Small Business Progressive Thinking Needed
As we pass through Labor Day, we jump into the official intense push for the fall election cycle, and it is not surprisingly the political rhetoric is heating up. For the city of Portland, Oregon, it is the first opportunity for voters to weigh in on how the city council is managing the charter reform that fundamentally changed the way that Portland is governed. The context is that the overarching goal of charter reform was to increase representation across the four districts and create more equitable public policy decisions.
One assessment of the first two years of the city Council by the left-leaning think tank the Sightline Institute observed that the new council has made significant progress in ironing out leadership, committees and decision making. They also observed the council is visibly divided, but ended their assessment on an optimistic note that there are signs that stronger public policies are emerging (1).
Sounds promising but it is a bit of a stretch to say that “wins large and small are underway.”The deep division on the council that cannot be underplayed. Local research has found that the city council has an abysmal 24% approval rating (2). The council is routinely at a 6-6 impasse grinding many decisions to a halt and gridlocking other decisions. “That’s politics,” some shrug, but “gridlocked” is a very odd description for a non-partisan city council completely comprised of registered members of the Democratic Party (3). I am tempted to dive into the ideological split on the city council, but it is enough to say that ideology is a poor proxy for governance. We need a unified vision to strengthen the social health and economic resiliency of our community.
If you have followed my writing, you know that strengthening micro and small businesses is a recurring theme of my observations (3). As I wrote in my last article, it is not enough to continue a piecemeal approach to small business policy (4). In short, our current city council has demonstrated little appetite to invest a small business agenda.
Not surprising those embracing the most liberal ideology, while railing against capitalism, have little to offer as an alternative model for economic development —let alone systemic and systematic policies that advance community capitalism. It is easy to be against corporate personhood, weak corporate business regulation, a rigged corporate tax code and the absence of consumer protections against predatory corporate practices. It is another thing altogether to have the experience and depth of business acumen to create an alternative economic vision for Portland.
Underscoring this point, is the recent emergence of a new group Portland Businesses for All. Billed as an “alliance of business owners shaping Portland politics for the collective good while building practical support and community for and with each other” (5). From the website listing 30 or so business members, the organization offers no agenda for small businesses other than vague and global statements about equity on a range of topics from housing to healthcare, alongside endorsing every council candidate affiliated with the Democratic Socialists (none of whom have small business experience). So, what is this group offering as recommended policies or even perspectives on community capitalism? They are not offering much of anything.
At the same time, the more experienced half of the city council is also content listening to a narrow range of business voices and tossing out random “support” for small businesses rather than materially shifting public policy towards a systemic approach to supporting small businesses. It is time for micro and small businesses to demand more.
If the first two years of the Portland’s new city council was establishing the operational framework (while mopping up the messes left by previous elected officials), the next two years will be critical for the city council to develop a unifying agenda for small business that combines a critical look at incentives and disincentives, social cohesion, and public infrastructure across the four political districts of the city.
This fall as has half of the Portland city council members are up for re-election, it is up to the district voters to press sitting candidates and challengers to define how they would proactively build a unified vision for small businesses across the four political districts. And when it comes time to rank (or not rank) candidates in November ‘s ballot, voters need to ask who has articulated not simply rage against predatory capitalism, but who has outlined progressive thinking for a small business strategy. Ideas not ideology are imperative to the resiliency of our community.
References
(1) Grimes, S (August 31, 2026). Five Early Conclusions About Portland’s Refreshed City Council. Sightline Institue.
(2) Kavanaugh SD (Updated: May. 16, 2026) Portland’s mayor’s approval among voters is lukewarm. At least he’s not the City Council. The Oregonian/OregonLive
(3) Zielinski, A. (December 30, 2024) Portland will ring in 2025 with a brand-new city council. Oregon Public Boarcasting
(4) Community Change PDX. Community Capitalism Articles
(5) Fulop, M. (August 25, 2026). Portland Needs a Small Business Strategy. Designing Community Change PDX
(6) Portland Businesses For All: Website
