Unidentified Presiding Officer called the continuation of the Portland City Council meeting to order at 2:02 p.m. on Thursday and opened the floor for nominations for council president. Councillor Eric Zimmerman nominated Loretta Smith and Steve Novick.

Councilor Steve Novick, accepting his nomination, said he would prioritize better council–staff communication, favoring ordinances over symbolic resolutions, tighter time limits for agenda items and data-driven oversight. "I would prioritize actual ordinances rather than, you know, hopeful resolutions," Novick said, adding he would push for realistic time allocations on the agenda and more pointed committee conversations on housing and public safety.

Councilor Loretta Smith said she would accept the nomination if her colleagues chose her and said restoring unity and a conciliatory tone would be her top priority if elected. "We have to have unity and we have to have a conciliatory tone," Smith said, urging the council to focus on core city services such as water, sanitation and streets.

Councilor Maritza Murillo criticized the prior day’s discussion as "really ugly," alleging that some colleagues applied different standards to "the man of color" candidate and describing what she called "dog whistles" aimed at people of color. "I heard different standards for the man of color," Murillo said, and urged colleagues to show "maturity" and compromise.

Councilor Kunal (last name given in the transcript as "Kunal") referenced a separate federal enforcement incident, naming "Renee Nicole Good, who was killed by ICE yesterday in Minneapolis on Portland Avenue," and said the episode highlighted the need for resilient structures to respond to federal actions. "What we're dealing with today highlights the importance of us getting organized...we are going to be dealing with the federal government for as long as it is the way it is," he said.

After several councilors said they were distraught or distracted by the incident and legal counsel explained the city charter requires the council to elect a president at its first meeting but that the body could recess or adjourn, the presiding officer recessed the meeting. City Attorney Robert Taylor advised that, because the meeting is a continuation, the council could recess and reconvene the same meeting at a specified time or adjourn and operate under code provisions that preserve the prior presiding officer's authority until a new president is elected.

The presiding officer recessed the meeting until 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, to allow time for briefings and for councilors to regroup and complete the election at that reconvened session. No first-round vote on the presidency was completed before the recess.

The council did not take a formal vote on the nominations at this session. The next scheduled reconvening is Jan. 14 at 9:00 a.m., when the body is expected to pick up the election and related business.