Portland mayor-elect Potter reaches out to labor

Portland Mayor-elect Tom Potter offered an “olive branch” to organized labor Nov. 22 at the monthly delegates’ meeting of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council.

Potter, a former police chief of the Rose City, defeated labor-endorsed City Commissioner Jim Francesconi for the Rose City’s top post.

Mayor Vera Katz did not seek re-election after three terms in office.

In his remarks to the labor council, Potter promised to work with the union movement to make Portland “the best-run city in the United States.”

The mayor-elect offered to “build bridges and trust” with organized labor. “If I had an olive branch to extend, I would do that,” he said.

Potter announced that he will require all city bureaus to have labor-management councils — an idea he said was suggested by Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard, a former president of Fire Fighters Local 43. “I am going to insist that bureau managers listen to the employees in an organized way,” Potter told the council members, which he said would solve more problems than the use of grievances.

Potter also promised to add a labor liaison position to his office and to “give serious consideration” to appointing a member of organized labor to at least one of three positions expected to come open on the Portland Development Commission (PDC) between now and next summer.

Wally Mehrens, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council, has filed for a PDC position, which is appointed by the mayor.

Potter said the city faces many serious issues and that solutions will come with labor’s involvement.

“The better we work together, the better the city will operate. I will keep my door and ears open,” he concluded.

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