It’s holiday party season at city hall—complete with white
elephant gift exchanges, karaoke, and “Lyne’s famous chili.”
The mayor’s staff headed to Public Safety and Security Staff
Assistant Jared Spencer’s house for the aforementioned karaoke and gift
exchange. “It’s potluck and BYOB because we respect and
safeguard taxpayer dollars,” says spokesperson John Doussard. “Jared
and his mother are providing Ethiopian food.”
Commissioner Dan Saltzman is taking his staff to lunch at Porto
Terra in the Hilton on Friday, December 21. That night, Saltzman’s
staff—AKA “the office that drinks the most
together“—is heading to Office Manager Lyne Martin’s house
for the aforementioned famous chili. Last Saturday, December 15,
Commissioner Sam Adams’ staff hit Chief of Staff Tom Miller’s house. No
word on commisioners Erik Sten and Randy Leonard’s shindigs.
It’s not all fun and games and running around with lampshades on
their heads at city hall, however. In between potlucks, staffers
are refining policy and gearing up for January, when the council agenda
will be packed with things like the Park System Development Charges and
a transportation funding package (a proposal on which Adams has already
been making the city’s editorial board rounds, pitching the $813
million in projects as a way to alleviate congestion, repair roads,
and prevent traffic-related injuries and deaths). And on Wednesday
night, December 19, the council’s holding one of their infrequent
evening meetings, to go over the Office of Transportation’s ideas for
shoring up safety at 14 intersections that are particularly hairy for
bicyclists—including two intersections that were the scenes of
fatalities earlier this year. The council already approved $200,000 for
safety improvements like “bike boxes” and traffic signal
changes. (Hey, that’s almost as much as the $217,500 the council’s
expected to approve earlier that day, to settle two police excessive
force complaints!)
Outside of city hall, council hopefuls don’t have much time for
holiday cheer—in the race for the seat Adams is vacating, every
candidate is busy gathering up their 1,000 $5 contributions to qualify
for public financing, due January 31. As we went to press, Amanda Fritz
was just 51 shy of the goal, Chris Smith had just passed the halfway
mark, and Charles Lewis—who spent the weekend installing windows
in the shabby Albina Arts Center building on N Killingsworth that he’s
rehabbing as part of his “Community Corps” public service
platform—picked up his 749th contribution.
Fa la la: amy@portlandmercury.com