The authors of a recent opinion piece praising the outcomes of Portland’s new City Council election system, Marcus Mundy, Elona Wilson, and Tony DeFalco, deserve congratulations (Opinion: Portland’s first ranked-choice voting election delivered on its promises, Nov. 17). They developed and are currently defending a selection process that gives candidates backed by well-run advocacy groups a clear edge. Which interests will be represented by the new councilors? The interests of community members or advocacy groups?
Citizens felt they had no direct representation under the previous system, which had five representatives for the entire city. Rather, elections were dominated by interest organizations. It is essentially the same in the new system. My district is represented by three individuals, two of whom I do not know, and the third was my fourth choice out of five. The priorities of the groups influencing the results are the only changes I can see.
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