(PORTLAND, OR.) — After being deadlocked since Jan. 7 on the election of council president, Councilor Jamie Dunphy was elected council president for 2026.

Photo Credit: YouTube Councilor Jamie Dunphy During the Jan. 14 Council Meeting

After nearly 7 hours of deliberation at its first council meeting of 2026, Portland City Council failed to elect its next president during Wednesday’s meeting after nine rounds of voting.

The election for City Council President resulted in a 6-6 deadlock across nine rounds of voting, between incumbent Elana Pirtle-Guiney and challenger Sameer Kanal, leading to the adjournment of the meeting without a decision.

“The meeting featured significant debate on leadership styles, transparency, power distribution, and the role of internal caucuses,” OpGov.ai said. “The inability to elect a president stalled other agenda items, underscoring a critical lack of consensus at the outset of the new year, raising questions about the council's effectiveness and its stated commitment to shared governance.”

Photo Credit: YouTube Portland City Council Jan. 14

Council members expressed differing philosophies on leadership, with some advocating for continuity and a 'steady hand' (Pirtle-Guiney's supporters) and others pushing for rotating leadership, shared power, and institutional strengthening to avoid concentrating power (Kanal's supporters).

The meeting turned into an airing of grievances with concerns being raised about the 'Peacock Caucus', or progressive caucus. It was accused of operating as a 'private club' and influencing votes, despite claims of independent decision-making and cross-aisle collaboration from its members.

Specific criticisms against the incumbent President Pirtle-Guiney included uneven access to information, conditional empowerment of committee chairs, delayed scheduling of councilor-initiated policy items, and perceived 'control' over power-sharing dynamics.

The meeting was reconvened as planned on Thursday. During this meeting, Councilor Loretta Smith and Councilor Steve Novick were nominated by Councilor Eric Zimmerman, in an attempt to see if the council could move forward with a broader discussion.

But Thursday’s meeting ended early due to the shooting in Portland, as covered by OpGov.ai here.

The council recessed, intending to reconvene on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 9am.

After extensive deliberation that failed to break the deadlock, Councilor Sameer Kanal nominated Councilor Jamie Dunphy.

Photo Credit: YouTube Councilor Sameer Kanal Nominates Councilor Dunphy

Councilor Dunphy reluctantly accepted the nomination.

“This is not something that I have been seeking and it is not something I am excited about. But if the only way out of an entrenched six-six stalemate is for me to step into this role, then I’m willing, not happy, but willing to do this in service of this institution,” Dunphy said.

When the next vote was called, Dunphy received only one vote, that being from Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney.

Following this, Councilor Kanal withdrew himself from the running and announced his intention to vote for Dunphy, while at the same time asking his progressive colleagues to do the same.

The next round of voting found Dunphy with nine votes, after Pirtle-Guiney, Clark, and Zimmerman joined the Peacock members.

Councilor Dunphy is now officially named Portland City Council President.

Photo Credit: YouTube Elana Pirtle-Guiney Congratulates New Council President Dunphy

After electing its new president, the council announced a brief recess before getting on with council business.

OpGov.ai will continue its coverage of the Portland City Council.

If you would like to comment on or add to this report, please email me at rory.h@lead4earth.org.

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