Next Time? Shun Team Potter
The real issue isn’t whether “a longer campaign” would have “helped persuade more Portlanders that [Potter] was right in his belief that the city should have a stronger mayor form of government”. Not that I’m surprised that Major Tom ignores the real issue, which in fact is this: It was the height of irresponsibility to put a decision of such import on the ballot for an election which (as anyone with a sense of reality knew) would be decided by a minority of Portland’s voters.
Not one of them will feel it, let alone admit it if they did, but Major Tom, Commissioners Adams and Saltzman, and every member of the Charter Review Commission who pushed fast-track should be ashamed of themselves.
Whether or not Team Potter would have successfully made their case for Curiously-Strong Mayor had they put it up for a vote on a high-turnout election is irrelevant. What’s relevant is the fact that every single one of them thought it was fine to let only a small portion of voters decide either way.
And while Major Tom himself says he’s done with pushing for a change to Portland’s form of government, other members of Team Potter, such as Kyle Chisek, already are champing at the bit for a chance to try it again under the process of periodic Charter review which voters did adopt.
That’s fine so far as it goes. Any party interested in one form of government or another (or an opinion on any aspect of the Charter, which deals with more than just the form of Portland’s government) of course has every right to pursue their preferred form. Or at least, to attempt to pursue it.
But not one single member of Team Potter should be given any credibility the next time we have this discussion. Every single one of them gave their personal stamp of approval to fast-tracking a clumsy, poorly-drafted, and imbalanced proposal onto an off-year May election ballot with historically-low turnout.
That shows either a tremendous lack of respect for both the import of the issue and the role of the voting public, or simply a cynical absence of giving a shit.
Whatever one’s opinion on Curiously-Strong Mayor, commission government, or any other form, the manner in which Team Potter conducted this process is an insult.
So, next time around, if you should happen to notice Major Tom himself, or Sam Adams, or Dan Saltzman, or Kyle Chisek, or Bob Ball, or Harold Williams, or any of the rest of Team Potter trying to worm their way into the Charter review process?
Tell them to take their opinion and fast-track it into their ass.