October 27, 2003
(Updated) Citing Jobs As Top Priority, Nick Fish Says No More Studies: "We Need Action, Now"
Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.
"What a beautiful Portland day, a perfect day to celebrate Nick Fish's official announcement." So proclaimed former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts at Poor Richard's Pub & Restaurant, starting off the City Council campaign of local attorney Nick Fish, who is now on the list of candidates officially-filed for the Commissioner No. 1 position being vacated by Jim Francesconi.
Former member of City Council Mike Lindberg called Fish "an explorer and adventurer of ideas and places." Describing Fish as "authentic," Lindberg asserted the candidate's "intelligence, compassion, focus, discipline, and commitment." Lindberg also said that the City Council needs to be seen as a Board of Directors -- the sort private management reference that, while I understand what it's meant to communicate, always gives me pause, since the management team of a business simply doesn't have to concern itself with some of the sorts of issues with which publicly-elected representatives must deal.
But anyway.
Fish's own remarks, while little more than the broadly-drawn rhetoric one expects at the beginning of a campaign (by which I am not making a value judgment, merely describing the generalities in which such statements tend to be drawn) touched briefly, although in different ways, on the two issues which together will likely be my own primary focus in covering the Mayoral and City Council races: Small business and public involvement:
My first priority is good jobs. Building on sixteen years of experience in the private sector, my plan for creating family-wage jobs starts withs upporting our existing neighborhood small businesses. Small businesses don't export their jobs oversees, they aren't run by absentee owners with 1-800 numbers, and they don't threaten to run to Vancouver every time we screw up locally.
His closing remarks, while not directly taking on the challenges facing Portland's culture of public and neighborhood involvement, do however leave open the door to pressing him on those specifics:
I have spent my entire adult life bringing people together to solve problems. I am a pragmatist, guided by the conviction that if you engage people, listen to their concerns, and trust their judgment, you can solve just about any problem.
...
Our government is too precious to be left to political insiders. It belongs to each of us. When "we the people" band together, we can accomplish extraordinary things.
Expect some jockeying for the role of "outsider" in this election, however. "No doubt that Nick will be a tough competitor, but right or wrong I predict that raising the most amount of money will not be the only indicator in this election," commented Jason Newell, one of Fish's un-filed opponents:
Differences in what the people of Portland want for their future will be also be a relavant issue in this campaign. I believe the people want someone who is not an insider, and someone who will not try to be all things to all people, and most importantly someone who will not reinvent themselves every time they speak.
Depending on other responses and coverage, I may have an update or two to this later on in the day.
Update
Today's papers, of course, cover this. It's a small item in the PDX Update section of the Portland Tribune. There's a larger piece in today's Oregonian, who also talked with Jason Newell.
Meanwhile, amongst the crowd at Fish's kick-off yesterday was Commissioner Randy Leonard. He was, in fact, mentioned as being present at the end, which might naturally make one wonder if he's supporting Fish's campaign. According to the Commissioner, he is not supporting FIsh's campaign at this time. "However, I like Nick a lot," Leonard said. "And that is coming from a former competitor of his."
Comments (4)
Dave Lister on 28 Oct 2003
It will be interesting to see how Fish, who has been serving as Vice Chairman of the Housing Authority, will legitimize his position as a "political outsider". From what I've heard he's as much an insider as the others. I also find it amusing that two announced candidates, Fish and Francesconi, tout their success in the "private sector". As attorneys, I'm not sure that's the kind of private sector experience folks will equate with having a background to stimulate small business. At least Fish is up front about his profession. The Francesconi campaign seems to have been very reluctant to publicize the fact that the comissioner's private sector experience was running his own law practice.
The One True b!X on 28 Oct 2003
Now that I look at that quote, actually, I'm not sure whether Fish was staking a claim to being an outsider, or claiming he would open up the process to people who are not insiders. The remark could kind of be taken either way.
Dave Lister on 28 Oct 2003
b!X,
That's a good point which I had not considered.
What's interesting to me concerning the next set of city elections is, in my lifetime as a resident, I've never seen people quite as upset with City Hall as they are now. That's from both the right and the left of the political spectrum. I think statements of "I am not a politician" will be a big theme with many of the candidates.
The One True b!X on 28 Oct 2003
Well, if you read how I wrote the original item here, you'll notice that I hadn't considered it either. The item is clearly written in a way that suggests Fish was staking an outsider claim for himself. It wasn't until re-reading everything today that it seemed his statement could actually be taken either way.