New Portland government sworn in

Published 3:15 pm Thursday, December 19, 2024

The first elected officials of Portland’s new form of government were sworn in on Thursday, Dec. 19. They included incoming Mayor Keith Wilson, City Auditor Simone Rede, and the 12 members of the City Council.

“Portland has reached a long-awaited moment of transformation and promise,” said Mayor-elect Keith Wilson. “Now, it’s time for Portland’s new leadership to meet the moment we now face. And solve the issues that prevent us from reaching our true potential.”

Hundreds of people attended the invitation-only ceremony at the Newmark Theater in the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, 1111 S.W. Broadway. They included family members, current and future city staffers, and supporters of the winning candidates.

The 14 officials were the first elected under the City Charter reforms approved by Portland voters in November 2020. Among other things, they replaced the outgoing five-member council elected citywide with three councilors elected in each of four new geographic districts.

The mayor is still elected citywide. The mayor can vote with the city council, but only to break ties. A president elected by the council will preside over it.

All city bureaus will be managed by a professional administrator appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.

The city auditor is still elected citywide and the office’s duties are unchanged.

The Nov. 5 election was first conducted with ranked-choice voting. The winners were:

Mayor: Keith Wilson

City Auditor: Simone Rede

City Council District 1: Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy, Loretta Smith

City Council District 2: Sameer Kanal, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Dan Ryan

City Council District 3: Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo, Steve Novick, Tiffany Koyama Lane

City Council District 4: Olivia Clark, Mitch Green, Eric Zimmerman