PORTLAND, Ore. — More than it has in recent memory, Portland’s public safety apparatus faces deep cuts this spring, as the city seeks to close a budget gap upward of $160 million for the coming fiscal year. It’s likely to increase emergency response times which have suffered already in recent years.
For the unions which represent Portland’s police officers and firefighters, the answer is simple: whatever you do, don’t cut public safety.
Mayor Keith Wilson released his budget proposal last week, proposing (among many other things) a cut of more than $17 million to the Portland Police Bureau…