But we do have a carpet-bagging City Administrator who is wasting no time in leaving his mark. I thought the City Administrator worked under the Mayor under our new, so-called "Charter Reform"? Is the Mayor culpable for allowing his underling to set policy like this? Inquiring minds want to know!.
When I heard this news, I immediately thought about the devastating Altadena fire which was started by faulty power lines. With climate change, why would we take this risk with our most precious natural area?!
This is absolutely devastating and so underhanded. How dare the city of Portland so blatently cave to private interests over the public, our treasured Forest Park and the environment? For Shame, Portland and PGE!!
PS: Forest Park Conservancy has some helpful links if you want to express displeasure directly to public officials responsible for this travesty Breaking: PGE signs deal with the City to greenlight revived plans to remove 376 Trees in Forest Park - Forest Park Conservancy https://share.google/AaNWIe74y0YvTFnsq
This NOT how it works…..”Who was negotiating for the city? There is a rumor that city councilors Mitch Green and Steve Novick were chosen to represent the city. The NW Examiner asked each of them to confirm or deny the rumor, but neither responded in any way.” I am so tired of this. These are public servants, elected by the people. They need to go. The bar needs to be higher …..they work for US…Mitch Green, Steve Novick…..You’re fired
It is my understanding that Oregon land use proceedings are generally subject to Oregon’s Public Records Law, but records that reveal confidential mediation communications may be exempt from disclosure. As a result, we may never know every detail that led to this agreement. One would hope that, once City staff completes its review and issues its recommendation, the City Council will have an opportunity to consider the matter in a public proceeding.
This goes back to a point I made in response to Classen’s first article about this agreement. If the agreement truly is a bad deal for Portlanders, it would be surprising if the City Attorney, the City Administrator, and the Mayor all supported it. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily right, but it does suggest there are legal or factual considerations that are not yet public—and, because mediation communications are generally confidential, some of those considerations may never become public.
It’s an interesting tension between the public’s right to know and the need for City administrators to negotiate privately with outside parties so agreements can actually be reached. It reminds me of Marc Dunkelman’s Why Nothing Works, which explores how modern governance often struggles to balance transparency, public participation, and the ability to make decisions. Perhaps this is just another example of the enduring tension between Jeffersonian democracy and Hamiltonian governance.
1. who publicly said PGE hadn't demonstrated need, had ignored better alternatives, was steamrolling the Forest Park management plan, and voted no; and
2. who's been vocal with concerns about the city subsidizing a billionaire Blazers owner regarding the Moda Center renovation while insisting on transparency in those discussions,
is not the type to quietly fold once a $37.8 billion corporation gets him alone in a secret meeting.
Confident he'll be along shortly to clear this up- either he wasn't in the room, or he was, and something changed his mind.
p.s. The deal- and the process that led to it, stinks!
Anyone else convinced at this point that these elected officials are trying to destroy the city? I don’t believe we can wait until November to get these people out at the rate of horrible decision-making we are currently seeing. A lot of what they are doing now can’t be undone. How I wish voters here would get a clue.
I pray that Administrator Lee, and PGE President Pope lose a lot of sleep over their decision to put thousands in danger of losing everything should a fire start from one of the new lines running through Forest Park. Rat bastards.
Good grief, Alan. What would we do without you? And how can voters get a "do over" on the 12 folks who are supposed to represent us -- that is, the Council, the Administrator, and the Mayor??
I don't think the whole council, including councilors Clark and Zimmerman, were advised of the secret negotiations and the resulting, lop-sided deal before the city administrator signed it.
Nice to see that the City Council has some authority, not.
Anyway, why does PGE need more space to run additional lines? Future needs, they say. Keep chopping up current spaces that make the area livable, and people will stop moving here (actually, they have already stopped).
Also, what is the point of having this large City Council if it can apparently be overridden by the City Administrator?
In a state that put thousands of Oregonians out of work and flushed the timber industry down the toilet to protect an owl species (now being killed off by other owls), this episode seems like small potatoes.
I feel betrayed.
How did PG&E's record for poor maintenance leading to fires dealt with in these secret negotiations?
Our new city administrator appears to be a one man wrecking crew.
Hmm... NO KINGS???
