Portland has a new form of city government and one manifestation of this is the most progressive city council the city has seen in years. But beneath the veneer of a new governing structure an old entrenched bureaucracy appears to remain. This came into focus on February 3, when the mayor and the acting city administrator gave the go ahead for the controversial Zenith Energy to remain in Portland and probably expand its operations along the North Reach of the Willamette River. This move happened despite a resolution that two council members filed on January 31 to postpone the Zenith decision while the council investigated the company's numerable violations of city ordinances and agreements.
On this episode of Locus Focus we talk about the challenges ahead, with Mitch Green, one of the councilors who filed the resolution to investigate Zenith.