Earlier this year, Governor Tina Kotek formed the Portland Central City Task Force (PCCTF). PCCTF is charged with forming a plan to improve the city and address issues such as houselessness, crime and drug-use. The task force includes city leaders, such as Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, business owners and other community leaders.
This roster is missing one important group—people who actually live and work downtown.
According to Street Roots, PCCTF is a public-private partnership with the Oregon Business Council—a 501(c)(6) organization for groups with common business interests. Many of the task force’s members are business owners, along with some elected officials, such as Wheeler and Rep. Earl Blumenauer.
Even though PCCTF includes elected officials, the group will officially provide its recommendations to the Oregon Business Council, exempting the task force meetings from public records disclosure. The meetings are closed to the public and the media, and records of these meetings are entirely confidential.
In August, Portland State President Ann Cudd announced how she would be joining the task force. “As the city’s research university, Portland State is a hub of innovation and an engine for economic advancement…” Cudd stated in a press release. “We are also a longstanding and committed partner to the city, and I am ready to get to work along with other city leaders to turn Portland’s ship in a new direction.”
The release noted how PSU is the largest landowner in downtown Portland, stating that the university is an economic development engine.
There are some concerning aspects to note here. While PCCTF does have some government officials as members, it is predominantly composed of individuals from the business sector. Many of its members—including its co-chair—are business owners. Furthermore, the task force’s recommendations will be presented at the Oregon Business Plan’s Leadership Summit in December.
The issue areas PCCTF focuses on are skewed in a certain direction. According to KGW, the task force is divided into five groups: Central City Value Proposition, Livable Neighborhoods, Community Safety, Housing and Homelessness and Taxes for Services.
These are undoubtedly important issues, but this isn’t the right group to address them. I find it challenging to place trust in the Oregon Business Council to effectively address community safety. What does a livable neighborhood look like to businesses such as The Standard or Legacy Health? What does community safety mean to Wells Fargo?
These are issues best addressed by the people of Portland, but we have yet to have a say on PCCTF. These meetings should be open to the public, considering the potential changes they might bring to our city. As PSU students, Cudd represents us on the task force, yet we have no idea what this representation entails. There is no reason this task force should operate in secrecy, yet it does.
In the end, there are two real outcomes for the task force. Either it makes no real difference at all—proving to be a waste of time for everyone involved—or it will make a meaningful difference to the city, in which case downtown revitalization will be carried out based on the interests of business owners and the Oregon Business Council. Neither of these are good options, and Portland deserves better.
Instead of focusing on negative issues which business owners are most concerned about, we ought to have an honest public debate about the direction we want our city to go. Our elected representatives are supposed to fulfill this responsibility.
If and when state and local governments form a similar task force for real legislative change, I will watch in anticipation. Until then, PCCTF appears to be another public relations stunt with no one in mind except business owners.