The necessary capacity for ambitious ideas often doesn’t exist when commitments are made (Apollo 11, rural electrification, even Pioneer Courthouse Square). Ambition is first deciding where we’re going, and then building the capacity to get there.
And our constant budget crises are the result of how Portland runs itself, so we need to change THAT first. My top focus would be rebuilding the tax base, proposing the Portland Affordability Rule, which would combine City-controlled household costs and keep their growth below the three-year average growth in Portland median household income, and finally writing the citywide strategic plan to decide what kind of city Portland wants to be. That was supposed to already be done by current council, it didn’t get done, and it is critical to get it done.
I wouldn’t start with a target amount and ask each bureau what it can sacrifice, because that approach is what led us here. First we have to decide what the City is trying to accomplish, examine whether its current structure is the least expensive and best way to accomplish it, and then cut what is least necessary or effective. And we needn’t sacrifice ambition in doing this. Ambition isn’t about looking for bigger budgets. The necessary capacity for ambitious ideas often doesn’t exist when commitments are made (Apollo 11, rural electrification, even Pioneer Courthouse Square). Ambition is first deciding where we’re going, and then building the capacity to get there.
