1. Absence of Voting Districts Creates Serious Representation Issues
Issue Statement:
Citizen concerns and views that have been brought to my
attention over the last six years on voter representation in Gresham
and may be of interest to the City Council. How widely the concerns
and views are shared we cannot determine due to the lack of citizen
engagement by the City Charter Review Committee, but we believe
they are worthy of the City Council’s attention.
This problem and citizen representation issue is due to the
dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs and is resulting in
petitions being circulated that seek to change the way which we elect
City Council members.
Whether or not this issue ultimately appears on a ballot, we
respectfully encourage the City Council to consider researching and
investigating what is at the root of this dissatisfaction inorder to
explore potential remedies and enhance the current voting system in
place.
The following items comprise some of the key elements of this
issue statement. We need to determine which of these elements are
facts and thereby eliminate the argument for the current status quo!
1) What number of Gresham Citizens strongly believe that the current
method of electing members of the City Council does not provide
adequate representation of diverse views and groups?
2) Does this readily admitted given above due to a lack of diversity in
representation causes City Council members to be less accessible and

2. responsive to those not adequately represented by the current electoral
system?
3) Do many citizens perceive the current electoral system being the root
cause of the high cost of campaigning placing this level of citizen
engagement and involvement outside the resources of the ordinary
citizen?
4) Some citizens believe the City of Gresham should do more to level the
playing field in financing and limiting of campaign costs including access
to television and lowering the maximum contribution allowed to
campaign? What is your opinion?
5) Does the current electoral system contribute to the downtown being a
disproportionate beneficiary of the city’s public investment in facilities
and services? Does this perceived bias deprive neighborhoods of
essential investment and services?
6) The balance of power between the mayor, city council and the city
manager can change based on the electoral system. There is a lack of
clarity and citizen understanding on the part of all of the impact of a
majority of City Council and the Mayor coming from a single location
and neighborhood? Would a mix of voting districts and at-large elections
resolve this issue?