In Other News

The Rose Quarter and Memorial Coliseum must become
“authentically Portland,” declared Mayor Sam Adams last week as
he kicked off the first meeting of the citizen group tasked with
helping redevelop the area. But it might be tough for the 32-person
committee to agree on what “authentically Portland” actually looks
like. “There are ways that stadiums have been developed that are
quasi-authentic, in a fake downtowny sort of way that I’m not
really interested in pursuing,” said real estate agent Walter Valenta
at the meeting. Only one idea is set in stone: The exterior of Memorial
Coliseum will stay. Adams called out for coliseum reuse ideas via
Twitter and received dozens of ideas of varying quality. Giant shark
tank, anyone? SARAH MIRK.

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Just 24 hours before the filing deadline last week, Karol
Collymore declared her candidacy for Northeast Portland’s open
Senate seat. Formerly of NARAL Pro Choice Oregon and now with
County Commissioner Jeff Cogen’s office, Collymore joins an already
tough race for the District 22 seat after the retirement of Oregon’s
sole African American Democrat legislator, Margaret Carter.
“This is about what I want to do for my neighbors,” says Collymore,
when asked about her chances of winning. “That’s my life, that’s my
career.” The other contenders for the seat, Chip Shields and
Jo Ann Bowman, both have experience as politicians in Salem.
County commissioners—possibly including Collymore’s current boss
Cogen—will choose the senator on Thursday, September 24.
SM