Portland’s mayor won’t seek reelection to a second term next year.
That comes as Portland voters are set to decide the fate of a slate of ballot questions that would radically reshape city politics, and Mayor Kate Snyder wants it clear to voters her position on them isn’t based in self-interest, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Snyder was first elected in 2019, when she unseated Ethan Strimling in the city’s third mayoral race since the office was restored in 2011.
In November, voters will decide on a slate of changes that have emerged from the Portland Charter Commission, which Portlanders tasked with reshaping the city’s governance in a 2020 vote.
The most dramatic shift will be in the city’s top management. The commission has proposed elevating the mayor as Portland’s chief executive who would craft a city budget and nominate department heads. Meanwhile, the commission would diminish the power of the city manager, who would report to the mayor while overseeing department heads.
The City Council would have power to remove the mayor or order a recall election with a three-quarter majority vote. Under the proposals, the council would expand from nine members to 12.
That proposed realignment has been met with opposition from Snyder and her predecessors, who warned the changes may politicize the city’s governance.
With that vote looming, the city has decided against searching for a permanent replacement for former City Manager Jon Jennings. If voters approve the proposals from the Charter Commission, the new mayor, whom voters will elect in 2023, will appoint the city manager.