www.oregonsheriffs.org The well-heeled, politically connected backers of a push to legalize pot in Oregon (Measure 91 on November’s ballot) finally have organized opposition—and it’s being led by the Marion County Sheriff. According to state records, a political action committee calling itself “No on 91” formed up yesterday. Its balance sheet is all zeroes so far […]
Election 2014
Posted inElection 2014
REMINDER: Come Talk About Pot Legalization With Us This Evening
We mentioned this last week, so it’s at the forefront of your thoughts. But just in case: The Mercury and the Bus Project are sponsoring a forum on Oregon’s latest pot legalization measure at the Green Dragon this evening. It’ll be an informal, informative affair, and it costs nothing! (Unless you want to take advantage […]
Posted inDrunk
Drink Great Beer and Talk About Consequence-Free Weed with The Mercury
Have a seat. We want to talk with you about pot. In November, Oregonians are going to have a shot at legalizing recreational marijuana for the second time in two years. It wasn’t a particularly clean march to the ballot. Infighting between rivaling factions in the legalization movement helped torpedo one effort, and continues even […]
Posted inNews
Legal Pot Is On the Fall Ballot
If you were waiting until the lone remaining pot legalization measure made the ballot to figure out where you stand, time to study up. Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown’s office officially certified the proposal by moneyed, establishment-backed New Approach Oregon today, meaning Oregon’s best-ever chance to land recreational weed will come up for a […]
Posted inNews
KOIN Films Steve Novick Attending a Meeting of People Trying to Recall Steve Novick
Last week’s best bit of political theater waited all the way until Saturday. Commissioner Steve Novick, making his weekend rounds, actually dropped in for a planning meeting of the very nascent recall campaign trying to boot him (and Mayor Charlie Hales) from office later this fall. The meeting—attended by some of the people angry over […]
Posted inNews
A Key Operative in Fluoride, Water Fights Says He’s On Board for Recall Campaign
ILLUSTRATION BY SHAWN DICRISCIO Ray Horton describes himself as a “flaming radical lefty.” He voted for both Commissioner Steve Novick and Mayor Charlie Hales when they were elected in 2012, and he voted to keep Portland’s water and sewer bureaus in city hall’s possession in May, rather than turning them over to a new board. […]
Posted inElection 2014
Familiar Territory for Charlie Hales’ Spokesman: An Election Law Violation
For the second time in five years, mayoral spokesman Dana Haynes has been found in violation of state rules limiting how public employees may talk about upcoming elections. After nearly five months, Secretary of State Kate Brown’s office informed Haynes today he’d broken the rules when he wrote a February press release calling a proposed […]
Posted inNews
What About the Other “Top Two” Primary Initiative?
illustration by Mark Markovich Initiative Petition 55, the business-funded ballot measure looking to bring so-called “top-two” primary elections to Oregon, is pretty firmly on track for the fall ballot—thanks to nearly half a million dollars in spending and some 140,000 submitted petition signatures. The idea goes something like this: Primary ballots in Oregon would become […]
Posted inNews
Paul Stanford’s Embattled Legal Pot Campaign Calls it Quits
Illustration by Joseph Harmon The pot-legalization campaign that’s faced down employee strikes and elections complaints from rivals has hung up its clipboards. As first reported by Willamette Week, Paul Stanford, chief petitioner for the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH), announced on Friday the campaign had ceased collecting signatures for Initiative Petitions […]
Posted inNews
Return of the Brewhaha! The Battle for Open Primaries in Oregon!
After a very long time (so long I don’t actually remember how long) the fine folks at the Bus Project and Mercury are teaming up and bringing back our old series of semi-monthly politics and policy salons better known as ye olde Brewhaha. It’s always been simple. You show up at an adult place. You […]
Posted inNews
With Deadlines Looming, Pot Campaign Faces Labor Demands and Complaints from a Rival Effort
It’s crunch time for campaigns trying to land measures on the November ballot. And with less than three weeks left before signatures are due, signature gatherers for a campaign hoping to put legal marijuana before voters are revolting, saying they haven’t been paid on time. At the same time, two complaints—both with connections to another […]
Posted inNews
Charlie Hales Says He Asked Staffer to Make Disputed Campaign Pitch as a “Volunteer”
The fight over Portland’s water and sewer bureaus might be over, but Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown’s office is still deciding whether not two staffers in the mayor’s office broke campaign laws in the run-up to the May 20 vote. Josh Alpert, a policy director in Mayor Charlie Hales’ office, was accused last month […]