Update: Portland City Council Successfully Appoints Members to Launch New Public Involvement Advisory Council
Aug. 29, 2008
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Afifa Ahmed-Shafi, 503-823-5202, afifa.ahmed-shafi@ci.portland.or.us
Colin McCormack, 503-823-4277, colin.mccormack@ci.portland.or.us
PORTLAND—A new City of Portland advisory council addressing citywide public involvement issues will present 29 members for official appointment at Portland City Council at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. The Public Involvement Advisory Council (PIAC) was established by City Council in February to strengthen and institutionalize the City’s commitment to public involvement and assist City bureaus in creating consistent expectations and processes for public involvement activities.
The 29 members include 13 City Staff, each representing different bureaus, and 16 Community Members from a broad diversity of backgrounds. Please see below for full list.
“This is a great group of people. I am very pleased that they would want to serve,” said Mayor Tom Potter.
The PIAC is a standing body accountable to City Council comprised of both community members and City staff working together as partners in designing effective guidelines for community involvement in City projects. The PIAC will develop and advocate for policy and best practices related to improving public involvement across all City of Portland bureaus.
The PIAC will examine recommendations made by numerous efforts over the last ten years regarding improvements to citywide public involvement, including Community Connect: A Five Year Plan to Increase Community Involvement, Bureau Innovation Project 9: an effort to establish consistent public involvement procedures, and others. The PIAC’s role is to further explore these recommendations and present them to City Council for adoption. The PIAC will also support and advise City bureaus in their implementation of new public involvement guidelines.
The City Council meeting will be held at City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave in Council Chambers.
For more information, contact Afifa Ahmed-Shafi with the Office of Neighborhood Involvement at 503-823-5202 or afifa.ahmed-shafi@ci.portland.or.us More information can be found at: www.portlandonline.com/oni
List of 29 Members Appointed to Public Involvement Advisory Council
Stephanie Blackman, Portland State University, Instructor, Civic Engagement
Glenn Bridger, Southwest Neighborhoods Inc., Past Chair
Jimmy Brown, Water Bureau, City of Portland, Community Involvement & Outreach Manager
Laurel Butman, Office of Management and Finance, City of Portland, Principal Management Analyst
Megan Callahan, Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Portland, Public Information Manager
Ronault Catalani, Immigrant and Refugee Community of Oregon, Civic Engagement Program, Engage ’08, Lawyer, Journalist
Jen Clodius, Portland Fire and Rescue, Senior Community Outreach and Public Information Representative
Cassie Cohen, Vision into Action, City of Portland, Assistant Project Specialist
Alisa Cour, Bureau of Development Services, City of Portland, Customer Service Manager
Tony DeFalco, Center for Diversity & the Environment, Young Environmental Professionals of Color
Board Member, Coordinator
Brad Dennis, Native American Youth and Families, Youth and Elders Council Coordinator
Christine Egan, Jeanne Lawson & Associates, Senior Project Manager
Brian Hoop, Office of Neighborhood Involvement, City of Portland, Neighborhood Resource Center Manager
Joleen Jensen-Classen, Portland Development Commission, Public Participation Manager
Colleen Keyes, Parks and Recreation, City of Portland, Public Involvement Coordinator
Jill Kolek, Office of Sustainable Development, City of Portland, Training, Education and Outreach Manager
Paul Leistner, Southeast Uplift, Past Chair, Doctoral Student
Linda Nettekoven, Southeast Uplift, Past Chair
Art Pearce, Portland Department of Transportation, Capital Projects Manager, Engineering & Development
Felicia Phillips, Start Making a Reader Today, Chief Financial Officer
Midge Purcell, The Urban League of Portland, Organization & Public Affairs
Mandy Putney, EnviroIssues, Communications & Public Involvement Project Manager
Helen Russon, Portland Citizens Disability Advisory Committee, Bureau of Labor & Industries
Associate Member, Disability Lawyer
Arianne Sperry, Planning Bureau, City of Portland, District Liaison Planner, North Portland
Bryan Steelman, Historic Mississippi Business Association, President, Business owner
Simsundareth Tan, Cambodian Community of Oregon, Volunteer
Damon Isiah Turner, Metropolitan Family Service, Instructor, SUN Program
Arnold Warren, Portland Police Bureau, Police Lieutenant
Christine White, Port of Portland, Community Affairs Manager
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Background Information
This new advisory council will work to improve citywide public involvement processes. Improvements could include the inclusion of more voices, increased support and guidance for the City to conduct successful public involvement processes, greater community impact on public decision-making, or better participant satisfaction through more accountable, transparent and respectful processes.
Part of the work of the government is to involve the public on various levels and often to work with the public as partners in problem solving and decision making. Examples of recent public involvement efforts led by the City include: The Portland Plan; VisionPDX, now Vision into Action; Community hearings on the City’s budget, totaling 3.25 billion dollars; and town hall meetings to develop the Safe, Sound and Green Streets proposal to fix Portland’s streets.
Several previous efforts have addressed how to improve citywide public involvement, including Community Connect, Bureau Innovation Project #9 - Public Involvement and the Public Involvement Task Force. These groups all recommended that an ongoing body be created to strengthen citywide public involvement practices and implement and support recommendations already made. In response, the Portland City Council approved the creation of the Public Involvement Advisory Council. This advisory council will work collaboratively between government and community to develop and advocate for policy and best practices related to improving public involvement across all City of Portland bureaus.
More Information on the Public Involvement Advisory Council
