District 2:  Dan Jenkins

Your Top Three Priorities

1. Redistricting to create more neighborhood districts
2. An elected mayor
3. Greater accountability- throughout the city in general and in the non elected members of city hall in particular.

Please list prior applicable experience:

-- Treasurer of the 'save our neighborhood polling places' group who sought to keep neighborhood polls open for the 2008 election and beyond.
-- Board member Parkside neighborhood association

What do you hope to accomplish as part of the commission?

I hope to provide a progressive perspective to the discussion. Throughout the process I plan to keep the grassroots and neighborhood levels in mind, efficiency and speed cannot come at the expense of the people, accountability and neighborhood representation.  I will also regularly attend the neighborhood association meetings in district 2 (Parkside neighborhood, West End neighborhood, St John's Vally neighborhood Assocs). I hope we can create a workable charter that will be ratified that creates greater accountability on all levels of government and bring elected officials closer to the people. The best way to do that is to create smaller neighborhood districts.

What do you see as issues within the current structure of city government?

The current structure places too much authority in an unelected person: the city manager. I believe that this should be remedied with an elected mayor. I also have some concern with the way the school committee and the city council interact; I do not have a concrete solution for this issue but would seek responses from community members as to how to create a more functional and accountable system.

What are you thoughts on the 1986 charter report? What prior issues would be the most helpful for the current Commission to consider?

I think that while some of the issues they brought forward are pertinent and should be reconsidered, their main premises of electing district councilors at large and reducing the size of the council are not appropriate. I would reconsider the review of school committee budgets proposed in the ‘86 commission. I would also consider (but I think I intuitively oppose) term limits for the councilors (I do support term limits for mayor however). Of course the issue of elected mayor should be reexamined as well.

What other city charters have you examined? How would it inform your approach to analyzing our city’s charter?

I have looked at how Burlington VT, Bangor and Westbrook are structured (as well as Baltimore MD although that is less applicable I think). I admit that I haven't yet poured over their charters themselves. Burlington and Westbrook employ an elected mayor, both are generally strong in authority. Burlington uses Instant Runoff Voting to elect their mayor, and that appeared to work well during the last race. Bangor has a system similar to ours. I have contact with a former councilor from Bangor who I will be engaging regarding their system and how well it works. It is difficult to compare charters across states as municipalities are created by states and different state laws affect how cities are governed.

Would you support an elected mayor? If no, why not?

I support an elected mayor. However, I want to ensure that the mayor is not given too much authority. I don't believe that the mayor should have veto power. I do want a mayor elected for greater accountability (as right now I can get a mayor that I can't vote out of office), I also would like the mayor to be able to set an agenda, campaign on a vision for the city and process for moving forward.

What parts of the current city charter do you feel are antiquated?

I don't think that much is 'antiquated'. The system, more or less, works and is a tried and true form of government (council-manager form). I think Portland would benefit from some change in the style of government but nothing strikes me as obsolete or antiquated in the current charter.

Would you consider re-districting the City of Portland? Why and how?

Yes. I think district representatives are more active in their local community. I have not seen at large councilors at neighborhood meetings or events. In contrast I have seen district councilors at many of these events. At Large races often come down to fund raising ability, where district races are more about knowing the neighborhood. By reducing the at large seats and creating more neighborhood based districts we can reduce the influence of big money in local politics. Also, having an elected mayor serves the purpose of an at large member, representing the city as a whole. The 1986 report commented on ‘parochialism’ by the district councilors. This is likely to be the case with any councilor whether they are at large or district.

Would you modify the current relationship between the school committee and city council?

I would certainly consider it. I would redistrict school committee members along the same lines as the council. I think the council should have more oversight of the school committee especially financially. I am unsure exactly how to go about doing this.

What role do you think the charter commission should play to educate the public on changes made to the city charter?

The commission should play fundamental one. As a district councilor I would present the changes to the neighborhood association in the district as well as seek other venues for contacting people in the neighborhood regarding proposed changes.

What role is the charter commission for public engagement during the process of re-examining the charter?

Again the commission should play fundamental one. Commissioners should be regularly engaging the citizens they represent to get a pulse on the issues being addressed. I have begun the process of a listening tour among the Neighborhood associations (scheduled for the PNA), and should I be elected this process would continue throughout the re-examination. Separate non-neighborhood meetings should also be set up especially with groups underrepresented in the NA's especially immigrant communities and young people.

What else would you like to add?

Given constraints I'll list a few things I support.
Possible public financing for an elected mayor
Establish a formal meeting with neighborhood associations and the council/mayor.
I would consider electing other offices like city clerk as some places already do.
I would consider instant runoff voting for some offices (esp. Mayor)