Here’s a secret: The Mercury‘s endorsement of Charlie Hales for mayor was unanimous. Editor in chief Steve Humphrey, senior editor Erik Henriksen, reporter Sarah Mirk, and I all agreed that Hales—despite a long list of hangups and caveats we spent much of our writeup detailing—was the slightly better choice when compared to Jefferson Smith.
But now that polls are showing Hales with a virtually impregnable lead a week or so before election results are counted—and after Hales managed to once again, after our endorsement, remind us why we’re struggling to trust him—I’m breaking with my colleagues. No, I’m not voting for Smith. But I am going to write someone else.
Why? My reasoning is simple, and it’s laid out in this week’s Hall Monitor—along with my potential write-in picks.
To make sure Hales really understands where he sits in the eyes of voters—so that he’s sufficiently humbled so as to strenuously avoid repeating his own litany of trust-busting campaign mistakes—write in someone else.
(Disclosure: I marked Hales on my ballot the day it came but haven’t been able to make it official. I’ll probably write in Sam Adams—although public defender and mental health advocate Chris O’Connor remains a solid dark horse.)
Hales will still win. Smith will still lose. But if we can help it, Hales will win with less than majority support—without what he can reasonably claim as a mandate. That’s a fair outcome for a candidate who’s mostly right on policy issues, but broke his promise on campaign contribution caps only after winning a slew of newspaper endorsements, bullied groups that didn’t endorse him, and also let his campaign get caught in fibs.
I VOTED FOR SAM ADAMS.
I wrote in Carrie Brownstein’s name. Do you think she’d do it?
You can vote for literally anyone, knowing they’ll lose, and you write in Sam Adams? You guys have Stockholm syndrome.
But do write in someone. Need to send a message as Denis says.
I WROTE IN SAM ADAMS, TOO.
What, nobody wants to write in Phil Busse?
Like Hales will care if he has a “mandate.” Hilarious, Denis.
Jeff Cogen would make a good write-in.
I have no idea who I would write in, but I have no idea what Portlanders are going to do with Hales one one hand and the Tea Party in control of Clackmas county on the other hands.
I think the days of Portland being a liberal city are over, get ready to be the Dallas of the Northwest. I don’t think there is going to be much hope for productive change in Portland in the next 4 years.
I have to put some blame on the Mercury (more on Willamette Week and the Oregonian) for not standing up for its readership ie common citizens.
If Hales turns out to be the dude that he has been since he has entered politics, the Portland media should be shamed for making him king.
@ADRENNES: FOR THE MOST PART, THE MAYOR OF PORTLAND IS ONE OF THE WEAKEST POLITICAL POSITIONS IN THE STATE. IT’S A JOB THAT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE A LOT OF POWER… BUT IT DOESN’T PROBABLY THE ONLY REALLY IMPORTANT THING THE MAYOR GETS TO DO IS TO ASSIGN THE BUREAUS TO THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS… OTHER THAN THAT… BUPKIS.
@BLABBY: WHO ARE YOU GOING TO WRITE IN FOR MAYOR?
The mayor can have the hottest man date in town and the press will still give em flack.
As for the voters, who cares what they think?
Sam’s still my mayor. FOUR MORE YEARS!
The mayor is weak position but still a powerful spot on the council and he is going to work his hardest to make sure that he is taken care of before the city.
Hales is a amoral guy, and the city will suffer from him for 4 year or until he resigns.