City Attorney Emphasizes Importance of Peacock Chat for City Council Training

Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor recently addressed grievances received by his office regarding allegations that six members of the City Council’s progressive caucus violated public meetings laws in a chat thread initially exposed by WW.

Taylor clarified that he did not find any fault or violations of the state’s public meetings law by the councilors. He did, however, acknowledge the concerns raised by the complaints and stated that his office would use this as an opportunity for additional training for the City Council.

Following WW’s coverage of the chat, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission received twelve complaints, but Director Susan Myers informed WW that all complaints would be dismissed due to the messages being over 30 days old. According to state law, complaints about public records violations must be submitted within 30 days of the alleged violation, and the last message in the chat was dated June 26.

In response, Taylor sent letters to the complainants, explaining that since the grievances were not filed within the required timeframe, no further action was necessary on the city’s part.

Taylor also pointed out flaws in the new public meetings laws that specifically apply to local government bodies, which were passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2023. These new provisions prohibit “serial communications,” which could potentially string together a quorum. Some councilors have expressed challenges with these new rules, claiming it limits their ability to communicate about policy matters.

In light of these complexities, Taylor suggested that there may be a need for the Legislature to clarify the rules to provide better guidance for local governments, the Ethics Commission, and the public.