The primary election is a little over two months away, and we
finally have a sense of everyone who will be in the race. Tuesday
evening, March 11, was the filing deadline for those wanting to be on
the May 20 ballot.

Candidates have until Friday afternoon, March 14, to withdraw from
the race, and chances are a few will. Until then, here’s a primer on
everyone who’s running for mayor or city commissioner. Hang it on your
fridge, so when all that campaign literature comes pouring through the
mail slot, you’ll know which ones to recycle.

MAYOR

Sam Adams

Currently a city commissioner, Adams filed for office last October,
and has been actively running ever since. Considered a frontrunner,
Adams nonetheless has to overcome criticism that he’s a city hall
insider responsible for controversial projects like the OSHU tram. The
former chief of staff to former Mayor Vera Katz, Adams’ own mayoral
platform is focused on education, family wage jobs, and planning for
Portland’s expected growth.

Kyle Burris

Burris, who slid onto the ballot on March 11 (getting just over the
100 signatures needed to avoid paying a fee), is a Portland Community
College student who’s based his platform on “saving Portland” from the
yuppies and hipsters he says have taken over the town. He’d also make
cars illegal, and is a self-proclaimed “slacker” who plans to spend
less than $300 on his campaign.

Sho Dozono

Owner of Azumano Travel, Dozono has earned a reputation around town
as an all-around civic all-star, organizing marches for school funding
and humanitarian trips to places like post-Katrina New Orleans and
post-tsunami Thailand. Dozono officially jumped into the race in early
January, after a month of speculation on whether or not he would run.
He turned in 4,010 $5 contributions toward public financing, though two
of his mayoral challengers have appealed his certification as a
publicly financed candidate. Along with Adams—and buoyed by
things like an endorsement from current Mayor Tom Potter—Dozono
is another frontrunner.

Steven Entwisle

Entwisle, who lists his current occupation as a volunteer at Sisters
of the Road, has no government experience, but has an interesting
resume: He’s done stints as a tour bus driver, a security guard, a
bouncer in Chinatown, and a volunteer in Portland Public Schools and
with the disabled and homeless. A graduate of Portland Community
College, Entwisle plans to spend less than $300. “I believe I can make
a definite change in the [city’s] direction. We’ve got some
problems—the obvious ones. I’ve got some plans, I’ve got some
ideas, some fresh blood,” Entwisle tells the Mercury.

Bob Leonard Forthan

One of the later additions to the race, Forthan jumped in on Monday,
March 10. Listing his current employment as “State of Oregon,” Forthan
attended Jefferson, lives in Northeast Portland, and went to Portland
Community College for a year. He lists no prior government experience,
but he did run for president—yes, president—this year as a
Republican. His national platform? From his website, “To make America a
cash-only transaction country, to build environmentally efficient dome
homes, stop the invention of insurance, to establish the “no gun”
control, and effect a minimum standard of living for all people.”

Craig Gier

Gier, a 26-year-old who also plans to spend less than $300 in his
quest to become mayor, lays out his platform (and love for Neil
Diamond) on MySpace: “My top things for the city. (1) All politicians
in the city of Portland will be held accountable. (2) The voters have
the say in how the city is run not only the city council. (3) To clean
up the crime in this city everywhere not just downtown. (4) To plug the
hole in Portland’s ever lowering bank account. (5) To actually stay in
Portland and do the job the city of Portland’s officials can’t seem
too.”

Lew Humble

Perennial candidate Humble has no email address or campaign website,
and hasn’t answered his phone when we’ve called. He’s a retired auto
mechanic who lives in Southeast Portland, and plans to spend less than
$300.

James B. Lee

A retired physicist and fixie bike fan, Lee is the race’s most
eccentric character (in the best way possible). “This is the only place
I care to live, and I feel the need to pay Portland back for a lifetime
of wonderful support, even if it’s been financially dodgy. Life can
deal a royal fizzbin, which one must play as best one can.”

