The City Council of Portland was very interested in buying Portland General Electric from what was left of Enron. Rate cuts of 10% or more were talked about.
With amazing 20-20 hindsight, it's now obvious what the City should have done: Keep PGE's rates the same!
Keeping them the same would have let them
. Give rebates to other cities. Here, Gresham & Beaverton, here's 10% of the electric bills of everyone in your city boundaries. Now be quiet. . Give money to Portland Public Schools. . Fund the tram . Stop people wondering what would happen when well-paid, unionized private sector workers became well-paid, unionized public sector workers. Did anybody expect there to be fewer people? Less pay?