Jordan Rubin, Owner of Mr. Tuna, Rallies Supporters at Protest inFront of City Hall This Morning.
Cameron Dylan (L) with his Brother Dylan Gardner (R) Co-owners of Flalfal Mafia at Protest This Morning in Front of City Hall.
Caving to public pressure, late this afternoon interim city manager Danielle West announced that all fourteen (14) food truck owners that applied to operate in the city’s pilot program will be able to locate at the Cutter Street parking lot off the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill .The pilot program will run from June 15 to November 15, 2022.
“I want to thank the food truck operators who were able to meet so quickly with me yesterday following the lottery so we could explore a solution,” wrote Danielle West, Portland’s interim city manager in her first public statement since this poorly handled situation became public knowledge. “I appreciated hearing their thoughts and feedack regarding our plans for the food truck pilot program on the Eastern Promenade this season. I realize how important it is for them to know in advance where they can locate and operate. Given we are very close to the start of this pilot program, I wanted to make every effort to see if we could accommodate all of the food trucks that applied. After receiving the various trucks dimensions from the operators, I’m happy to report that staff was able to reconfigure the space we have available in order to accommodate all fourteen trucks,” she wrote in a press release issued late this afternoon.
Perhaps if West had consulted food truck owners at the outset of this debacle, this embarrasing demonstration of her incompetency would have been avoided. Her inexcusable behavior which she tried to bury from public scrutiny at every opportunity is unacceptable in Portland. This was not a complicated legal transaction requiring intricate private, backroom negotiations. It should have been a simple procedure where common sense and transparency prevailed. Therefore,
West should resign her post as interim city manager based on this demonstration of her unwillingness to serve ALL residents of Portland.