Chris Coleman, the artistic director of Portland Center Stage, just forwarded me a refreshingly measured and well-written letter in support of Sam that acknowledges the very real impact of Sam’s actions on the public trust, but argues that it’s in the city’s best interests that he stay in office. It’s good stuff:
An Open Letter from Leaders in the Arts Community:
In the past few days, Portland has felt intensely a shared disappointment in the revelation by Mayor Sam Adams that he lied to reporters (and therefore the public) during his campaign, about a matter in his private, intimate life. A disappointment that could engender such strong responses can only be credited to the fact that our hopes and excitement for Sam’s leadership have been so high.
But now that a few days have passed, we hope that the initial wave of distress that flowed around this event has ebbed, and we can consider the situation with more deliberation. Mayor Adams has apologized to the citizens of Portland, and acknowledged that his actions have damaged his relationship with us. He has indicated clear understanding that to regain that trust with many people, even in some measure, will require hard work ahead.
Continued after the jump.
We have so many real issues to deal with today: a 9% unemployment rate in our state; an infrastructure that is crumbling; schools that are overburdened and under funded; a crisis in housing for the poor and the middle class; and our arts community struggling to survive as part of our economy and life fabric. In such frightening times as we are in today, it’s tempting to seize on a scandal as a distraction from all that is causing genuine fear.
We in this city, by a noteworthy majority, believed Sam Adams to be someone who could be a significant part of the solution. An episode in his private life that has become a lightning rod of distraction from the real work at hand should not be allowed to derail our entire leadership, and our community, from the important work ahead. That would be a genuine scandal for the city of Portland.
We invested in Sam because we believed he could be a smart, innovative and strong leader for Portland, at a time when our need for such leadership is greater than it has been for a long time. That need has not changed with the events of the past week. Those of us who sign this letter, and many, many others, believe in another thing that has not changed: that Sam Adams is still the smart, innovative and strong leader we need to work with us to restore this city’s economic, humanitarian and cultural health.
Chris Coleman Christopher Stowell Elaine Calder
Carole Morse Christopher Mattaliano Greg Phillips
Victoria Frey Linda McGee Walter Jaffee
Eloise Damrosch Cynthia Fuhrman Mary Bauer
Claudia Burnett Barbara Dibbs Carol Smith
Johanna Kim Chris Bisgard Jeff Hawthorne
Charlie Frasier Matt Chase Jamie Hampton
Peg Malloy Paul King John Ulsh
Marshall Runkel Craig Thompson
More people just focusing on the sex. Come on people, take a look at the bigger picture here.
It’s not the sex- it’s that he asked someone to lie for him and that he put his own reputation ahead of the city.
Those of you who focus just on the sex, one way or the other, are feeding into the homophobic culture.
It’s not about the sex.
How is this letter focused on the sex, Mikey? I’m not seeing it.
@Mikey
Did you read the letter? Or are you willfully ignorant?
It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. It’s not the sex, it’s the lying. Enough already. We get it. It’s about the lying. 10-4. Over and out.
This letter, more than anything else I’ve read so far, encapsulates my disappointment in Sam’s lie (the lie not the sex!) and my parallel conviction that he needs to stay in office and do the work we elected him to do. Well done.
“The Arts Community?” Come on, WTF does that mean, and who do these people claim to be representing?
@GLV
I challenge you to go live in a city without an “Arts Community” and see how long it takes before your brain atrophies from boredom and one too many rodeo rallies.
Good luck!
My objection was to the title of the blog post you twit, not the notion that there are artists in Portland.
That’s an arrogant 50 people saying they represent ‘Portland’s Arts Community?’
Explain to me slowly what is wrong with the title of the post.
You twit.
I think we should just bleep out Sam whenever he speaks on TV until he works off his shame.
You forgot the “like a five year old” part, Kiala. If you’re going to be irritating and condescending, please at least be consistent too.
Oh, and to explain it to you slowly, like you were a five year old:
When a small group takes it upon themselves to call a press-conference and make declarations on behalf of a city’s “arts community”, it’s a bit presumptuous of them (unless, of course, they held a quorum and somehow conclusively determined the monolithic opinion of this “arts community”). No?
