The Reluctant President

SchmidtShow PDX, Season 3, Episode 2 This week I sat down with Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy — the “compromise president” who emerged after 13 deadlocked votes — to talk about running a fractured council, the real math behind the Moda Center deal, and what Portland might learn from New York. In this episode The reluctant presidency — What it means to hold “all the responsibility, none of the power,” after 13 deadlocked rounds of voting and a brand-new form of government with no precedent to lean on. The serial communications law — Why Jamie calls it “crippling”: councilors can’t work out policy one-on-one before a public vote, manufacturing gridlock rather than preventing corruption — while the legislature exempted itself from the same rules. The budget, in plain numbers — The city’s budget has grown from $5.8B to $8.6B since 2020, but the real battleground is the $1B general fund, which just absorbed a $170M gap — the largest structural shortfall since the 1960s. Police staffing and the Clean Energy Fund — Jamie pushes back on the proposed staffing-ratio ballot measure and the narrative that PCF has “excess funds,” pointing to a five-year, publicly accountable spending plan already tied to East Portland priorities. Small business, from experience — Lessons from opening Love Cup in the middle of the 2008 crash, and Jamie’s pitch for a real how-to-manual and single point of contact for new business owners. Music as infrastructure — Why Jamie ran on treating music as economic development and public safety strategy, not an arts “nice to have.” The Moda Center, in detail — The heart of the episode: the city’s original $1 acquisition, the 3-to-1 state/county match, the remaining $75M gap, opening the operator contract to competitive bid, a public split at 49/46, and the August 12th term sheet vote. What Portland could learn from New York — A candid take on the Mamdani moment and what’s actually transferable to Portland’s council-manager system. Music trivia lightning round — The FBI’s real obscenity investigation into “Louie Louie,” presidential campaign anthems, and a closing pitch to make it Portland’s official city anthem. Schmidt Show PDX is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.schmidtshowpdx.com/subscribe