I might have known the Oregonian would have to weigh in on the second recall effort before its inevitable implosion in a couple of weeks. Well, here’s the editorial:

But stop and think. A recall election is exactly what’s needed right now. By not signing a recall petition, Portlanders are signing up for three more years of a diminished, crippled city.
…
A police crisis has only served to emphasize the fact that no other commissioner can fill the vacuum created by an “unmayor.”

But a recall election could change all this. If Adams is recalled, a mayoral primary could be held in September and a runoff in November. If Adams is not removed from office, a recall election would still give the city — and the mayor — new momentum.

The election would clean the slate, inspiring new confidence in everyone who deals with the city that Portland voters support their mayor. It would cancel the view, generally held today, that Adams is unelectable.

A strong, concerted push over the next two weeks to gather signatures may sound daunting.

But dragging on as we are with a marred, tarred mayor — and a stunted, blunted city — sounds far worse.

Recall spokeswoman Avel Gordly called for a $70,000 donation Monday to get the required signatures in time. I know the Oregonian can’t spare the cash, but one can’t help thinking they’re essentially bolstering Gordly’s fundraising effort here.

Matt Davis was news editor of the Mercury from 2009 to May 2010.

17 replies on “Oregonian Editorial On Recall 2: The “Unmayor””

  1. The only one stunted from too many blunts is the Oregonian Editorial Board. … marred and tarred LOL that’s what passes for editorial sting – ouch … down boy!

  3. what is this, the tenth editorial from the oregonian supporting recall 1.0 or 2.0? look for a blunted, stunted, punted, and shunted spadea from Columbia Sportswear next week…

  4. “the view that adams is unelectable”

    All I can say is that if he ran against sho today I would vote for sam. I may not be impressed by how he has handled his scandals, but would I rather have business shill sho? Hell no!

  5. by refusing to sign the petition, portlanders are making their views known. the oregonian just doesn’t like what they have to say

  7. Let me see if I have this straight. If I’m too lazy, or apathetic, or just plain opposed to a recall to bother to sign a petition, but it still appears on the ballot, why then of course I’d vote to take the rascal out? Or not?

  8. Hmmm. I remember that they predicted the original mayoral election would be a “coronation,” back before the scandal. Sam had a lot of fans.

    Just makes me wonder if we expect more out of the position than is possible? If we’re SO disappointed in Sam that they’ve gone from “coronation” to “unelectable,” could ANYONE had made them happy?

  9. Certainly, with a city in crisis, changing horses midstream is such an obvious solution! Nothing like someone who has to learn all the ropes to really bring that forward momentum to the office. Not to mention the $350-400k the special election would cost, that’s really going to help turn Portland around in these tough economic times!

  10. Here’s my question:

    Who would you vote for over Sam if the recall were to succeed and we had a special mayoral election this summer or fall?

    Avel Gordly? Ron Tonkin? Sho Dozono? Tina Kotek?

    I can’t think of a single damned person who wants the job that would be better than Sam.

  11. 10 years ago an editorial like this might have meant something. Now not so much. The Oregonian editorial board has about as much credibility in Portland as Michael Steele does. I bet their marketing team wants to jump out of a window every time their editorial board pens something like this or endorses some right wing jackass. What are the odds they’ll endorse Chris Dudley when all he’s done is spit out typical Republican talking points about cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations therefore letting all that money the rich people and corporations save trickle on down to the less rich. Cause that happens in real life right? Right? Ugh.

  12. I can understand the editorial board taking positions that piss off liberal Portlanders—they are, after all, supposedly serving the rest of Oregon too. But parroting Avel a day after they give “how to donate” instructions in her incoherent op-ed piece? Who does this serve, other than the fickle gods of momentary controversy?

  13. Follow the money.

    If there is a recall election, there might be a mid-term mayoral election. Both would be last breath advertising dollars for a dieing newspaper.

    Ditto the recall petition itself. Are they working for free? Would they work on the recall campaign, free? The mayoral campaign for free?

  14. I just want to know who is behind the signature gathering firm that is being paid by the recall election. Who owns it etc…

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