February 04, 2004
Campaign Round-Up And Whatnot
Almost finished catching up with old items that got lost in the downtime. This time: throwing together several different items related to the Mayoral and City Council campaigns.
Last week, The Oregonian profiled Tom Potter and his return to public life:
In the campaign, Potter is taking an "I don't have all the answers" approach, heavy on listening, with the idea that a shared community vision and specific programs will emerge over time. Potter sees the mayor's job as a "cheerleader for change," using the bully pulpit to set goals and knowing how to delegate and to whom.
His specifics so far include helping current Police Chief Derrick Foxworth get community policing back on track, protecting Portland's reputation as a place where diversity is valued, and ridding politics of big money -- Potter has limited donations to $25 apiece.
Some neighborhood activists say Potter has emerged from the pack as an alternative to Commissioner Jim Francesconi, a prodigious fund-raiser who rejects any view that casts him exclusively as the business candidate and Potter as the voice of neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, Phil Stanford's column in yesterday's Portland Tribune included this item:
Political heads are chuckling at City Council candidate Sam Adams' bio in his new campaign flier: "He joined Peter DeFazio in his first campaign for Congress in 1984. And for the last decade, he has made a difference for Portland." ... Amazingly enough, nowhere does he mention his most recent boss by name. ... Or that before becoming Vera's chief of staff at City Hall, he worked for her in the state Legislature -- which means, if I'm adding things up correctly here, that he's spent a good portion of his adult life working for Vera Katz. I bet he just forgot.
In the name of balance, it should perhaps be noted that Adams' website bio not only refers to Katz by name but includes a quote from the Mayor.
Finally, the Promise King column in that same Tribune takes a look at "the partisan and patronizing angling for minority votes" in the local campaigns.