Governor Tina Kotek has announced that she is partnering with the Oregon Business Council to convene local elected, business, and community leaders to tackle issues impacting the economic future of Portland’s Central City.

Governor Kotek and Dan McMillan, President and CEO of The Standard, will co-chair the Portland Central City Task Force. The task force will focus on identifying next steps to develop a shared vision for Central City’s future economic growth and address immediate emergent challenges. Committees of the PCCTF will be Vision & Value, Clean Streets, Crime & Vandalism, Unsheltered Homelessness, and Tax Competitiveness.

“It’s no secret that downtown Portland has faced an onslaught of challenges in recent years that have tarnished some of the characteristics that people love about Oregon’s largest city,” Governor Kotek said. “Growing pains turned into crises, exacerbated by a global pandemic, and now concerns about Portland have become a statewide economic issue. It’s time to look forward, bring together diverse voices, and focus our energy on developing concrete and equitable solutions. I want to thank everyone who believes in Portland and is committed to building a brighter future, whether you’re a member of this task force or doing great work elsewhere.”

The Oregon Business Council supports the vision of the Oregon Business Plan, a policy forum that we’ve shared nearly two decades with leaders from all sectors of Oregon life. This vision, recently updated, embraces three intertwined policy priorities for a coming decade of shared prosperity.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Kotek has little private-sector business experience. For a short time she was a commercial diver and a travel agent. Her official biography touts experience at the non-profits Oregon Food Bank and later at Children First for Oregon as a policy director. She has a degree in Religious Studies from the University of Oregon and a master’s in international studies and comparative religion from the University of Washington.

Governor Kotek and McMillan are leading the task force -- according to a statement from Governor Kotek -- in response to a clear mandate from Portlanders and Oregonians to address issues facing Portland’s Central City, which represent a bellwether for the prosperity of the entire state as Oregon’s largest economic center.

"We are thankful to have a strong and willing partner in Governor Kotek working with the business community, local officials and nonprofit leaders to create actionable steps to ensure downtown Portland's future prosperity," Co-Chair Dan McMillan said. "We're gradually seeing increased foot traffic, a decrease in property crime and boarded windows coming down. It's time to seize the moment and write the next chapter for our beloved city, together."

Their first meeting will be held on August 22, 2023. The task force will meet once per month between August and October and is slated to present recommendations at the Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit in December. Full membership will be announced at a later date.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-08-09 13:38:10

Last Update: 2023-09-16 16:30:46