On 26th of March 2025, Portland City Administrator Michael Jordan served as the featured speaker in a candid conversation about the recent changes in Portland’s governance. The discussion was facilitated by Lake Oswego City Manager Martha Bennett, who guided the conversation with thoughtful questions and insights. With humor, humility, they drew on their experiences in public service to dissect the promises and nuances of Portland's government transformation offering lessons to equip the next generation of public leaders.
A Once-in-a-Century Opportunity
Portland's new charter, approved by voters in 2022 and implemented in 2025, marked a historic departure from the city’s commission-based government to a structure featuring 12 district-based council members, a mayor, and a professional city administrator. Jordan described the transition as a “once in a hundred years” opportunity to reshape a large urban government—a rare gift, but one wrapped in enormous pressure and public expectation.
From the outset, the transition was daunting. “Our north star,” Jordan explained, “was making sure they could do business on January 2nd,” the first day the new council would meet. The administrative team, in collaboration with PSU and other partners, prepared an intensive onboarding experience covering everything from public meeting laws to the ethics of elected office. Still, questions of authority, norms, and functionality lingered as the city adjusted to a radically different operating environment.
One of the key challenges? Deciding how much of the city’s future to “pre-cook” before the new officials arrived. Jordan reflected that they may have over-prepared, leaving little room for newly elected leaders to shape their own direction. “When they got here, they didn’t like that it was cooked,” he said. Physical logistics presented their own hurdles. Portland’s city hall was built for five officials, not thirteen. Major renovations were needed not just to accommodate more council members, but also to install new technology, reconfigure suites, and support a more collaborative, accessible environment.
The shift wasn’t limited to elected leadership. One of the most consequential—and voluntary—changes was the restructuring of city government. While not mandated by the charter, Jordan insisted on consolidating the city’s 26 bureaus into a more manageable structure to make the role of city administrator viable and appealing.
A New Culture of Accountability
Despite months of preparation, the transition has been, in Jordan’s words, “a little rocky.” With no institutional memory and all 12 council members new to this form of governance, confusion and friction were inevitable. “Nobody really knows what an individual legislator in this form of government is supposed to do…” he admitted.
The challenges haven’t just been internal. Portland’s difficult budgetary situation—driven by pandemic-era one-time spending, falling commercial property values, and long-term structural imbalances—has added fuel to the fire. Jordan noted that compensation costs are up 12% year-over-year, while property tax revenue growth has fallen below 1%. “It’s not sustainable,” he said, making clear that the city will become smaller before it becomes more stable.
Yet amidst the challenges, glimmers of progress are emerging. Centralizing authority under the city administrator has enabled quicker decision-making and real-time problem-solving. Issues that once took months to resolve now can be addressed in less time. “That’s an issue of accountability,” Jordan said, highlighting how a unified chain of command is beginning to break down the city’s historically siloed “feudal kingdoms.” Bennett echoed this, emphasizing how unified leadership helps instill a culture of shared service and mutual responsibility. “We all serve the same human beings,” she said.
Building the Future—With Students in the Room
Both speakers urged Portland State University and the Hatfield School of Government to seize this moment as a learning laboratory. The ongoing governance transition is ripe for research, comparative analysis, and student engagement. “We should have had a cadre of master’s students writing their theses,” Jordan remarked.
They suggested that future research could evaluate how Portland’s new form of government influences budgeting, internal coordination, and public trust. Moreover, Bennett advocated for integrating resilience training and real-world exposure into public administration programs. “This is a high-wire act,” she said. “We need to prepare students not just for the work, but for the pressure.”
As the event closed, both speakers expressed deep gratitude—to PSU, to colleagues in the room, and to each other—for the mentorship and camaraderie that have sustained them over four decades in public service. “This is the hardest five years I’ve ever had,” Jordan said, referencing the overlapping crises of COVID-19, racial reckoning, and fiscal strain. “But I’ve never been more inspired.”
And while Portland’s path forward remains challenging and uncertain, one thing is clear: its governance experiment is being watched closely—not just by its citizens, but by cities across the country wondering if change on this scale is possible, and worth it!