After his last run for city council—versus Sam Adams, in 2004—Nick Fish was exhausted and drained. “I was worn out from that experience,” he says, sitting in his law firm’s conference room overlooking Pioneer Courthouse Square. When Adams’ seat opened up last fall—thanks to Adams’ bid for mayor—Fish decided to sit this one out. He […]
Amy J. Ruiz
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Street Fight
Sam Adams Appeases Mayor Potter, Oil Lobbyists
Last Wednesday, February 6, City Commissioner Sam Adams did an about-face, ditching his plan to enact a new fee that would pay for $464 million in street improvements and announcing that he would—at the mayor’s behest—ask the council to put the package to a public vote. The day before, Mayor Tom Potter sent out a […]
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Street Games
In the week since Commissioner Sam Adams’ $464 million street fee plan passed the city council, it’s been subjected to a referral effort, objected to by another city commissioner, slated for a repeal, and will likely be replaced by a split-in-three street fee that (knock on wood) won’t be kicked around so much. Poor little […]
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Domestic Bliss
Federal Judge Clears the Path for Domestic Partnerships
Couples shivered in the early morning chill, waiting for the doors to the Multnomah County Building to open on Monday morning, February 4. Makeshift clipboards circulated through the crowd, and volunteers passed out pens. One by one, people filled out a form with sections for “Partner A” and “Partner B.” Moments before 8 am, volunteers […]
Posted inExtras
Court Rules Domestic Partnerships Legal!
Oregon Gays and Lesbians Celebrate New Civil Rights
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Goin’ to the Courthouse
Attorneys Battle over Domestic Partnerships
Attorneys for the State of Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon, and Alliance Defense Fund have been flinging briefs at the US District Court for more than a week, preparing for a February 1 hearing that will determine if, and when, same-sex couples can secure the state rights and responsibilities of marriage. The out-of-state Alliance Defense Fund […]
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Making History
For those with their eye on this year’s city council races, January 31 has been circled in red—it’s the deadline for candidates who must get enough $5 contributions to secure public financing. As we went to press on January 29, the five participating candidates aiming for Commissioner Sam Adams’ vacated seat looked likely to qualify […]
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Fare Minded
TriMet Decides to Leave Fareless Square Intact For Now
Last December, TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen used his hour in front of the City Club’s weekly luncheon to make a big announcement: He had Fareless Square, an iconic symbol of Portland’s green and transit-friendly ways, in his crosshairs. As part of a several-step plan to “deal with issues of fare evasion, loud and intimidating […]
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Sho’s Up
Dozono’s Mayoral Campaign Takes Off
At the request of a campaign volunteer, mayoral candidate Sho Dozono peeled off his sweater to show off the gray Grant High School shirt underneath, a keepsake from his days teaching and coaching wrestling at the school in the ’70s. “I can still wear the T-shirt,” Dozono says proudly. Reinforcing the high school reunion atmosphere […]
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Race to the Finish
Public Financing Deadline Looms
With a week to go before the January 31 deadline to qualify for thousands of dollars in public campaign financing, city council and mayoral candidates are scrambling for their final $5 contributions. Only one candidate, Amanda Fritz—who’s running for the seat Sam Adams is vacating to run for mayor—has been certified as a publicly financed […]
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Blind Spot of Justice?
Prosecutors Decline to Charge Driver Who Killed Cyclist Tracey
Tracey Sparling put herself in harm’s way last October 11, the day she hopped on her bicycle and rolled down SW 14th toward class at Pacific Northwest College of Art—at least according to some media accounts. The 19-year-old woman was obeying the law, riding in the bike lane, and stopping at a red light on […]
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Hall Monitor
Back to School
“Where’s my coffee?” Mayor Tom Potter asks his Chief of Staff Austin Raglione on Tuesday morning, January 15. It’s been ages since a staffer left to fetch him a double short latte. Usually, Potter can get his caffeine fix in the mayor’s office break room, or hop over to one of several coffee shops within […]