Portland voters approved sweeping charter reforms, including increasing the number of seats on the city council from five to 12. Voters will elect those 12 city council members this November, but the job is highly contested, with roughly 70 candidates running.
But if you’re a business owner, there are additional things to consider.
Portland city commissioners have not been allowed to hold other offices under the city charter for over 100 years, and while the new system puts commissioners in a role similar to Oregon’s legislators, proposing and passing policy rather than acting as both commissioners and policy makers, they still are not allowed to hold other offices.
The 20-person volunteer committee that drew up the city’s new form of government chose to maintain the ban, which had been in place since 1913. The committee considered repealing it, but ultimately decided to create a salary commission to set “adequate wages” for city employees and ensure that everyone could do their jobs regardless of their economic situation. The commission set a yearly salary for city council members at $133,207 (state legislators make just $35,000 a year, and many work part-time in other professions).
City Attorney Robert Taylor issued a memo about the rules on Feb. 21 after Nick Blosser, co-owner of Sokol Blosser Winery, asked for clarification. Blosser, a former chief of staff to Gov. Kate Brown, dropped his bid for City Council because it would require him to give up his ownership interest in his family’s winery. Worldwide Last week, Blosser described the rules as coming out of “Karl Marx’s handbook.”
This memo is currently Worldwidehas strict policies: Any other positions held by council members must be unpaid and must not interfere with the duties required of a council member. Council members are not allowed to actively manage businesses, own majority shares, manage rental properties, earn income from professional qualifications, or in some cases even perform the duties required to maintain such qualifications.
There are seven business owners across Portland running for City Council (and one for Mayor). We asked them what they would do with their businesses if elected. Here’s what six of them said:
Terrence Hayes, District 1
Co-Owner, Restore Nuisance Abatement
Hayes co-owns a graffiti removal company with his wife and, if elected, plans to transfer ownership and responsibility to her. “My wife and I run the company together,” he said.
James Armstrong, 2nd District
Co-owner and President of Alberta Eye Care
Armstrong, who co-owns an eye clinic in Northeast Portland with his wife, plans to transfer ownership to her outright if he wins the November election. “It’s a little nitpick in the 1913 rulemaking,” he said.
Debbie Kitchen, District 2
Co-owner of Interworks
Kitchen co-owns Interworks, a construction contracting company, with her husband, and if elected, she plans to sell her shares to him. “It’s often very difficult to sell a small business in the first place,” Kitchen said. “So I think it makes it a little bit difficult for small business owners.”
Will Mespert, District 2
Owner of Mespert Management
Mespert owns and operates a property management company, and if he wins he won’t be able to take on new clients, but he plans to work with city attorneys to find a way to keep his real estate license while complying with the rules.
Chad Lykins, 4th District
Owner of Rose City Chess
Lykins founded and owns Rose City Chess, which runs after-school clubs, camps and events. He has hired a full-time manager to take over if he wins and has already begun to transfer some responsibilities. He said he will comply with whatever the city attorney asks of him. “I’m making this sacrifice because I feel a calling to get back into policy work and believe the city needs a leader with policy experience who is deeply connected to the community.”
Mayor Keith Wilson
Owner of Titan Freight Systems
If elected, Wilson plans to enter into a buy-sell agreement with management, implement an employee stock ownership plan or transfer his ownership to a blind trust. This isn’t Wilson’s first time doing this: He ran for City Council four years ago, but had to consider giving up his ownership stake then too. “You can’t be great at two things at once,” he said. “We need a mayor who’s focused on turning the city around.”
