A Conversation with Portland City Administrator Raymond Lee

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About the Program

Portland has a new form of city government for the first time in more than 100 years. Raymond Lee, Portland’s new City Administrator, serves in a role created only two years ago and works with a City Council and Mayor who are also relatively new to their roles. Has the governance transition moved the City forward, left it standing still, or taken it a step backward? What are the biggest challenges and best opportunities facing Portland? Join us for a conversation between City Administrator Lee and Oregonian journalist Shane Kavanaugh.

Raymond Lee is Portland’s highest-ranking non-elected official, overseeing two dozen city bureaus, 7,000 employees, and a budget of more than $8 billion. Before becoming Portland’s second City Administrator, Lee served as City Manager of Greeley, Colorado; Director of Public Works for Amarillo, Texas; and held several leadership roles with the City of Dallas, Texas.

Shane Dixon Kavanaugh covers City Hall for The Oregonian/OregonLive. His reporting has earned numerous national and regional awards.

Thank You!

Thank you to City Club’s Spring 2026 Season Sponsors: AARP Oregon, Fight Against Sex Trafficking, Hospital Association of Oregon, Tonkon Torp, and the Don Sterling Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation.

City Club of Portland relies on organizational sponsors to help underwrite the cost of bringing our programming to our members and the public. As a nonpartisan, impartial forum for civic dialogue, City Club accepts sponsorships from a wide spectrum of organizations. Our policies prevent sponsors from influencing the content of our programming. City Club is deeply grateful to all of our supporters.