This is a picture of me pouring a bucket of water on Mayor Charlie Hales.

You hear me, Mr. Mayor? Youre all wet, see!
  • SARA HOTTMAN
  • "You hear me, Mr. Mayor? You're all wet, see!"

And this is a picture of me after I've poured a bucket of water on Mayor Charlie Hales.

haleswatertwo.jpg
  • SARA HOTTMAN

Now for a bit of background…

The mayor got dripping wet this afternoon because he's out raising money for a nonprofit called the Officer Down Memorial Page—a group dedicated to preserving the memory of officers killed in the line of duty. Someone dumps ice water on you, you post a video, and the nonprofit gets a $100 for each bucket dumped.

It's supposed to be passed along, the challenge. Hales was challenged by Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association (along with senior police commanders, all of whom were conspicuously absent outside city hall) and he's since challenged the four city commissioners he serves with to get similarly wet.

I got drafted while stepping out between morning and afternoon council sessions to grab the latest Mercury off the stands and order some lunch. Rachel Wiggins and Sara Hottman, two mayoral staffers, were heading into the building with empty buckets. And, well, they needed a fifth person for one of the five buckets Hales promised to douse himself with. They asked nicely. I was there. I don't work for the Oregonian, where, presumably, such things might be frowned on. SO WHO AM I TO SAY NO?

It was strange and brief. And decently satisfying. Although, in one major respect, the mayor got off easy. The challenge is supposed to involve ice water. With ice. Except there was no ice, apparently because of logistics. That would have made it better. But it was still pretty good. The mayor, in dress clothes, got soaking wet. And instead of having me arrested afterward, his people shook my hand.

Oh, and memo to the rest of city council: I'm available for more bucket-dumping, whenever you think might need me.