Beryl McNair

North Portlander McNair’s most interesting campaign activity to
date? Appealing Dozono’s public financing certification. The
Mercury wishes she’d speak up more—returning our calls
would be a good start—as we’d like to hear her expound on her
platform, which includes “encouraging home ownership and assisting
low-income entrepreneurs to secure the resources they need to start
their own businesses” and “holding corporations responsible for their
impact on our community.”

Christopher Rich

Rich, of Southwest Portland, lists himself as an “Entrepreneur in
Advertising-Marketing/Commercial Property Management.” Rich is among
the more, um, eclectic of candidates in this non-partisan race. He
wants to kill the day laborer center, but make it easier to get medical
marijuana. And he wants “stylishly uniformed crosswalk guards” to
patrol West Burnside at the Park Blocks.

Patricia Stuart

A State of Oregon civil service test examiner, Stuart hails from
Northeast Portland. She lists the Women’s Commission and the Commission
on the Right of Minorities, both in Eugene, as her governmental
experience, and plans to spend less than $300.

Jeff Taylor

Taylor, a real estate investor and mortgage broker, lists “helping
people achieve their financial dreams” as part of his occupation, in
his filing to run for mayor. A Southeast Portlander, Taylor ran for
mayor in 2004, and came in fifth. This time around, he wants to
“reestablish the trust between citizens and government.”

As we went to press, two new mayoral candidates
emerged—David Ackerman, of Northeast Portland, and
perennial candidate Bruce Broussard. Ackerman has a background
in “fast food,” and Broussard coupled his entrance into the race with a
third appeal of Dozono’s public financing certification.

The Drop Outs

Bike-tour company owner Slav Davidzon dropped out of the race
in late February, saying “I cannot financially compete with the two
frontrunners without taking donations from business interests,
something I refuse to do.” Nick Popenuk dropped out of the
mayor’s race in January to run for Commissioner No. 2 (and dropped out
of that race last weekend). Downtown florist Gerhard Watzig jumped into the race with a splash in November, but withdrew in
January.

Commissioner No. 1

We’ve devoted a lot of space to this race, the open seat to replace
Sam Adams. Vying for the post are five talented, qualified, and
publicly funded candidates: Neighborhood activist and nurse Amanda
Fritz, Schools Development Director John Branam, Ethos
founder and Executive Director Charles Lewis, consumer advocate
Jeff Bissonnette, and “citizen activist” Chris Smith.
We’ve profiled all of them, which you can leisurely peruse at portlandmercury.com/2008. A late
addition to the race, and the only privately funded candidate, Mike
Fahey is a two-term Oregon State Representative from North
Portland, with a background in labor. Old Town skateshop owner and
neighborhood activist Howard Weiner dropped out of the race in
January.

Commissioner No. 2

The special election to replace Commissioner Erik Sten has two heavy
hitters battling it out for the top spot: Sten’s Chief of Staff Jim
Middaugh qualified for public financing, and is busy getting his
name out all over town. Nick Fish—who beat Sam Adams in
the primary four years ago, before losing to him in the
general—already has name recognition, and is assembling a war
chest of money and endorsements. Expect these two to really duke it out
over issues they’re both passionate about, like housing and
homelessness. Meanwhile, Ed Garren, a psychotherapist who lives
on Hayden Island, is making plenty of noise over issues of rent
stabilization. Northeast Portland community activist Fred
Stewart, and consultant Harold Williams Two round out the
crowd—both have been lying fairly low to date.

Commissioner No. 4

It looks like incumbent Randy Leonard can practically coast
to reelection. “General Political Activist” Martha Perez is his
most active challenger, participating in endorsement interviews, and
testifying at city council regularly. Emily Ryan, a Portland
State University student, has all but dropped out of the race. And we
haven’t heard from Edward Kill, who lists his occupation as
artist, since mid-February. As we went to press, no new challengers had
filed to oppose Leonard.