Scott Moore

For better or worse, Oregonians love their initiative process. So far, 142 initiatives for the 2006 elections have landed at the Oregon Secretary of State—many of them already have signature gatherers on the street, trying to meet the July 7 deadline. Still others are awaiting approval before printing up signature sheets. Already, the mid-term season […]

Last week, City Commissioner Sam Adams announced that he was moving forward on a comprehensive proposal to make lobbying at city hall more transparent. After a year of discussion and input from “stakeholders,” he had finally secured the votes needed to pass the ordinance at council—Commissioner Erik Sten and Dan Saltzman agreed to co-sponsor the […]

A little more than a year and a half ago, four of the five members of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners banded together to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples—in one fell swoop (unsuccessfully) challenging state law and the increasing power of conservative Christian activists. That may have been the last thing they […]

On the Monday after Thanksgiving, Portland quietly marked a pivotal moment in its political history—the first of the city commissioner candidates seeking public campaign funds, Amanda Fritz, submitted her signatures to the city for verification. If that seems like a small event, consider this: In nearly 90 percent of local races, the election has been […]

If early indications prove accurate, next year’s race for city council could be less about the candidates, and more about their allegiance—or lack thereof—to the Portland Business Alliance (PBA) and its policy goals. Just before press time, Amanda Fritz became the first candidate to qualify for at least $150,000 in public campaign funds by securing […]