After more than four hours of nominations, debate and roll-call voting on Jan. 2, 2025, the Portland City Council elected Councilor Pertle Guinea as council president and Councilor Koyama Lane as vice president.

The election required multiple rounds of ballots. Early rounds produced repeated 6–6 ties between nominees; that deadlock prompted a contested legal question about whether the mayor could cast a tie-breaking vote in the internal election. City Attorney Robert Taylor advised the council that the charter “reserves that decision solely to the 12 members who are present,” concluding that “the mayor is not authorized to cast a vote in the election for Council President and Vice President because the mayor is not a member of council and is not one of the councilors present at the meeting where this election occurs.”

A motion on the floor to adopt a rule allowing the mayor to break tie votes failed. The council then continued balloting. After several additional rounds of nominations and votes, the council recorded a final tally in which Councilor Pertle Guinea received a majority of votes present and was declared elected council president. The clerk announced that Councilor Avalos received five votes and Councilor Pertle Guinea received seven votes; a majority was achieved and the clerk declared Pertle Guinea elected.

After the presidency was decided, the council elected Councilor Koyama Lane as vice president. The roll-call vote for vice president recorded Koyama Lane receiving 12 votes; the clerk announced that Koyama Lane received 12 votes and the council confirmed the choice.

The election process included extended deliberations and public attention. Council debate touched on expectations for the president’s role, power sharing across the enlarged 12-member body, and whether the council should adopt a sunset for its initial rules to allow later revision. Several councilors emphasized the need for a president who will promote collaboration and ensure that the newly restructured city government remains accessible to neighborhoods across Portland.

Why it matters: The council president has responsibility for setting and organizing agenda flow, and the election establishes leadership for the council as it moves to form committees and begin substantive work under the city’s new charter. The close votes and legal questions illustrate how the new structure will require the council to make precedent-setting procedural choices early in the term.

What’s next: With a president and vice president in place, the council will proceed to form committees and assign leadership roles consistent with Chapter 3.02 and the rules it is developing. The council also scheduled a second reading on code amendments for Jan. 15, 2025.