July 23, 2003

Notes From The Mayor's News Conference (Plus Some Reaction)

It was something of a surreal atmosphere in the Rose Room at City Hall this midday, as reporters and other Portlanders gathered to hear Mayor Vera Katz's official announcement that she will not be seeking another term. Surreal in the sense that everyone present seemed extraordinarily casual and relaxed, somewhat moreso than other times I've been present for such events.

Upon walking into the room, the Mayor looked around, with something of a pretense of being surprised at all the people. "Oh my," she said before proceeding to the crowd of microphones.

Intending to begin by reading the text of the statement, to be followed by answering some questions (as she suppoedly promised some reporters who were around City Hall earli this morning), her office released earlier in the day, she first stopped to scan the faces and explained, "I want to see if Lars is here." Everyone laughed.

After reading the text of the statement, everyone in the room who wasn't a reporter gave a hearty round of applause. I have no idea how many of them were staffers. Parenthetically, Commissioner Leonard was standing off to one side in front of me, but I didn't have time to introduce myself officially.

It was asked, of course, just when she made the final decision. "A couple of weeks ago," the Mayor said, but underscored that it's obviously "been in play for awhile."

When a reporter commented that the Mayor looked "so happy," the responded that she does "feel somewhat liberated" and that she has "a lot more energy to get things done."

Indeed, in a brief conversation I had after the news conference, one of the door guards at City Hall told me that the Mayor had seemed much more upbeat (my word, not his; I don't recall his exact phrasing, but this captures what he meant) for about the past three weeks.

Someone thankfully asked the question I most wanted someone to ask: Would the Mayor endorse a potential successor? "I've never really endorsed anyone on City Council," she said by way of comparison. So she would not be endorsing anyone, at least (she said) right now. "I have no idea who's going to run." Would she endorse someday? "I don't know," she said.

Amongst the qualities she said would be required of the next Mayor: An udnerstanding of all the issues, a knowledge of the history of the City's institutions, engagement, and focus.

She was asked about her legacy. Other than referring to some of what she listed as her accomplishments in her prepared statement, Katz said that they "don't want to talk about it right now." Rather, "we can wait until December 2004."

Asked about what her life will be like when she's no longer Mayor, she explained that she would be remaining in Portland, and figured she'd be "freer to be in the public," with the "opportunity to do things I don't have time to do" as Mayor. Her short list of examples: Yoga, writing, teaching, and spending time with her family in Los Angeles. "The kinds of normal things you do everyday."

Interestingly, both the aforementioned guard and today's Willamette Week mention that the Mayor recently has been spotted at a local farmers market -- in her sequined baseball cap, according to the guard.

One concern for post-mayoral life she singled out: "How am I going to track what the City Council is doing after I leave?" She seemed uninterested in watching cable channel 30 all the time.

Asked what she wants people to remember, the Mayor said: "The City has a heartbeat, needs to be planned. We need to think about the future of the City in timeframes that most people don't understand."

Editorially, I understand and mostly agree with the underlying premise there. But the problem with putting it quite this way is that it's horridly elitist. If people aren't understanding discussions of long-range planning needs, the fault rests mainly with those doing the communicating -- or, often, failing to do so.

Beyond the question of what she wants people to remember about the City itself, a reporter asked what she wanted people to remember personally about her: "I love this city. I love the children here. It's really for the children that we're doing what we're doing." Other than the normal sorts of eye-rolling with which I tend to be afflicted when politicians start talking about the children (although, admittedly, I've witnessed Katz pausing during City Council sessions to talk to visiting school groups sitting in the balcony), this also seemed somewhat trite.

The matter of the local business climate was raised. The Mayor said she wanted "everybody to remember that when I took office, the business climate wasn't that great." Continuing, she said that "we can't impact the economy if the [Bush] Administration and the Congress doesn't [sic] act on a national and international level." As for local specifics, she referenced the "cultural economy" and the "sustainability economy."

Asked if she was done with politics forever, the Mayor simply responded, "I'm not done right now."

She concluded by taking a moment (which seemed to transpire somewhat awkwardly, to my perception anyway) to thank the press. "You don't always get it right," she said, "but you care."

Making a quick tour through the local weblog circuit, Emma Goldman says, "This will free up Earl Blumenauer to run, leading to a battle royale. This, at least, is something to look forward to."

Jack Bogdanski counters the Mayor's list of accomplishments with his own:

Not mentioned: rotting schools, flight of large employers to the suburbs, national leadership in unemployment, disintegration of mental health services, endless public subsidy to a small handful of real estate tycoons, "community policing" which has made both the community and the police very unhappy.

Paul Nickell praises Katz personally, but adds:

But as a politician, it's another matter. Not alone has WWP come to abhor Vera for her repeated lack of leadership, the coziness with monied developers, her tin ear to the needs of every-day Portlanders, and her haughty, impractical and occasionally heavy-handed single-mindedness about Portland's future.

And following this up with a parallel tour of the local news media, KATU offers a couple of person-in-the-street reactions; KOIN focuses on the list of things Katz still wants to do as Mayor; KGW provides one of the fullest pieces on the announcement and the news conference; and OPB includes a statement from Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who is expected to announce hsi decision shortly after Labor Day, and mentions the only officially-declared candidate (and no, it's not Francesconi -- see these stories).

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