Portland, Oregon, to vote on major government overhaul

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A commission formed to study the government structure in Portland, Oregon, has voted by a supermajority to send a sweeping slate of reforms to voters in November. Portland is the last major city governed by a city commission, a system wherein four commissioners and the mayor are elected by all voters citywide — not by district — and divvy up authority over major bureaus such as fire, police and transportation. The reforms, if passed, would expand the number of city council members to 12, implement ranked-choice voting and hire a professional city administrator. Previous attempts at reform have been rejected by voters.