PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s been more than two months since Councilor Loretta Smith took office as one of 12 members of Portland’s newly expanded city council. Councilors are now elected from four geographic districts, a move intended to ensure better representation for areas that tended to be neglected under the old at-large system.
One of those areas is East Portland, which Smith now represents. She and her fellow District 1 councilors have been quick to call for renewed focus and investment, and Smith is now working on a plan to address one of the area’s most prominent disparities by adding sidewalks along parts of Southeast Powell Boulevard and across District 1.
“District 1, which is east of 82nd, we have not invested in infrastructure since it was annexed into Portland,” said Smith…