Two District 4 candidates recently took to social media to criticize the proposed expansion of the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe program, citing concerns over transparency, corporate influence, and inadequate public accountability. Their objections concern an upcoming council vote to extend the program’s boundaries from 213 to 273 blocks and increase its budget from $7 million to nearly $10 million.
Established in 1988, the Downtown Clean & Safe program is a public-private partnership managed by the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance). It operates as an Enhanced Services District (ESD), providing services such as security patrols, graffiti removal, and sidewalk cleaning funded by fees paid by local property owners rather than the city’s general fund. Proponents argue that expanding the contract will improve downtown safety and cleanliness. Critics, however, contend that the program primarily serves corporate interests and lacks sufficient oversight.
District 4 candidate Mitch Green, an economist, criticized the timing of the expansion.
“Council is voting to extend for 10 years the Downtown Clean & Safe contract ahead of the election. This ensures a decade of public money flows into the Portland Business Alliance’s coffers to fund their ongoing lobbying with the city. It’s a huge conflict of interest,” Green tweeted. In a letter submitted as testimony to the council, Green urged that the vote be postponed until the new council is seated, referencing a 2020 audit from the Portland City Auditor’s Office that raised concerns about potential disparate law enforcement outcomes within enhanced services districts and called for greater transparency and public input.
“Rushing this 10-year contract extension through in the lame-duck session just reinforces that impression that its elected leaders misuse public resources with little regard for accountability,” Green wrote.
Fellow District 4 candidate Chad Lykins joined Green in opposing the contract’s renewal, calling it “a boondoggle of a contract that diverts even more public $ from sanitation & safety to the coffers of corporate lobbyists.” Lykins, who referred to the audit as “scathing,” argued that the little has been done to adopt the recommendations in the report. He also noted that the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance, or PBA) is a political interest group that has endorsed several of his opponents. “I wouldn’t expect serious scrutiny of PBA contracts if they win a majority of seats in D4.”
United for Portland, a business coalition in which the Portland Metro Chamber is a prominent member, has endorsed nearly 30 council candidates. Earlier this year, Lykins—a small business owner who operates a chess club offering programming for youth—sought the organization’s endorsement but did not receive it. The Metro Chamber also issued multiple independent endorsements of council candidates in October, including six in District 4.
Meanwhile, Eric Zimmerman, who ranks among United for Portland’s and the Portland Metro Chamber’s top picks in District 4, defended Downtown Clean & Safe, framing it as a positive force for downtown businesses. “When we began the cleanup for downtown Portland and other areas across the city, we did so by neighborhoods, small businesses, and enhanced service areas coming together,” Zimmerman posted on Twitter. “These candidates who are running against neighborhoods and against the interests of small business have no place in our next City Hall,” he said, without identifying his opponents by name.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed Downtown Clean & Safe expansion later this month.
