. Hales, the police commissioner, did nothing after O'Dea told him he was under criminal investigation for shooting his friend. Rather than place his chief on administrative leave or notify the Independent Police Review division so investigators could conduct their own personnel inquiry, Hales sat on the information until confronted by reporters four weeks later. Even then, as O'Dea retired, he decried the media for "smearing" the chief.

Hales never got what police reform meant. But it's disappointing to see the others, including Commissioner Amanda Fritz who has been the most involved in the community oversight board, support Hales' hysterics. While they made noises about just wanting to clarify the rules, they fail to see the message that such a pointless action sends to the community: The vanity of Portland leaders comes first.

"There's a bigger picture here," Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, who has long worked for police reform in Portland, said at the council meeting. "We're in critical times and dangerous times. And the city of Portland needs confidence that the city leadership is not stalling on implementing the settlement agreement."

Unfortunately, his message was lost on the City Council, which seems more bent on trying to show Simon who's boss. The commissioners should try to remember that the answer to that question is the public.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board