Portland Courant

Portland City Council approved 15 mayoral appointees for the Government Transition Advisory Committee at the March 22 council meeting. The committee will advise city council, the chief administrative officer and City of Portland’s transition team on issues related to the development and implementation of the transition plan. As the main public engagement body for the transition, the committee members will also focus on community education and engagement related to the charter amendments approved by the voters in the November 2022 election.

“We appreciate those community members who took the time to apply to serve on this committee,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. “From among the 79 applicants, we are confident that the diverse selection of new appointees will serve Portland well during this historic transition of city government.”

The 15 community members that were appointed to the Government Transition Advisory Committee are (alphabetical by last name):  

• David Burnell
• Bill Farver
• Manie Grewal
• Lory Hefel
• Joe Hertzberg
• Juliet Hyams
• Zach Kearl
• Destiny Magaña-Pablo
• Elizabeth Mazzara
• Maabi Muñoz
• Fred Neal
• Terrence Paschal
• Amy Randel
• Juanita Santana
• Amy Wood

Alternate members and reserve alternate members  may be selected to move into a committee role if any of the appointed committee members are unable to fulfill their duties.  

Alternate members are (alphabetical by last name):

• Leah Benson
• Jane DeMarco
• Jose Gamero Cassinelli
• Terry Harris

Reserve alternate members are (alphabetical by last name): 

• Brian Belica
• William Kinsey

The mayor’s office and transition project team reviewed 79 applications during the selection process

Applications for the committee were evaluated on seven criteria:

1. Skills, knowledge, and lived experience.
2. Commitment to the City of Portland’s core values.
3. Interest and experience in the elements of the government transition.
4. Experience working on issues that impact Black, Indigenous, and other people of color as well as other communities historically left out of decisions made by City Hall.
5. Ability to support community engagement efforts.
6. Comfort being a member of a highly visible advisory body.
7. Ability to commit the time.

After their appointment to two-year terms, committee members are expected to spend about 12-15 hours per month on advisory committee work. 

Background on workplan

While the advisory committee will develop its own workplan, expected responsibilities include:  

• Ensure implementation of November 2022 voter-approved Charter amendments is done effectively and efficiently, following the City’s core values of anti-racism, equity, communication, collaboration, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.
• Maintain open and consistent communication and engagement with internal and external stakeholders throughout the transition, and ensure input is meaningfully integrated into the City’s implementation of the November 2022 voter-approved Charter amendments. Other than districting-specific public input, serve as the primary solicitor and repository of public input related to the transition. 
• Advise the City on the November 2022 voter-approved Charter amendments transition plan and community education and engagement plan, including project schedule and project budget, resource allocation and funding strategy. 

Visit the City of Portland’s transition website to sign up for email updates and follow the work of the advisory bodies.

Original source can be found here.