May 06, 2004
(Updated) Neil Goldschmidt Resigns From... Well, Seemingly Everything
Cites Health Reasons As Newspaper Alleges Sex Scandal
Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.
This is somewhat convoluted, and is sure to be very, very odd. And, of course, it hit while we were off elsewhere. Various news outlets, such as KATU, began reporting this afternoon that Neil Goldschmidt would be stepping down from almost everything with which he is currently involved -- from the Oregon Board of Higher Education, to the Oregon Electric Utility, to his own consulting firm.
Goldschmidt's statement cites health factors as the reason, but the Willamette Week website currently includes the following:
BANNER: WEB Exclusive Earlier today, former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt stepped down from the Oregon Board of Higher Education. In addition, Goldschmidt withdrew his involvement in the Oregon Electric Utility Co., a newly formed partnership poised to purchase Portland General Electric. Goldschmidt issued a statement stating that his sudden resignation was related to a heart condition.
WW understands, however, that his decision to step down from the education board and energy company is instead directly related to this newspaper�s two-month probe into allegations of sexual misconduct involving the former governor. WW plans to publish details of its investigation in next Wednesday�s paper.
While KATU makes no mention of this supposed scandal, the Portland Tribune does, as does the KGW report.
We ourselves received the word via a KGW news alert which came in about the same time as a new weblog from a local radio reporter weighed in.
According to the KGW piece: "KXL Radio reported Thursday afternoon that sources told them the incident happened more than two decades ago, while Goldschmidt was mayor of Portland, and involved inappropriate relations with a teenaged girl."
Ok, so where's Jack Bogdanski as this story is breaking all over the place -- he just has to have something to say about all of this.
Update
What follows is the statement of Mayor Vera Katz on Goldschmidt's announcements:
I was saddened to learn of Neil Goldschmidt's announcement that he will resign from the Oregon Board of Higher Education and the Oregon Electric Utility Company for health reasons. While his resignation has obvious implications in some key public policy areas, that should not be anyone's prime concern today. Our focus should be on wishing Neil success in having these health problems successfully treated. Neil is a good and close friend. I valued his encouragement during my own bout with cancer four years ago. Neil needs similar support. My prayers are with him and his family.
Meanwhile, should anyone want it, there's also a Business Journal of Portland item up about the resignations as well
Update
As already pointed out in the comments, the larger Willamette Week story is now online.
Update
In a statement exclusive to The Oregonian, Goldschmidt has admitted to once having an affair with a 14-year-old girl.
Posted at 03:17 PM | PermalinkComments (20) | TrackBacks (1)
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Michael Schrunk and Tony Blair on 07 May 2005
People have asked me about the recent elections of Michael Shrunk and Tony Blair. I didn't know Michael Schrunk had been recently elected, but he's a good friend of Neil Goldschmidt so you never know. I've heard that Tony Blair...
Comments (20)
Scott on 06 May 2004
Just a note b!X. The link to the Portland reporter is broken. Here is a better one.
pdx_reporter
Also, did you catch the arrest of Brandon Mayfield after his prints were found on one of the Madrid terror bombs?
M on 06 May 2004
There's a more extended article now at wweek.com:
http://www.wweek.com/story.php?story=5069
Jack Bog on 06 May 2004
I was at the zoo with my family!
Neil is sleazy. I hope this ends his reign as the Tony Soprano of Oregon. And that all the politicians (like the governor) who owe their careers to him will now distance themselves and start thinking for themselves.
M on 06 May 2004
Heads up: your new friend has a preview of a Friday KOIN poll on local issues and races.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/pdx_reporter/1661.html
M on 06 May 2004
Sorry, I had the false impression that the poll story wasn't already up, and that this was your latest post.
Arya on 07 May 2004
Did Neil Goldschmidt have an affair with a 14 year old thirty years ago?
Apparently.
Is the Willamette Week still a character assassination machine?
Yes.
JoHn on 07 May 2004
It's easy to get excited about a sex scandal when so much of your revenue comes from sex ads
no one in particular on 07 May 2004
You can bet WWeek is fucking pissed about this. They claim to have spent two months uncovering this story, then Goldschmidt goes and gives an exclusive statement to the Oregonian, and WWeek loses their chance to break the story, since they can't print until Wednesday.
Marko on 07 May 2004
And in return for the exclusive they plaster his apology on the front page, call it an "affair", and talk about what a great guy he is.
He's a sociopath, and should have to register as a sex offender. Let's hope there aren't more victims.
Spider on 07 May 2004
Is the Willamette Week still a character assassination machine?
Yes.
Is the Willamette Week still the leading investigative-reporting media in the Portland area?
Yes.
Is the Willamette Week still reporting a hell of a lot of news I'm glad to know?
Yes.
Jack Bog on 07 May 2004
Few of the WW's targets have ever deserved it more.
Arya on 07 May 2004
Looks like jealous and less talented vultures have been circling Neil Goldschmidt for years just waiting for him to slip up.
Goldschmidt's private shame and now public humiliation are sufficient punishment.
no one in particular on 08 May 2004
Looks like jealous and less talented vultures have been circling Neil Goldschmidt for years just waiting for him to slip up.
I lost pretty much all respect for him when he played the entire city on the PUD issue (using his good name to campaign against the PUD, never mentioning that he stood to make fuckloads of money if the PUD measure failed). That was a pretty sleazy thing to do.
Arya on 08 May 2004
Well that just proves that disdain for Neil's success crosses the entire political spectrum - from the nutty left to the nutty right. of course...I voted for the p.u.d. ...
The One True b!X on 08 May 2004
I've pretty much been avoiding this story since I posted this item, which I almost didn't post at all, because it makes me ill. but I do have one other thing to drop here.
The big untold aspect of this is: Why did WW do this now, when this story has been around for years? What was it, exactly, that triggered them to publicly "out" what many people already knew?
Arya on 08 May 2004
Excellent question. Any theories?
Ethan on 08 May 2004
My question is: the story seemed to break wide open after Willy Week asked Goldschmidt for his comment on the story that they were planning on running. Shouldn't they have done this on a Monday or Tuesday, when he couldn't preempt their "exclusive" by going to the Oregonian and they could keep up with the dailies in print (and not just on the Web)?
sandy on 09 May 2004
I think that the story broke because Neil agreed to join the State Board of Higher Education in January- notice that immediately after he became another high profile figure- they started investigating.
Just a theory
Jon Nelson on 15 May 2004
Geez,
Jack Bogdanski? Lewis & Clark Law? Lived in Alameda near Goldschmidt in 70's? Cool.
Paul Berg on 05 Jul 2004
The teenage rape victim of then Portland Mayor Neil Goldschmidt was a Catholic schoolgirl.
In the mid-70's, she lived with her parents at 2065 NE Alameda Street in Portland, Oregon. Her father was a dentist. Her mother was a staffer in Mayor Goldschmidt's office.
Just six doors away, at 4011 NE 23rd Avenue lived Mayor Neil Goldschmidt. The victim would sometime babysit the Goldschmidts' children.
What happen to these four people after the three years of rapes ended:
Neil Goldschmidt - Served as President Carter's Secretary of Transportation and Governor of Oregon.
The father - Currently an Assistant Professor at the Oregon Health Sciences University, School of Dentistry.
The mother - Tri-Met's Public Information Officer, Director of PGE's Energy Savings Center, and currently an Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer for the United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
The Victim - Drop out of high school, and went on to become a drug addict. She served time in prison on a federal drug conviction. Now, a recovered drug addict, she is married and lives in Nevada.