In the months leading up to Election Day, one of the lesser talking points thrown around by proponents of Measure 45 was that term limits for state legislators would be a boon for Portland’s city politics. It went like this: When state lawmakers became “termed out” of Salem, they’d naturally end up back in Portland, […]
Randy Leonard
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BLF Is Gonna Rock Ya
But Will Adams’ Plan Gut City Services?
For those who believe that City Commissioner Sam Adams never stopped campaigning after taking office, it looks like he’s shoring up support among an important group of constituents for 2008—small businesses. Opponents to his plan, though, say that support could come at a cost to the city. By the end of the month, Adams hopes […]
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Hall Monitor
Dramarama
Perhaps it’s the weather, or perhaps it’s the fact that two-fifths of the city commissioners are now nearly halfway through their rookie term, but city council sessions have gotten awful testy lately. For two weeks in a row, tempers have flared, largely over whether Commissioner Dan Saltzman has engaged in enough “process” over his proposals. […]
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In Other News
MISTAKEN MARCH On Sunday afternoon, November 5, protesters met at the North Park blocks for another demonstration against police brutality. Two weeks prior, demonstrators went to Police Chief Rosie Sizer’s home. This time, protesters hopped on buses to head to Police Union President Robert King’s house, according to one witness, Reed student Brian Radzinsky. But […]
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You’ve Got Mail
Wading Through the Election Campaign Bullshit
It happens every election cycle: Your mailbox gets stuffed to the gills with all manner of colorful, oddly sized postcards, all attempting to convince you to vote in a specific way. Add to that campaigns’ increasing use of the internet—email, websites, and, oddly, YouTube videos—and the tide of information becomes overwhelming. Face it, you simply […]
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Hall Monitor
Processed Cheese
If Mayor Tom Potter is growing into his new nickname—Mayor McProcess—City Commissioner Dan Saltzman is quickly growing into his role as the favorite enemy of those in the city who prize process above all other values. That journey began two years ago, when Saltzman, as the commissioner in charge of the parks bureau, decided to […]
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“You’re Calling Us Racist”
Union and Mayor Butt Heads over Racial Profiling
The head of Portland’s police union accused the mayor of calling him and his rank-and-file officers racists, at a hearing on racial profiling Thursday, October 19. Portland Police Association (PPA) President Robert King didn’t participate in the mayor’s commissioned series of racial profiling sessions between May and July earlier this year. At the hearing, where […]
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Hall Monitor
The pull-out method
In spring of 2003, Commissioner Erik Sten introduced a resolution condemning the impending invasion of Iraq. It died in a 2-2 draw—Sten and Mayor Vera Katz voted for it, Jim Francesconi further villainized himself by voting against it, and Randy Leonard surprised many with his no vote. Dan Saltzman was conveniently absent. Now, three years […]
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Pottering Around
Mayor May Delay Racial Profiling Commission
Victims of racial profiling will probably not be happy with Mayor Tom Potter this week. On Thursday, October 19, the mayor will most likely delay the formation of a commission that would tackle the problem, thereby ignoring a crucial recommendation of a report on racial profiling he commissioned earlier this year. The report—prepared by Oregon […]
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Hall Monitor
Biodiesel Redux
You gotta hand it to City Commissioner Randy Leonard—when he said he was going to give the trucking industry plenty of chances to give their input on the city’s biodiesel mandate, he wasn’t kidding. Thursday, September 14, Leonard convened an open powwow with “stakeholders” to talk about moving forward on his alternative fuels package—giving truckers […]
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Hall Monitor
Blood from a stone
Last Monday, September 11, former firefighter and current City Commissioner Randy Leonard paid a visit to his compatriots at the Portland Firefighters Association—to ask them for money. He was looking for support for the city’s proposed reform to the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement (FPD&R) system, which will be on the ballot this November. […]
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Hall Monitor
Thanks for nothing
With two commissioners out on “vacation,” and with many city staffers gearing up for the Labor Day weekend by doing as little as possible, last week city hall was something of a ghost town. That may explain why nobody from the city ever responded to the plight of Jewel the circus elephant—who’s hobbling to town […]