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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2024)
JUNE 5, 2024 25 CENTS Portland and Seattle Volume XLVII No. 16 News ................................3,6-8 A & E ........................................5 Opinion ...................................2 Access to Pharmacies .....8 Calendars ...............................4 Bids/Classifieds .....................7 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW BLACK WALL STREET National ranked-choice voting expert Grace Ramsey Grace Ramsey has worked in several other states and cities to educate voters on new system of voting. By Saundra Sorenson Of The Skanner News P ortland voters will elect the city’s next mayor and city commission- ers in November, with no room for run-off races. That’s because Portland joins a growing number of cities and states in the U.S. to adopt ranked-choice voting, where voters have the opportunity to list not only their first choice in candidate, but also present a list of their backup choices. It may seem daunting at first, but as national ranked-choice voting expert Grace Ramsey explains, it’s an intui- tive process we often use in other areas of our lives. And ranked-choice voting, she says, has the potential to shake up previous systems of influence and bet- ter empower voters to draw attention to issues – while doing away with the idea that a voter is ever throwing away a vote on an unlikely candidate whom they strongly support. Ramsey has worked in voter educa- tion about ranked-choice voting for more than a decade, and has worked in communities and states that are in- troducing ranked-choice voting for the first time – places like Alaska, Maine, San Francisco, New York City and Minneapolis, to name a few. She took a break from working with the city on its voter outreach to speak with The Skanner. Interview has been edited for See VOTING on page 3 Chaz Ebert Book Signing Event at Powell’s This Weekend page 5 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Ranked- Choice Voting Expert on What Portland Can Expect in November People danced in the street, jumped rope, played vibe bingo and of course shopped during Africatown Community Land Trust’s 4th Annual Honoring Our Black Wall Streets, May 27 on 23rd and Jackson. The event started in 2021 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Black Wall Street massacre in Tulsa Oklahoma and has turned into an annual celebration of Black Businesses and entrepreneurship. Over a hundred businesses lined Jackson Street from 23rd Avenue down to Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The best weather of the Memorial Day Weekend helped draw people to the event. New Police Oversight Board Still On Track Despite Challenges, A Trip to Court But advisory committee members say they’re left in the dark about the progress of city code they helped form. By Saundra Sorenson Of The Skanner News A s the voter-approved Community Board for Police Account- ability begins to take shape, the Portland Police Association’s initiative to de-fang it hit a snag last week. In 2020, voters approved changing the city char- ter to create a new, inde- pendent police oversight board with the power to discipline and even fire law enforcement staff in cases of egregious misconduct. In February, the police union filed a ballot initia- tive that would repeal the board’s status as an inde- pendent body, remove its abilities to discipline and fire officers and redline its budget. In March, Pastor LeRoy Haynes joined the ACLU, the League of Women Vot- ers and Portland Forward to argue in court that the approved petition title and description was mislead- ing and potentially decep- tive to voters. “The court was right to inform voters that the Portland Police union’s ini- tiative would radically wa- ter down Portland’s mod- ernized system,” Haynes, chair of the Albina Minis- terial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Re- form, said. A Vague Measure At issue was the ballot title as filed by the city: “Amends Charter: Chang- es authority, membership and budget for communi- ty police oversight board,” and the question posed to voters, “Should Portland change police oversight board authority to rec- ommend but not impose discipline; amend inves- tigatory authority; revise membership, budget re- See POLICE on page 3 School Board Selects Kimberlee Armstrong, Ed.D. to be Next Superintendent The Skanner News T he Portland Public School Board of Education announced Tues- day the selection of Kimberlee Armstrong, Ed.D., to serve as the next superintendent. The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning to approve and autho- rize the appointment and contract. Throughout her career, Armstrong has been instrumental in advanc- ing student achievement, address- ing racial inequities and closing the achievement gap for students of col- or through her dynamic approach to classroom innovation, curriculum enhancement and professional de- velopment. Armstrong’s three-year contract begins July 1, and members of the board of education said they will welcome the positive changes her leadership will bring to the school district and its schools. The board led a comprehensive and inclusive selection process, guid- See SCHOOL on page 3 Kimberlee Armstrong, Ed.D.
