When City Commissioner Sam Adams announced he was going to
vacate his seat in order to run for mayor, he kicked off the 2008
campaign not just for himself, but for at least five candidates who’ve
been chomping at the bit to run for his seat.
Indeed, within days of his announcement, three more candidates piled
on to the race: nurse/neighborhood activist Amanda Fritz, Portland
Public Schools Development Director John Branam, and Citizens’ Utility
Board lobbyist Jeff Bissonnette.
So far, no credible candidate has emerged to challenge Adams’
mayoral aspirations; there aren’t even hints of any “first tier”
candidates planning to run for mayor. That means he may need to raise
even less than the self-imposed $200,000 overall contribution limit
he’s established for his campaign.
That no one has emerged as a likely contender against Adams could be
chalked up to his popularity, or to the fact that it’s still early in
the campaign cycle, or that running against someone who’s spent so much
time in office (both as a commissioner and as a mayor’s chief of staff)
seems like a months-long exercise in political futility. Adams, though,
hates the “i” word.
“I am not an incumbent,” he bristled when asked if his
incumbency was scaring off political challengers.
Even though he’s not using the Voter Owned Election (VOE) program,
Adams’ campaign cap matches what mayoral candidates would get from the
city. But he won’t be burdened with the city’s cumbersome technical
requirements—requirements that have apparently already tripped up
multiple city council candidates.
Without naming names, City Auditor Gary Blackmer says that numerous
candidates have already flubbed the VOE’s new rules, which are designed
to keep people from repeating Emilie Boyles’ campaign disaster, where
she promised people future money if they helped her qualify for city
funds.
The problem now isn’t widespread fraud, Blackmer says, but a
misunderstanding about when campaign bank accounts need to be opened
and papers filed. Sensing a fiasco, Blackmer has decided to give every
campaign a two-week window in which to sort out their accounts and stay
in the black.