How will the new Portland city government balance the interests of district representation with citywide policy concerns? And how will policy ideas move from Council to community, or vice versa?
The first City Council will have a unique opportunity to create a new governing culture for the city of Portland. One of the most important dynamics they’ll need to grapple with is how to balance their roles as representatives of four distinct districts with their roles as stewards for the city as a whole.
While this is certainly a discussion about values, priorities, and culture – it’s also about the decision-making processes and structures (such as policy committees and district councils) that the new city council will need to design and adopt in 2025. These structures can help elected leaders find the balance between strong electoral incentives to focus solely on district priorities and their role as citywide policymakers. To ground this conversation in concrete examples, we’ll focus on policy areas where district perspectives and citywide needs are often in conflict: Affordable housing development, transit, and achieving climate mitigation goals.
Our panelists will focus on the dynamics around representation that impact policy work on these issues, and how both culture and structure affect their work.
For this event we will be joined by Alison Gilliland, a City Councillor from Dublin, Ireland and Áine Groogan, the Deputy Lord Mayor in Belfast, Northern Ireland – both these cities use proportional ranked choice voting, just as Portland will soon use. Our third panelist is Andrea Jenkins, a Council Member from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they use ranked choice voting and also recently implemented charter amendments to alter their government structure.
Following the interview, we’ll create opportunities for small group and large group discussion about how different decision-making structures, such as policy committees or district committees, can connect district input with policy content expertise.
Speaker Bios
Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins: Andrea was first elected to Minneapolis City Council in 2017 representing Ward 8, south central Minneapolis. She was reelected in 2021 and named City Council President in a unanimous vote, serving as president from 2022 through January 2024. Prior to being elected, Andrea worked as a policy aide for members of the Minneapolis City Council and as the oral historian for the Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota. Andrea is a nationally and internationally recognized writer, artist, poet and transgender activist.
Dublin Councillor Alison Gilliland. Elected to Dublin Ireland’s City Council in 2014, Alison is a member of the Labour Party and also is the Chairperson of Dublin City Council’s Strategic Policy Committee on Housing. Councillor Gilliland also served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2021-2022, a position she was elected to with support from the Labour Party, the Green Party, Fianna Fáil (The Republican Party) and the Social Democrats. Prior to being elected to council, Alison was a school teacher and was involved in the Irish National Teachers’ Organization, serving as the union’s Equality Officer.
Belfast Councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor Áine Groogan. Elected to the Belfast City Council in 2019, Áine represents central Belfast. In 2023 Áine became Deputy Lord Mayor, becoming the first Green Party member in Northern Ireland to earn a mayoral role. Prior to being elected, Áine worked for the Northern Ireland Assembly as a constituency officer, as well as for the Irish Embassy in Latvia. Áine has also been involved in the Irish Feminist Network and other activist movements.
Event Details
In-person event with panelists joining virtually. We’ll serve morning beverages and treats.
Learn more and take action
The City of Portland is taking feedback now on plans for committee structures.
Click here to learn about their proposed governance model and how to give feedback.
Attend a listening session: www.Portland.Gov/Transition/Events