The second effort to recall Mayor Sam Adams filed discretely this morning at the City Auditor’s office.
- RECALL 2: “SAM ADAMS HAS LIED TO US”
“They filed a prospective recall petition at 8:20 this morning,” says Andrew Carlstrom, city elections officer. “It gives the reasons for demanding the recall.”
“Sam Adams has lied to us. He lied and then covered up his actions to get elected mayor. He lied repeatedly after admitting the affair and cover up with Beau Breedlove. A Mayor cannot in good faith move forward and continue city business without the trust of the people. This is about the reflection our city’s character. We have no idea how many missed opportunities our city has had with the current crippled leadership. It is time we restore integrity to the Mayor’s office. Sam Adams has broken our trust. He must be recalled.”
The statement was signed by chief petitioner and former independent state senator, Avel Gordly. But Gordly was nowhere to be seen this morning, says Carlstrom.
“About four camera crews, and Jim Redden from the Tribune were here,” he said.
- CARLSTROM: CITY ELECTIONS OFFICER, WITH RECALL PETITION
The Mercury was given no notice of the filing, whatsoever, despite asking repeatedly, and phoning Gordly directly. No offense to Redden, who is one of this city’s finest reporters, but the Tribune‘s readership certainly skews more toward the second recall’s would-be demographic. Gordly, herself, is yet to return a single call from the Mercury about the recall, but granted the Tribune an interview late last year. It seems she and her campaign are playing favorites with the media.
Theresa McGuire, the treasurer, was the only person from the campaign to show up this morning, according to Carlstrom.
Update, 10am
“I’m not in charge of press releases,” said McGuire, contacted via cell. “Right now it’s kind of switching scenarios.”
McGuire said she sent out the release this morning through Jasun Wurster, who organized the first recall. She promised to call Wurster and have him add the Mercury to the campaign’s mailing list for press releases, in future.
McGuire also told me that her only contact with the campaign, so far, has been through Gordly.
Original post, 9:51am
The campaign needs to get 32,183 signatures to force a recall election, with the petitions due at 5pm on April 20th. A prospective recall election would have to be held no later than June 9, after the auditor’s office has verified the number of signatures. The city would then have to pay for the election with taxpayer dollars. Since none is scheduled, a special election would cost $350,000 to $400,000 of taxpayer money.
It’s unclear whether the recall election could coincide with the primary election on May 18—the recall signatures would have to be gathered more quickly than the 90 days they are allowed, at least, for that to happen. “But it can’t be on the same ballot,” says Carlstrom. “It would have to be its own supplemental ballot.”
“We have no idea how many missed opportunities our city has had with the current crippled leadership. “
What does that even mean??? What crippled leadership?
$350-$400k in addition to the time spent by our government to process the petition and verify a kajillion signatures. Thanks for wasting everyone’s time and money, recall dudes!
The Mercury isn’t exactly known for fair and balanced reporting – why would Avel bother talking to you, especially after you’ve made it clear that you support Adams and disdain those that support a recall?
What goes around comes around – play fair and you might get more respect.
@pdxrocks – I think you’ve got some ignorance, there. The Merc has endorsed candidates and measures on both sides of the party line, wherever you want to draw that line.
@tk – You’ve got it. They say “we can’t know how many opportunities we’ve missed.” Maybe not, but it’d be pretty easy to show what we’d miss out on to pay $400k for another election! How many meals for the homeless is that? How many scholarships? How many jail beds, or social services? Ridiculous – I hope they spend their entire war chest and come up one signature short.
The supporters of the recall should have to collect donations to pay for the special election. I certainly don’t want my own tax dollars used for this purpose.
WTF? They didn’t send a press release to the Mercury?! Shocking, I don’t think the school newspaper at David Douglas got one either. What are those stupid recall people thinking?
IMO a good news reporter walks a thin line of reporting while not ALIENATING potential sources. Most of the time Davis sounds like he is vying for Kaufmann’s job but then wants to cry when nobody with any type of moral compass wants to talk with him, sheesh.
“a good news reporter walks a thin line of reporting while not ALIENATING potential sources”
Ohhhh, so that’s what a “good” reporter is supposed to do.
The $350,000 figure needs to be on the Mercury’s front page next week. In giant font.
If people believe that the rerecall is worth that much public money, fine; but at least let’s be clear about what you’re signing up for.
By signing the petition, you forfeit any right to complain about potholes.
any word on if they are hiring Mannix’ hit squad to buy their recall?
Todd: VOTE, Mannix’s firm, says they’re ready to do it. But there’s no contract, yet, so it’s pie in the sky until it happens.
@Matt and Roy: I agree about walking that line, and I try to do it. But to make this recall a moral issue is repugnant to me. It’s a political issue, and has been for the past 12 months.
@Matt you make moral judgments all the time on issues i.e. homelessness. How is grooming a teen for sex anything but a moral issue? What should be repugnant to you is a community turning on an abuse victim all because the predator is more useful in fulfilling their own agendas. What I find especially repugnant is reporters who know this is wrong but are to afraid of upsetting the status quo to say so.
Sure the “recall” itself is political but there are many reasons that Adams should be out of office that are moral. When did moral become a dirty word?
Please read The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant if you want to see how truly callous we are about abuse of kids by people in power esp. political. Sam Adams will never do any real good with the air of a sex abuser that trails him. When you are a forty year old man salivating over a senior in high school you have issues and yes they are moral ones.
Yes, ‘Matt & Roy,’ with his photoshoots in national borderline-softcore skin mags (for an undisclosed sum, no less) and his current shopping around of his memoir — it is hard to forget how much of a victim Breedlove is.
I believe what Matt is trying to get at is the fact that the people behind the recall claim it is because “Sam Adams lied to get elected.” In theory, yes he did. (But his lying had absolutely nothing to do with any sort of anything related to overseeing city government, so it’s kind of a moot point. [And if you, ‘Matt & Roy’ have a problem with lying politicians, please give me list of all of the politicians currently in office who have not lied *somewhere* along the campaign route in order to get elected.]) However, persuing a second recall, after the city of Portland rejected the first attempt, makes it appear as if those behind the second recall simply want Adams out so that their candidate of choice can be put in (and perhaps push for a few new tax breaks to be pushed through? maybe?).
And last I checked, that is not how democracy worked.
As for all of the other “many reasons that Adams should be out of office that are moral,” please give examples.