On Tuesday, the Portland Public Library put on a panel discussion with four members of the Portland Charter Commission that served from 2009 to 2010. It was a pleasure to reconnect with members of that group. In part of our discussion, we talked about how diverse our group had been.
There were people from various political persuasions, ages, professions, economic levels. We reflected that the diversity truly enriched the discussion and brought lots of ideas to the table. Although we all arrived with different opinions, we listened to and learned a lot from each other. We floated and researched a variety of ideas. All of us on the panel agreed that the diversity helped to create a result that was more reflective of the whole community and better in the long run.
That leads me to be concerned about a group that has fielded a full slate of candidates for every seat on the Charter Review Commission. If they are successful and the Charter Review Commission is filled exclusively with a group that brings only one point of view to the table and pre-agreed outcomes, the result will not reflect the broad needs and wishes of the city’s residents.
I strongly recommend that voters look for diversity in their selections for the Charter Review Commission in the upcoming election.
Pam Plumb
chair, 2010 Charter Commission
Portland
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