Want publicly funded elections back in Portland? You’re out of luck for now.
Erik Sten
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From Off the Streets of Portland
Why Street Roots‘ Plan to Go Weekly Will Be Good for Local Journalism
Street Roots‘ plan to go weekly next month will be good for local journalism.
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Election Resurrection
Supporters of Publicly Financed Campaigns Plot a Political Comeback
Are “voter-owned elections” coming back to Portland?
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Say Hello to the Hobo Bellagio
The City’s New Homeless Service Center Is in the Home Stretch
It’s no silver bullet, but the city’s long-awaited homeless service center is a leap forward.
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Ponying Up
Voters Weigh Merits of Public Campaign Financing
Is it game over for Portland’s experiment with public campaign financing?
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Hall Monitor
Groundbreaker, Lovetaker
Nick Fish breaks ground on the new Resource Access Center for the
homeless.
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Hall Monitor
Drama Queens
If Mayor Tom Potter had a thumbtack and a bulletin board, this stage of the city’s budget process would be exactly like the high school drama department’s spring musical auditions—with hopeful city commissioners counting down the hours until Potter’s budget decisions are posted. Some of the commissioners’ proposals will make the cut, while others will […]
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Hall Monitor
Erik Sten: 1991-2008
“Tenacious.” “Dedicated.” “A bulldog.” Those were the words floating around city hall last week, as people passed out tissues and remembered their dearly departed colleague, City Commissioner Erik Sten. “I met him when he was first a staffer in [Commissioner] Gretchen [Kafoury]’s office, and his hair was down to his shoulders and he looked like […]
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Hall Monitor
Budget Bust
You know that feeling when you reach for your wallet, go for that $20 you’re sure is in there, and discover that you’ve only got a fiver after—oh, right, you forgot—going out the night before? That’s pretty much how the city council’s feeling lately. The commissioners have split into teams to dig through bureaus’ budget […]
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Middaugh Ground
Jim Middaugh Launches City Council Campaign
Last month, Jim Middaugh was camped out in his dining room—which doubled as a command center—coordinating volunteers who were fanned out across Portland, collecting $5 contributions and signatures for his bid for public campaign financing. Defying expectations, Middaugh turned in 1,623 valid contributions in just two weeks, following City Commissioner Erik Sten’s sudden announcement that […]
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Fishing for Votes
Nick Fish Prepares for “Quick Sprint” Council Race
After his last run for city council—versus Sam Adams, in 2004—Nick Fish was exhausted and drained. “I was worn out from that experience,” he says, sitting in his law firm’s conference room overlooking Pioneer Courthouse Square. When Adams’ seat opened up last fall—thanks to Adams’ bid for mayor—Fish decided to sit this one out. He […]