UPDATE, Thursday, April 23, 12:54pm: It’s understood that Adams’ office is going to push for a three to four month extension of the sit/lie law, something Commissioner Fish’s office is on board with, while the LUBA issues and funding for the Resource Access Center are worked out.
ORIGINAL POST: In a surprising move Mayor Sam Adams is rumored to be pushing city council to renew the controversial sit/lie ordinance next week, even though he doesn’t have the required three votes for a council majority on the issue.
This week’s newslede reports on a blooming squabble between the city and the Portland Business Alliance, which has been the driving force behind the controversial law since its inception: City Commissioner Amanda Fritz has human rights concerns about the ordinance, while City Commissioners Randy Leonard and Nick Fish are also considering voting against it because of a group called the Friends of Urban Renewal, which has effectively scuppered funding for Fish’s $45.9m Resource Access Center for the homeless in Old Town.
Portland Spirit tour boat owners Wayne Kingsley and Dan Yates sit on the board of the Portland Business Alliance, but also happen to be members of the Friends of Urban Renewal, which has appealed the city’s plans to expand the River District to pay for projects like the Resource Access Center. Leonard wants the PBA to get Kingsley and Yates to drop their urban renewal complaints before he’ll vote “yes” to renew the sit/lie.
Nevertheless: Adams’ staffer Warren Jimenez told anti sit/lie advocates yesterday (Tuesday) that the mayor plans to file a council resolution to renew of the law tomorrow, for discussion at next Wednesday’s council session on April 29, the Mercury has learned. Adams’ office is reportedly still deciding if it will renew the ordinance long term or for a shorter term that can be revisited in a few months.
Next week’s council session could now be very bruising indeed for Mayor Adams: It has emerged this afternoon that Adams may have delayed the vote on the demolition of Memorial Coliseum scheduled for today until next week, because he was nervous about losing the crucial third vote of Commissioner Dan Saltzman.
Saltzman told the Mercury this afternoon: “I told Sam today actually that I think we need more time to deal with all the issues around the Rose Quarter and urban renewal and the demolition of the Coliseum.”
“I have a certain nostalgia for the Coliseum,” Saltzman continued. “I could get myself to seeing it go, but not without the process at this point. People may be saying that all the process has been done on this issue, but people don’t really notice these issues until a certain point in time.”
Saltzman had even been proposing a 120 day time-out on the rushed deal.
As for the sit/lie law? Saltzman says he has “never been planning to be the one leading the charge” on its renewal. “If there’s three votes, there’s three votes,” he said, philosophically.
Adams may want to get that phrase tattooed somewhere before next Wednesday.
It almost seems like he WANTS to be recalled.
You know like some weird guilt absolution thing.
At this point I’m leaning toward obliging him…
The Portland Spirit people are mad at the city because they were unable to block the Springwater bike path from crossing in front of their business. So they are doing everything they can to irritate the City for revenge. The PBA made a big mistake in letting them on the board. Everyone knows that these issues get settled in personal networks, not by public brickbats and lawsuits. Fish is right, the day access center and sit lie are joined. Why the PBA would be for outdoor cafes blocking wheelchairs is a little strange.
I’d call that illustration “Hipster Twister”
I didn’t know the Portland Spirit and SK Northwest were the same company! Guess I’ll never be setting foot on their stupid cruise ships after all their whining about on the Springwater Corridor.
Here’s a reminder of how long they dragged out that dispute: http://bikeportland.org/cats/news/sk-north…
I’m also appalled to learn that the Mayor I voted for is pushing for RENEWAL of sit-lie. Starting to feel like Adams isn’t the progressive / liberal he claimed to be– but rather a tool of developers and the PBA. Meet the new boss…
I don’t recognize the Sit/Lie ordinance as valid. When I bring my kids downtown, I advise them to sit on the sidewalk. Just try to arrest THEM, PBA, rent-a-cop bitches!
Chunty, Adams is a pleaser. He wants to make everyone happy – PBA, progressives, Paulson. It’s why he’s looked so frenetic thus far. Like he can’t make a decision and stick to it.
Adams has always been in bed with the PBA – look back to his record in the Vera Katz days. He is more liberal and progressive than they are, but he still agrees with a lot of their priorities. However, given that his only serious opponent in the last election was Sho Dozono, even more in bed with the PBA, Sam was the best choice by a long way. And as far as I’m concerned he remains so, until a credible replacement comes along.
There isn’t a single local politician I’d rather have running things than Sam right now – that’s not because I adore him, it’s a comment on who else is available. Ted Wheeler? Bob Ball? Randy Leonard?? Amanda Fritz????
(Aside to Blabby: would you seriously rather have someone who makes their mind up and then sticks to it regardless of the feedback they get? Like, erm, a certain ex-president?)
Stu, I’d rather have someone in between. To be a “leader” a person does eventually have to make a decision and implement it.
Portland has a sidewalk ordinance? Someone forgot to tell that to all the people I saw sitting on it this afternoon, not to mention the guy who’s been banging on plastic buckets and poles downstairs for the past two hours.