News Commissioner Amanda Fritz found herself in familiar territory this morning when she was the only member of the five-person City Council to vote against the contract extension for Ball Janik, LLP, the go-to law firm that helped the City of Portland negotiate the terms of its PGE Park deal with Merritt Paulson. That initial contract grew substantially in July 2009 from $100,000 to $225,000. It grew ...   More

News City Council today approved a $214,940 contract with Alta Planning + Design led by Mia Birk, the former City of Portland transportation administrator who recently served as a co-chairwoman of the city's Bicycle Plan for 2030 steering committee. (The vote was 4-0 with Commissioner Dan Saltzman absent.) Don't let the unanimity fool you. Before the vote today, the contract raised questions in ...   More

News Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz has thrown her weight behind Loretta Smith in the race to represent North and Northeast Portland on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. On her personal blog, Fritz (photo by Darryl James) says it was a tough choice between Smith and her opponent in the race, Karol Collymore. "It is truly exciting and satisfying that there are two dynamic, ...   More

News Here's a quick follow-up for those of you who watched our endorsement interview last week with supporters and opponents of public campaign finance in Portland. Fresh fund-raising reports show that proponents of public campaign finance (Measure 26-108) continuing in City Hall elections have raised more than $93,000 in cash, compared to a little over $6,000 in cash collected by opponents. Among ...   More