Oregon creates crisis committee to try to address Portland's decline

The Portland Central City Task Force will address the city's struggles with crime, homelessness, trash and fiscal issues.

La gobernadora Tina K — (Oregon State University / Flickr).

Published by

Rosana Rábago Sainz

10 de agosto, 2023

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Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced Wednesday that she will create a committee with the goal of solving the economic problems occurring in downtown Portland. The Portland Central City Task Force (PCCTF) will address the city's difficulties with crime, homelessness, garbage and various fiscal issues.

The committee will be co-chaired by Governor Kotek herself and The Standard's President and CEO, Dan McMillan. In addition, the PCCTF will be comprised of several local elected, business and community leaders. They will be part of the five groups that will comprise the committee: vision & value, clean streets, crime & vandalism, unsheltered homelessness, and tax competitiveness. Each of these strands will focus on the various problems facing the city, as the governor herself stated in a press release:

It’s no secret that downtown Portland has faced an onslaught of challenges in recent years that have tarnished some of the characteristics that people love about Oregon’s largest city. Growing pains turned into crises, exacerbated by a global pandemic, and now concerns about Portland have become a statewide economic issue. It’s time to look forward, bring together diverse voices, and focus our energy on developing concrete and equitable solutions. I want to thank everyone who believes in Portland and is committed to building a brighter future, whether you’re a member of this task force or doing great work elsewhere.

The committee, in response to petitions from Portlanders

It is not yet known who will make up the group, but Kotek spokeswoman Elisabeth Sheperd explained to The Seattle Times, that the candidates include Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.

The PCCTF will hold its first meeting on August 22. From then on, they will meet once a month between August and October to evaluate the various issues. Following this, they will produce a report with recommendations that they will present at the Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit in December.

The committee, Kotek said, is a direct response to pleas from Portland neighbors and Oregonians who are concerned about the city's decline in the wake of the 2020 pandemic:

I’m not always a fan of task forces. But we have to provide a venue where people can come together, address significant issues and have a plan of action. We got to talk about how the city looks, the streets looking clean, the graffiti. We have to talk about crime and vandalism.

Problems that PCCTF co-chair Dan McMillan also wants to address, and he said the committee members would do so free of charge and with the goal of finding economic solutions for Portland:

We are thankful to have a strong and willing partner in Governor Kotek working with the business community, local officials and nonprofit leaders to create actionable steps to ensure downtown Portland's future prosperity. We're gradually seeing increased foot traffic, a decrease in property crime and boarded windows coming down. It's time to seize the moment and write the next chapter for our beloved city, together.