September 09, 2003
Commissioner Sten Says 'No' To Possible Mayoral Campaign
Well, I had thought that I was going to be kept in the loop on this one, but I received no word on it until checking today's editions of The Oregonian and Portland Tribune.
Both papers report that Sten has opted to stay with his City Council seat, in no small part because his wife is expecting:
"I can't spend every night of the baby's first year out doing mayoral debates," Sten said Monday. "I can't do the job I was elected to, enjoy this special time in my family and run for mayor. I can't do all three, and it was easy to decide which one goes. I've been working on quality of life issues for everyone in Portland, and I need to maintain mine."
...
Sten said he doesn't want to lose focus on the issues he's taken up on the council, including affordable housing, maintaining Portland's quality of life and, in particular, the city's effort to buy Portland General Electric -- a project he's been leading.
The city is holding out the possibility of using its powers of condemnation to acquire the utility's assets. A mayoral race would have complicated the process for Sten, particularly if the council is deciding condemnation questions near the May election.
Meanwhile, check out the fireworks in today's Oregonian:
Sten said he largely disagrees with Francesconi's campaign strategy, which he called running against things and not laying out a vision of what he favors.
"He talks a lot about getting back to basics, but I don't know what that means,' " Sten said. "I don't have any idea what Jim is going to do as mayor at this point."
Sten cited his disagreements with Francesconi over the city's interest in PGE and an antiwar resolution Sten proposed before the war began in Iraq. He called Francesconi's action on the antiwar vote "one of the worst political performances I've seen in years."
Francesconi took issue with Sten's characterizations.
"We have some disagreements," Francesconi said. "I think right now the city needs to focus and he has a different view."
Both papers report that Sten will endorse a candidate at some point, with The Oregonian having him "intrigued" by the candidacy of former Portland Police Chief Tom Potter.
Parenthetically, there's no indication in these articles as to just how this announcement came about -- whether officially by news conference or somewhat unofficially by simply informing the reporters who cover City Hall and are there all the time anyway. If the former, I'm obviously still not on any media distribution list out of Sten's office.
Comments (1)
Dave Lister on 09 Sep 2003
Erik Sten made the right decision. With the water bureau baggage I don't think he stood a chance. The political winds are shifting in Portland. "Livability" and "sustainability" are great catch phrases, but quality of life starts with a decent, living wage job. We're woefully short on those in this town right now. We need some folks who have ran businesses and signed paychecks on the city council. None of the current council members boast any significant business experience, especially Erik Sten.