Richard Strathern
Friday, January 20, 2012
By James Mayer, The Oregonian
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Former Gresham Councilor Richard Strathern says he is likely to launch a petition drive to get his charter reform ideas before voters.
The Charter Review Committee, which has been meeting since October, has not taken any formal votes — that’s scheduled for Feb. 2 (Info below) (UPDATED: Gresham council struggles with vacancy charter language. Feb 8, 2012) — but it seems clear the panel will recommend only minor tweaks to the charter, rejecting the kind of major changes advocated by Strathern.
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The former councilor, who did not run for re-election in 2010 after serving one term, is seeking to increase the power of the mayor.
“I think we are all very aware of the financial position the city is in, and the country is in, and now may not be the time to rock the boat,” said Joan Armstrong, a retired accountant who serves as chairwoman of the committee. “I think most of the citizens are more concerned about matters much closer to home life and work life than about trying to remake the world.”
But Strathern says the current form of government, with a city council to set policy and a professional manager to run the day-to-day operations, tends to do the bidding of influential businesses and developers.
“It took me four years to figure out how powerless the council and mayor were,” he said. “I’d get all fired up about something, and then nothing would happen. We clearly don’t really have the authority.”
UPDATED: Visit Citizens-for-Voice-and-Accountability Facebook page.
