Portland’s Transition Trifecta

  In the movie “Back to the Future, Part 2,” my favorite of the trilogy, after travelling forward to the year 2015 and then returning to 1985, Marty McFly discovered a very different place than the one from which he left. To find out what happened to turn his sedate suburb into the chaotic place it had become, he sought out Doc Brown who dusted off his chalkboard to illustrate what had happened.

  Doc drew a straight line to illustrate the timeline of events that served to create the world which Marty had always known, then drew another line that took off from the same starting point and went up at an angle to display the alternate, less savory timeline in which they found themselves.



The DeLorean

  With the large-scale changes in the upper management of our city this year at city hall with the new city manager, at the police department with the exit of Chief Craig and the upcoming mayoral election, I feel like we’re at a starting point in the timeline of Portland’s future. The exciting (and occasionally worrisome) part is that the outcome could go either way.

  It’s really too bad for the city that Chief Craig is departing. Craig brought a level of professionalism and leadership to the position that was sorely needed. The neighborhood policing program, improving relations with folks who have moved here from away and a drop in crime are all held securely in his belt. Looking to the future, while I understand Councilor Donaghue’s concerns about hiring from within, to not do so would be to squander the great results we got from a big city professional the likes of which we may never see again in our humble abode. A new person coming in from away would naturally want to shake things up and do it his or her own way. Going with someone currently on our force who has a long term commitment to Portland and has worked under Craig is the way to go to grow on his successes.

  Mark Rees is starting soon as our new city manager. The city manager position is an example of one that needed the same treatment with regard to hiring that the police chief position received two years ago. Instead of an automatic internal promotion our council actually did the right thing and conducted a nationwide search to find the right fit. I feel really good about Rees. Typically, online posts or editorial responses to news stories lean toward the negative. In the Eagle Tribune, the hometown newspaper of Rees’ current town, North Andover, Massachusetts, reactions to his departure were those of sadness and well wishes. One comment that stuck with me in particular was along the lines of “We lost the only person in town hall with any common sense.” That’s exactly what the ‘doc’ ordered here.

  As to our future mayor, it’s still too early to tell at what angle the future timeline will pencil out to be. Two percent of the population seems to be running, and although they’re all out with their various slogans and position statements, no one is yet leading the pack for me. But in this case, no matter the outcome, having an elected mayor promises to be a good thing for Portland that, due to the lack of power the mayor will have, at the very least shouldn’t create the nightmare version of 1985 from the movie.

  So, no matter what horrible things happen around the world or in our country in the future, Portland’s timeline, courtesy of this transition trifecta, is looking bright. It could still go either way, of course, but that is what is making these times in which we live exciting ones to be a Portlander!

(Jeffrey S. Spofford is the head paperboy for The Portland Daily Sun)