New government era in Portland starts as mayor and 12-member council take charge [Video]

Olivia Clark, a new city council member, told KGW that she and others want to start fast.

“I think we’re going to start the budget process early,” Clark said. “We’re not going to wait for the mayor to hand something off, I think we’re going to do our own process.”

Portland voters approved sweeping changes in November 2022, ushering in ranked-choice voting, geographic districts, an expanded 12-person city council, and a council-manager model of government where a city administrator and six deputies will oversee departments and bureaus.

“The mayor plans to bring a lot of actions to us right away as well,” Clark said before her swearing-in. “He’s told us that he’s not going to wait around.”

The major government changes bring high expectations for results. The new …