Event Description: The first City Council in Portland's new form of city government will have a unique opportunity to create a new governing culture for the city of Portland. One of the most important dynamics they’ll need to grapple with is how to balance their roles as representatives of four distinct districts with their roles as stewards for the city as a whole. While this is certainly a discussion about values, priorities, and culture – it’s also about the decision-making processes and structures that the new city council will need to design and adopt in 2025.

For this event we will be joined by Alison Gilliland, a City Councillor from Dublin, Ireland and Áine Groogan, the Deputy Lord Mayor in Belfast, Northern Ireland – both these cities use proportional ranked choice voting, just as Portland will soon use. Our third panelist is Andrea Jenkins, a Council Member from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they use ranked choice voting and also recently implemented charter amendments to alter their government structure.