Portland Mayor Tom Potter praised Portland State University’s developing role within the city during his State of the City address Friday at the Portland City Club’s Friday Forum.
“PSU has always done a remarkable job at serving the city. Whatever it is, PSU has always been ready to step up to the plate. But we can do a better job at being partners with the university,” said Potter, responding to a question from Larry Wallack, the Portland State dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs.
The mayor compared PSU’s growing university district to Seattle’s. “I look forward to the day that our university district is bigger and better than Seattle’s,” he said.
“There are a lot more connections that could be made between us,” said Wallack, referring to PSU and the city of Portland. “The city really benefits from the expertise of students and staff.”
After the event, PSU President Daniel Bernstine was positive about the interaction between Potter and Portland State. He said the relationship between PSU and the Portland Development Commission has been strengthened by Potter’s support of the development of the University District.
“The mayor has been very supportive of PSU and we’re constantly looking for opportunities to work together, so I’m really optimistic about our role with the city,” Bernstine said.
Earlier in his address to the 400 members of the City Club, Potter acknowledged the impact that last year’s death of James Chasse while in police custody has had on the Portland community, and said he would continue to reform the police department.
Potter outlined 14 steps that he and his police chief, Rosie Sizer, are working to avoid undue police brutality. He said he hopes de-escalation training and community outreach will prevent future mental health tragedies.
“She’s been on the job for just 10 months,” Potter said of Sizer, “and her first instinct is to reach out into the community. That’s something we need to make a model for the Portland Police Bureau.”
“The mayor and I are both very interested with improving the public trust with community members, especially members of racial minority communities and police officers,” Sizer said after the address. “That has been historically an issue in this city, and I think there’s ground to be made and we’re engaged on that, so I’m very optimistic.”
Potter said he is looking forward to the voters learning more about charter reform, which could mean a fundamental change in how the city is run, if passed by voters. Potter said he supports a city Charter Review Commission proposal to revamp city government from a “commission” form to a “strong mayor” form with city commissioners becoming legislators. Changes to the city’s constitution have not been made since 1912.
Potter complimented the achievements of the City Council, naming each member and his contributions to the city. The mayor asked all those who had volunteered their time during the past year to stand for a round of applause, then said that he hoped next year twice as many people would be recognized.
Potter spoke of his successes in office so far, and encouraged the city’s citizens to stay involved in the changes that are underway, frequently referencing his visionPDX project, which has tracked the feedback of 15,000 Portland residents so far.
The mayor said he agreed with one participant’s insight: “I love that Portlanders believe Portland belongs to them. I love that too. I believe that sense of ownership, that bond each of us feels with our city, makes us unique.”