Hello neighborhood leaders,
As a result of the strong advocacy of individuals in neighborhood associations and district coalitions, Mike Jordan (the Chief Administrative Officer and head of the city’s government transition team) met with neighborhood associations to discuss how the new city organization structure will impact our neighborhood associations. Well over 100 people attended the Zoom meeting, and many insightful questions were posed.
Below is the takeaway from the meeting, an analysis of the current proposal, and a recommendation as to how we together advocate for a structure that is most beneficial to NAs and the city government. This is a lengthy email, and I hope you have an opportunity to review it in full, but if you feel you are well-versed on the issues either through our prior emails or your personal research, please feel free to go directly to the recommendation section.
Background
To very briefly summarize, the City conducted a poll (not directly with NAs), with the result that Portlanders’ main concerns were 1) public safety, 2) homelessness, and 3) economic development. Based in part on this poll, it was felt that neighborhood associations and district coalitions could be paired with a broad range of homeless services (JOHS, temporary shelters, safe rest villages, PEMO, IRP) in an entity called Portland Solutions. Portland Solutions was initially to be housed under the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, but we were informed that it will now be moved to the Assistant City Administrator. Note that the current city org chart on the transition webpage (https://www.portland.gov/transition/government/city-organization/draft-chart-recommendation) does not yet reflect these changes. Each of the four new district coalitions will have an intermediary in this structure to help navigate the city bureaucracy. The public is allowed to comment on these recommendations directly to the transition team through 11:59pm on Oct. 5, and directly to City Council until this plan is presented on October 19. This is a very quick turnaround for such a large change to our government structure, which is the reason for this email.
Discussions with NA Board Members
Yesterday, I held a Zoom call with leaders of several neighborhood associations, both in East and West Portland, that have been following this process for a while. The purpose was to ascertain peoples’ reactions to the currently-proposed plan, whether the plan served the best interests of neighborhood associations and district coalitions, and whether to recommend advocacy to the transition team and City Council.
It was a good discussion, and we focused on 1) the roles NAs play in the city structure; 2) the goals of NAs based on this year’s NA Summit that was attended by 64 NAs plus coalition representatives; 3) the long-term vs. short-term needs of neighborhood associations; 4) other similarly-situated city organization structures; 5) the takeaway from the city’s own Phase 2 service area government transition assessment
1. The Roles of NAs in the City Structure
While certainly neighborhood associations reflect Portlanders’ general desire to quickly, effectively, and compassionately address our current homelessness crisis, everyone agreed that NAs core functions entail much more than what seems to be the parameters of Portland Solutions. Through input on land use, transportation, parks, environmental services and other areas, NAs seek to improve both the livability and economics of our neighborhoods. Many NAs partner with small business organizations for street fairs, neighborhood cleanups, information dissemination, community outreach, and more. We provide information and access to local and government resources. We help with emergency preparation and disaster response. We sponsor community events, picnics, music, walking tours, and events that inclusively help both locals and visitors enjoy Portland’s diverse neighborhoods.
In short, we are more than the sum of our parts, and certainly more than an adjunct to homeless services. The discussion group felt that the city and its communities would be better served if neighborhood associations and district coalitions were grouped under the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development, alongside development services, planning and sustainability, housing, and Prosper Portland.
2. The Results of This Year’s Neighborhood Summit
During this year’s Neighborhood Summit, representatives of 64 neighborhood associations brainstormed on how we can create healthy neighborhoods, support each other, and improve communication between our communities and the city government. One of the topics meriting the most votes from attendees was working with the government to improve air quality, environment, environmental justice, and design (including land use). Another topic receiving many upvotes was to improve relations with our city government in order to leverage neighborhood association knowledge in decision making as well as to expand community outreach for inclusive participation in decision making. A third area that received many upvotes was to increase livability through a focus on community-based solutions, including in the area of affordable housing.
Homelessness and public safety, while certainly important topics of conversation, were a distant fourth on the priority list, demonstrating a greater focus on community building, government relations, and economic development. Again, the discussion group felt that priorities and work that neighborhood associations contribute to the community would be improved if they were partnered with the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development.
3. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Needs of Neighborhood Associations
It’s safe to say that in the last few years the humanitarian crisis on our streets deserves city-wide attention and coordination. So it’s somewhat understandable to place neighborhood associations alongside homeless resources in a government agency because of the resources we already bring to the table in helping people transition to stability and housing. However, it was felt that long-term neighborhood associations should be grouped with bureaus that complement the myriad of work volunteers on neighborhood associations do for their community and city government. In the proposed organization chart, the long-term needs would be best met by putting neighborhood associations and their respective coalitions with the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development.
4. Other Similarly-Situated City Organization Structures
It was noted that our geographic neighbor Seattle has a city structure with a department dedicated to “Livable and Inclusive Communities.” This department includes neighborhoods, economic development, housing, planning & community development, construction and inspection (permitting). Again, this favors placing Portland’s neighborhood associations in the similarly-structured Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development.
