Sounds awfully familiar

Not one but two alert readers pointed me to this op-ed piece in the New York Times. It's by a businessman in San Francisco who's fed up with what's happened to his city. You read it and realize almost all of it is equally applicable to Portland.

Like it or not, San Francisco has become a prize example of how we Democrats have become our own worst enemy. Causes that we have long espoused — respect for human rights, plenty of housing that’s within reach for most people, care for the mentally ill, fair pay, high-quality public education, a dignified retirement — have all been crippled by a small coterie who knows how to bend government to its will. This astonishing city that I have been lucky enough to call home for more than 40 years has become subject to the tyranny of the minority.

The culprits, in his eyes? Too many seats on the City Council, a weak-mayor system, ranked-choice voting, relentless referendums, gullible voters, and one-party rule.

And yet the writer comes away optimistic about the city's future. He's a lot cheerier than I am. Most days, it seems to me that the fall of Portland is just getting started.