From left, mayor-elect Keith Wilson, the twelve incoming Portland City Council members, and auditor Simone Rede wave to the crowd before their swearing in ceremony in downtown Portland, Ore., Dec. 19, 2024.
Anna Lueck for OPB
Portland government will enter a new chapter in mere days, as a newly-expanded city council takes office under an updated governance model.
“It’s a new day,” said Councilor-elect Jamie Dunphy at the council swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 19. Dunphy was one of three people elected to represent District 1, which includes most neighborhoods east of I-205.
The new 12-person council has spent the past few weeks preparing for the job in city-led onboarding and leadership sessions. It will hold its first meeting on Jan. 2.
The government changes, put into place by voters in 2022, introduce geographic districts, a larger city council, a new city administrator and a more managerial role for the mayor. It also removed the responsibility of city bureau oversight from city councilors and brought ranked choice voting to Portland in November’s city elections.
Incoming Councilor Angelita Morillo, elected to represent District 3 in much of inner southeast Portland, said she’s excited to shepherd in this new era of government alongside her peers. But she asked Portlanders who may expect immediate changes to be patient.
“I would say give us a little bit of grace as we’re figuring this out,” said Morillo on Dec. 19. “You don’t want to rush a process that’s going to establish a government for the next hundred years. When we move with urgency, we default to the status quo. And that’s what we’re trying to leave behind.”
The new council is the city’s most diverse. Ranging from ages 28 to 70, the group is split equally between men and women. Five of the 12 are people of color, and at least four identify as LGBTQ+. While all incoming councilors are registered Democrats, the group is also ideologically diverse, ranging from socialists to those with a more conservative lean.
While Councilor-elect Dunphy celebrated that diversity, he said it’s the councilors’ similarities that stand out to him.
“The thing I’ve been most surprised about is the dynamic in the group. I think that the 12 of us are so much more values-aligned than I think anybody would’ve really guessed. It’s just going to be, what do we prioritize first?”
There are a number of decisions the new council will be required to make in their first few meetings, like voting for a council president (who sets the council agenda) and establishing new council committees. Some incoming councilors have made other priorities known, like asking for funding to hire more council staff, opening council offices in their respective districts, and holding in-district public town halls to inform the city’s challenging budgeting process.
Council starts work the same day as Mayor-elect Keith Wilson who, per the new government changes, won’t vote on city council, except to break a tie.
