Governance committee forwards appointment of Alphonso Moore to Civil Service Board

The Portland Governance Committee voted June 23 to send the nomination of Alphonso (Alfonso) Moore to the full City Council with a recommendation that the council confirm him as the third member of the Civil Service Board, a charter‑mandated body that hears employee appeals.

The appointment was moved by Councilor Ryan Clark and seconded by Councilor Pertle Guinea. Committee members recorded three aye votes and the motion was sent to full council with a recommendation to confirm.

The Civil Service Board is a three‑member panel appointed by the mayor and confirmed by council to hear appeals by civil‑service appointed employees on disciplinary, classification and testing matters, Kelly Hess, a labor relations analyst with the City of Portland, told the committee. “There are three different types of cases that come before the Civil Service Board,” Hess said, listing classification reviews, disciplinary appeals for non‑probationary civil service employees and appeals related to testing for specific classifications.

Moore, who said he was born and raised in Portland and worked for the City of Portland from 2005 until February 2017 in human resources, told the committee he would treat the board’s public seat as neutral. “If I find fault with management, I will say that. If I find fault with the employee, I will say that too,” Moore said. He said the board meets irregularly—staff told the committee the board typically hears about one to two cases per year, with some years having none.

Committee members praised Moore’s experience in human resources and employee relations but noted concerns about the mayor’s choice for the board’s neutral seat. One councilor said the nominee’s professional background has been largely on the management side and urged the mayor’s office to consider that balance when submitting future nominees. The councilor added they would nonetheless support moving Moore’s nomination to full council.

The committee record shows the nomination to be placed on the full council calendar for confirmation. The committee did not take additional substantive action on the Civil Service Board rules or meeting frequency during this item.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: “I move the appointment of Alfonso Moore for commissioner of the Civil Service Board to be sent to the full council with a recommendation that the appointment be confirmed.” Moved by Councilor Ryan Clark; seconded by Councilor Pertle Guinea. Outcome: motion approved by the committee and referred to full council with recommendation to confirm.