Ok, but only since they clearly didn’t teach English mechanics at your middle school.
When nouns are capitalized, they are called “proper nouns.” Such designations confer a sense of formality on the subject. For example, “downtown” could be just about anywhere on the west side in common usage; however, Title 33 of the Portland City Code defines “Downtown” (note the capital D) as only the area south of Burnside, between the Willamette River and I-405. The Pearl, 23rd, South Waterfront, etc. aren’t part of it.
Clear so far?
In this instance, “Arts Community” (again capitalized) implies that there is some sort of formal group, council, organization, etc., representing artists in Portland, and that this is their official, stated position. Just as with the gay community taking offense to Just Out’s claiming to speak for a large group of people with widely varying opinions in calling for Sam’s resignation, “artists” in Portland (itself a subjective term) are likely to be offended that a self-appointed group is advancing the position of a “Community” that many of us do not agree with. It’s a nuance yes, but an important one. “Leaders in the arts community” would have been an appropriate headline.
Was that slow enough for you? If not, I have some Legos you can play with.
I do like legos.
In any case, getting angry with the arts community for calling themselves the Arts Community seems to me to be a bit meta.
Actually, come to think of it, I prefer meta legos.
Or Meta Legos.
I DECLARE MYSELF THE PORTLAND ARTS COMMUNITY!
YOU MUST ALL BOW BEFORE MY MIGHT!!!!!
I, for one, welcome our new Art Overlords.
Kiala, didn’t you move? Don’t you have new people to bother?
Jesus Christ.
The headline is my phrase.
No press conference was called.
In the letter they identify themselves as “leaders in the arts community,” and in his email Chris wrote: “Attached please find a letter drafted this morning from 27 of the city’s Arts Leaders in support of Mayor Adams continuing in office.”
Ok? Everybody ok?
and GLV, it’s capped ’cause its in a headline and that’s how we do it on Blogtown.
If I may rashly generalize, it’s becoming apparent the supporters are ‘artists,’ students, the unemployed, and government workers that have never had to understand the concept of honesty and accountability in a job.
Or imagine you confessing such lies and manipulation to your boss.
In other news, Art Overlords is a great band name.
I know that Bob Ball is (was) very involved in our community. I wonder if he ever contributed his time and/or money to the “Portland Arts Community” before our cowardly mayor through him under the bus. I voted for Sam, and I am totally disappointed with his lack of professionalism and honesty, but I could have forgiven his poor judgment (I have a dick, they make mistakes). But for his role in the slandering of Bob Ball and the hiring of Amy Ruiz he has proven corrupt. How can we trust a mayor who is willing to ruin the reputation of a productive citizen to avoid blame for something he actually did? Shame on the Portland “Arts Community” (read: pretentious clones over-charging for lousy theater. SERIOUSLY lousy theater) for being so short-sighted on this issue.
man, I changed that “through” to “threw” in the edit. Oh well, I guess if you disagree with my opinion I have given you one thing that laugh about. But seriously, the theater here is a joke.
WhatAboutBob: The “edit comment” function doesn’t work –like 10% of the people of Portland. You have to get it right the first time or face the wrath of the good spellers.
Anyway, this whole thing is a farce. Sam said he’d resign if the people wanted it. Now that Pink Martini and Storm Large have indicated they don’t want it, everything is peachy again.
Now everyone can go back to sleep and Sam can go back to co-opting investigative journalists, ruining political opponents and “reaching out” to troubled teenagers.
So the queer public art recipient bike nazi thespians are willing to forgive and forget.
This is news?
I like boyth, they’re tho easy to mold!
Because after all, isn’t art all about fist fucking 17 year olds?
According to KGW and the BizJournal, the leaders of the Business Community are meeting at the coast this weekend (they’re the folks who wrote all those large campaign checks: the ones that didn’t come from out of state). The commentator seems to think that they will actually poll their members before pretending to speak with a majority voice, and Sam is toast if they vote him down.
check