Should Portland appoint members to the Design Commission?

TO THE COUNCIL:As Mayor, I request Council confirmation of the following appointments to the Design Commission.The Design Commission provides leadership and expertise on urban design and architecture and advances the purpose of the Design overlay zone. The Design overlay zone ensures that Portland is both a city designed for people and a city in harmony with nature. The Design overlay zone supports the city's evolution within current and emerging centers of civic life. The overlay promotes design excellence in the built environment through the application of additional design standards and design guidelines. The Portland Design Commission hears Land Use applications for proposals within design districts (Type III applications and Type II appeal applications).I recommend two candidates for appointment.AppointmentMembership CategoryTermTerm DurationHanifah AbiotoCity Arts1st5/1/26 – 4/30/30Tommy SolomonLandscape Architect1st12/1/26 – 11/30/30Hanifah Abioto:The City Arts position is a dual-serving volunteer committee appointment – the recommendation was provided by the Office of Arts & Culture (OA&C) Public Arts Administrator Eric Frederickson, where the candidate will serve on the Design Commission and the OA&C Public Art Advisory Committee (currently in the process of being created).Hanifah Abioto is co-owner of an art and design firm with her family, Studio Abioto, that focuses on Black diasporic art, history, and lifestyle. Studio Abioto has recently shifted towards art curation, public and private, following some recent contracts with publicly funded buildings.Hanifah works as a Grants & Communications Coordinator at Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, the Portland District 2 Coalition Office. Hanifah works primarily with Civic Life and Portland City Councilors on occasion.Additionally, as a part of Studio Abioto and in conjunction with a couple of other artists, Hanifah has held a contract with Parks and Rec/RACC to produce the Art Plan for the North Portland Aquatic Center.Statement from Hanifah Abioto: Moving to Portland in 2010, I have witnessed profound change in a city shaped by the constant intersection of nature and development. Living in a place that has transformed so deeply has made me attentive to how design shapes wellbeing and quietly communicates what is possible, welcomed, or overlooked in our city - often long before anyone can consciously name it, and sometimes long after harm has already occurred. As an artist who returns to sound, writing, and printmaking as primary architects of my work, I am trained to notice scale, material, rhythm, and absence, and how these elements shape how people experience themselves in space and place. This way of seeing is why I am both equipped and invested in contributing to Portland through the Design Commission, where there is an opportunity to uplift lived, collective, and diverse experience through public art and design. Alongside my artistic practice, my work administering grants to community organizations and engaging closely with Portland neighbors has given me a clear view of how design decisions translate into lived outcomes and perceptions of belonging. Sometimes this view is not clean, but it is clear nevertheless. I have seen how public investment can feel thoughtful or extractive, how process affects trust, and how clarity and care at the design level shape long-term public benefit. My background in public art planning and curation allows me to work comfortably within adopted design guidelines while bringing a contextual, perceptive lens to design review, in collaboration with fellow commissioners and in care for Portlanders' experiences now and into the future.Tommy Solomon: This Landscape Architect position is an early appointment for the future vacancy of the current Landscape Architect position which ends November 2026. By "pre-appointing" this positions alongside the City Arts Candidate above, these two volunteer Commissioners can be paired in their training for service on the Design Commission. This practice by PP&D Staff has proven highly effective and efficient and appreciated by prior Design Commission appointees.Tommy Solomon is Owner and Principal of Ground Workshop, an award-winning landscape architecture practice based in Portland, Oregon. A licensed Landscape Architect, Tommy has led a wide range of nationally recognized projects spanning the public realm, institutional, housing, and ecological landscapes.Prior to founding Ground Workshop in 2019, Tommy held senior leadership roles at 2.ink Studio in Portland, Oregon, and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he worked on complex, interdisciplinary projects across the nation.Architecturally trained, Tommy earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Architecture from the University of Memphis. This dual background in architecture and landscape architecture informs his ability to evaluate projects holistically - considering urban design, public space, environmental performance, and long-term stewardship.Statement from Tommy Solomon: As a practicing Landscape Architect, I take great pride in the opportunity to help shape communities through design. Having lived, worked, and raised family in Portland since 2014, it has been a privilege to contribute to the city's evolving public realm, including projects that have come before the Portland Design Commission. In collaborative settings, I strive to foster productive dialogue by being prepared, open-minded, and respectful of differing viewpoints. I value clear communication, consensus-building, and creating space for diverse perspectives - principles that guide my professional practice and personal approach alike. My work is grounded in humility, curiosity, and a commitment to understanding how design decisions affect people with different needs, cultural contexts, and abilities. I hold deep respect for the Portland Design Commission and the responsibility it carries, and I am honored to support its mission in service of Portland's built environment.Together, these candidates bring a wide range of experience, professional expertise, and community perspectives that will strengthen the Design Commission and the City.I recommend that Hanifah Abioto, City Arts, and Tommy Solomon, Landscape Architect, be appointed to the Design Commission for first terms as noted above.