But we do have a carpet-bagging City Administrator who is wasting no time in leaving his mark. I thought the City Administrator worked under the Mayor under our new, so-called "Charter Reform"? Is the Mayor culpable for allowing his underling to set policy like this? Inquiring minds want to know!.
When I heard this news, I immediately thought about the devastating Altadena fire which was started by faulty power lines. With climate change, why would we take this risk with our most precious natural area?!
Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up.
This is absolutely devastating and so underhanded. How dare the city of Portland so blatently cave to private interests over the public, our treasured Forest Park and the environment? For Shame, Portland and PGE!!
PS: Forest Park Conservancy has some helpful links if you want to express displeasure directly to public officials responsible for this travesty Breaking: PGE signs deal with the City to greenlight revived plans to remove 376 Trees in Forest Park - Forest Park Conservancy https://share.google/AaNWIe74y0YvTFnsq
It seems like we should be able to have both power and beauty. Unfortunately, this agreement seems to trade one for the other.
This NOT how it works…..”Who was negotiating for the city? There is a rumor that city councilors Mitch Green and Steve Novick were chosen to represent the city. The NW Examiner asked each of them to confirm or deny the rumor, but neither responded in any way.” I am so tired of this. These are public servants, elected by the people. They need to go. The bar needs to be higher …..they work for US…Mitch Green, Steve Novick…..You’re fired
It is my understanding that Oregon land use proceedings are generally subject to Oregon’s Public Records Law, but records that reveal confidential mediation communications may be exempt from disclosure. As a result, we may never know every detail that led to this agreement. One would hope that, once City staff completes its review and issues its recommendation, the City Council will have an opportunity to consider the matter in a public proceeding.
This goes back to a point I made in response to Classen’s first article about this agreement. If the agreement truly is a bad deal for Portlanders, it would be surprising if the City Attorney, the City Administrator, and the Mayor all supported it. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily right, but it does suggest there are legal or factual considerations that are not yet public—and, because mediation communications are generally confidential, some of those considerations may never become public.
It’s an interesting tension between the public’s right to know and the need for City administrators to negotiate privately with outside parties so agreements can actually be reached. It reminds me of Marc Dunkelman’s Why Nothing Works, which explores how modern governance often struggles to balance transparency, public participation, and the ability to make decisions. Perhaps this is just another example of the enduring tension between Jeffersonian democracy and Hamiltonian governance.
Say it ain't so, Mitch!
Surely Mitch Green, the councilor:
1. who publicly said PGE hadn't demonstrated need, had ignored better alternatives, was steamrolling the Forest Park management plan, and voted no; and
2. who's been vocal with concerns about the city subsidizing a billionaire Blazers owner regarding the Moda Center renovation while insisting on transparency in those discussions,
is not the type to quietly fold once a $37.8 billion corporation gets him alone in a secret meeting.
Confident he'll be along shortly to clear this up- either he wasn't in the room, or he was, and something changed his mind.
p.s. The deal- and the process that led to it, stinks!
Thank you. Excellent report!
Anyone else convinced at this point that these elected officials are trying to destroy the city? I don’t believe we can wait until November to get these people out at the rate of horrible decision-making we are currently seeing. A lot of what they are doing now can’t be undone. How I wish voters here would get a clue.
$$ over public safety / public consensus in government. Sounds about right in merika.
I pray that Administrator Lee, and PGE President Pope lose a lot of sleep over their decision to put thousands in danger of losing everything should a fire start from one of the new lines running through Forest Park. Rat bastards.
Don Booth
Good grief, Alan. What would we do without you? And how can voters get a "do over" on the 12 folks who are supposed to represent us -- that is, the Council, the Administrator, and the Mayor??
I don't think the whole council, including councilors Clark and Zimmerman, were advised of the secret negotiations and the resulting, lop-sided deal before the city administrator signed it.
Every decision coming from the city is AGAINST the ordinary tax paying citizens of Portland.
Nice to see that the City Council has some authority, not.
Anyway, why does PGE need more space to run additional lines? Future needs, they say. Keep chopping up current spaces that make the area livable, and people will stop moving here (actually, they have already stopped).
Also, what is the point of having this large City Council if it can apparently be overridden by the City Administrator?
In a state that put thousands of Oregonians out of work and flushed the timber industry down the toilet to protect an owl species (now being killed off by other owls), this episode seems like small potatoes.