Oregon City residents announce petition to make city attorney accountable to elected commission

A group of Oregon City residents told the City Commission Nov. 5 they will pursue an initiative petition to amend the city charter and make the city attorney an employee of the elected commission.

James Necita, speaking during the public comment period, said activists who defended the right to vote on urban renewal debt have formed an organized campaign and voted unanimously to begin signature gathering. Necita said the petition would make a “simple two-word amendment to section 11 of the city charter” to require the city attorney to be employed by and present in Oregon City, citing Article VI, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution and the municipal code’s duty-to-prosecute language as examples of the legal expectations underpinning the proposal.

Other speakers backed the effort. Jordan Edholm and Judy Schafer urged the commission to refer the matter to voters or allow the petitioners to proceed. Edholm cited the Oregon Constitution and the city municipal code (duty to prosecute) to argue a city attorney should maintain a physical office in Oregon City and perform proactive code enforcement rather than a complaint-only approach.

Necita estimated the petition will require about 3,000 valid signatures and that the group plans fundraising and outreach, including talks on local history to raise funds for professional signature gatherers. He said the group may ask the commission to refer the matter to voters to conserve petition resources.

The commission did not take immediate action on the request during public comment; staff will process any formal petition filings in accordance with state and local rules.