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Amanda Fritz Aims to Revive "Voter-Owned" Elections
One of Portland's more controversial programs may soon return. City Commissioner Amanda Fritz is holding meetings about resurrecting a version of Portland's short-lived public campaign finance system, according to new lobbying reports filed with the city auditor on April 15. The Portland City Council first approved public financing for council election campaigns in 2005, giving $145,000 to candidates who collected 1,000 signatures and $5 pledges. After several high-profile abuses, voters narrowly rejected the system when it was put to a popular vote in 2010. Fritz vowed in 2013 to try again. Fritz's office declined to discuss her new plan, saying a proposal won't be ready until the end of the month.
Madison Could Get Bumped From Bond
Portland Public Schools has been working on a November bond measure to fund an overhaul of Benson, Lincoln and Madison high schools. But PPS officials are "dropping hints" that Madison should be removed from the plans, says School Board member Mike Rosen. Renovations and financing at three high schools would cost $635 million, but polls show voters won't support a bond larger than $556.5 million. "Madison needs to be in the bond," says Rosen. "We're going to have to change the public's mind."
ACLU Says Prosecutors Need Challengers
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has released a new report that seeks to challenge one of the most predictable outcomes in Oregon politics—the re-election of county prosecutors. "In the past ten years and six election cycles from 2004 to 2014, 78 percent of district attorney races in Oregon were uncontested," says the 22-page report, written by ACLU director David Rogers. He says the lack of choices has immunized Oregon district attorneys from criminal justice reforms taking hold in many other states. Oregon District Attorneys Association president Daina Vitolins says the report, as summarized by WW, sounds like a solution in search of a problem. "The reason there aren't more contested races is DAs are very in touch with our communities," she says.
Deputies Ask Sheriff Dan Staton to Resign
Pressure is mounting on Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton. On April 18, the law enforcement deputies union told Staton it wanted him to resign. "The Sheriff said he would take our request under advisement," union president Matt Ferguson wrote in an email to the rank and file. Staton confirmed to WW he is considering the union's request, but noted he still enjoys the support of jail deputies, a larger union.
Former Oregonian Cartoonist Wins Pulitzer
Former Oregonian cartoonist Jack Ohman has won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning for his portfolio of drawings at The Sacramento Bee. Ohman went to work for the Bee in 2012, after 29 years as a cartoonist for The Oregonian. "I feel like Jimmy Stewart at the ending of It's a Wonderful Life, where he realizes that he's the richest man on earth because he has friends," Ohman wrote on Facebook.
Willamette Week