5. Phase 2 Service Area Government Transition Assessment
Portland’s transition team received input from four workgroups consisting of City Commissioner staff as well as bureau staff. (https://www.portland.gov/transition/government/city-organization/programmatic-assessments). These workgroups considered the work performed by the city’s bureaus and, based on their subject-matter expertise, made recommendations on how to better align the bureaus under the City and Deputy City Administrators, as well as Portland Solutions. Importantly, none of the workgroups recommended placing neighborhood associations with homeless services into Portland Solutions.
Rather, the Public Works Service Area workgroup, consisting of the Office of Commissioner Mapps and city staff, recommended that Civic Life (and by extension neighborhood associations) would be better paired under Economic Development. Although each workgroup made slightly different recommendation for the new city structure, the Public Works Service Area workgroup seems to most closely resemble the currently-proposed city organization plan.
Thus, the city’s own transition workgroups favor placing Portland’s neighborhood associations under the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development rather than with homeless services under Portland Solutions.
Recommendation
Based on the above, it is recommended that neighborhood association members advocate for placing neighborhood associations and district coalitions within the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development to better meet the needs of the city government, the city’s diverse communities, and the neighborhood associations that are often the bridge between the two. I realize there may be difference of opinion, but if you agree, then time is of the essence. The transition team only allowed three days since the changes announced during the October 2nd presentation to provide feedback to the transition team. Comments can be sent directly to City Council until the plan is presented on October 19th.
Timeline:
By 11:59pm on October 5th, please email the transition team (transition@portlandoregon.gov) and cc: all 5 City Council members your comments. A draft comment that you can edit is provided below.
After October 5th and by October 18th (but the earlier the better), please email comments directly to the 5 City Council members.
Importantly – if the transition team does not address the concerns and recommendations of neighborhood associations, we will need gather as many people as possible to provide oral testimony on October 19th (typically either Zoom or in-person). If you can devote 3 minutes to testify on behalf of neighborhood associations, please let me know!
Sample draft email:
To: transition@portlandoregon.gov
Michael.Jordan@portlandoregon.gov
Cc: mayorwheeler@portlandoregon.gov
CommissionerRyanOffice@portlandoregon.gov
kellie.m.torres@portlandoregon.gov
MappsOffice@portlandoregon.gov
michelle.rodriguez@portlandoregon.gov
jillian.schoene@portlandoregon.gov
gonzalezoffice@portlandoregon.gov
To City Transition Team, Mayor Wheeler, and City Commissioners:
Re: Comments on Proposed City Organization Chart
My name is ________________, and I am a member/board member of the ________________ Neighborhood Association. For the following reasons, I strongly disagree with placing neighborhood associations and district coalitions alongside homeless services in “Portland Solutions.”
1) Neighborhood Associations core functions entail much more than what seems to be the parameters of Portland Solutions. Through input on land use, transportation, parks, environmental services and other areas, neighborhood associations seek to improve both the livability and economics of our neighborhoods. Many neighborhood associations partner with small business organizations for street fairs, neighborhood cleanups, information dissemination, community outreach, and more. We provide information and access to local and government resources. We help with emergency preparation and disaster response. We sponsor community events, picnics, music, walking tours, and events that inclusively help both locals and visitors enjoy Portland’s diverse neighborhoods. These broad functions means that the City and it’s communities would be better served by grouping neighborhood associations and district coalitions under the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development.
2) During this year’s Neighborhood Summit, representatives of 64 neighborhood associations brainstormed on how we can create healthy neighborhoods, support each other, and improve communication between our communities and the city government. Attendees communicated a need to work with the government to improve air quality, environment, environmental justice, and design (including land use). Attendees sought to improve relations with our city government in order to leverage neighborhood association knowledge in decision making as well as to expand community outreach for inclusive participation in decision making. Attendees sought to increase livability through a focus on community-based solutions, including in the area of affordable housing. Again, this scope is much broader than Portland Solutions, and entails coordination that would be better suited under the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development.
3) A survey relied on by the transition team shows that Portlanders are currently most concerned with homelessness, public safety, and economic development. While these are all near-term needs that neighborhood associations are partnering with stakeholders to address, the long-term city needs would be best met by putting neighborhood associations and their respective coalitions with the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development.
4) Pairing neighborhood associations and their respective coalitions with the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development would be consistent with the organization structure of similarly-situated cities like Seattle. Seattle has a city structure with a department dedicated to “Livable and Inclusive Communities.” This department includes neighborhoods, economic development, housing, planning & community development, construction and inspection (permitting).
5) City Hall’s own Phase 2 Service Area Government Transition Assessment did not place neighborhood associations within Portland Solutions. Rather, a better model was recommended by the Public Works Service Area workgroup, which recommended that Civic Life (and by extension neighborhood associations) would be better paired under Economic Development.
For these reasons, I would ask that neighborhood associations and district coalitions be placed under the Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development where they can be most effective in improving the welfare and living conditions of people that live, work and play in Portland.