Office hours today: Let’s talk about Sam

Stop by this afternoon:
833 SE Main, Ste 102.
[Google Map]

It’s Day 4 of the Mayor Adams situation and the topic still weighs heavily on our minds here at BikePortland headquarters. Also, given the many comments on the few stories I’ve done about it, it’s clear the topic is also very important to many of you.

I’ve read thousands of comments and myriad news articles these past few days. But, at this pivotal moment in Portland’s future, I thought it might be helpful for us to get together in person to share our thoughts.

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We like to open our office for an informal get together this afternoon to talk about the Sam Adams situation. Our office is located on the ground floor of the Activspace building at 833 SE Main Street (just two blocks north of Hawthorne, next door to Black Sheep Bakery — look for all the bikes).

This will be a neutral gathering place where all thoughts are welcome. This will be about conversation and dialogue and learning what others are thinking — it’s our attempt to get beyond just words on a blog.

Whether you’re happy, sad, or confused; or whether you want to fight for Sam, or move on with someone else, stop on by, we’d love to talk about it with you.

    Office Hours to Talk About Sam
    2:00 – 5:15ish
    BikePortland Headquarters
    833 SE Main Street [Map]
Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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sue
sue
15 years ago

Wish I could stop by! I would love to talk with others, in person, about this. I’m just tired of it already. I would have lied about my personal sexual life, and I really think most people, no matter how wonderful or honest, would have done the same. I just wish our Hollywood gossip culture would shut up and leave legal private lives alone.

hsf
hsf
15 years ago

Private sex lives is one thing. Repeated lying about private sex lives, and encouraging others to lie about private sex lives, by a public official, is another. The hiring of an unqualified individual in an apparent quid pro quo attempt to throw the public off the story is yet another.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

I’m convinced the Sam haters all live outside the city anyways. Maybe it’ll be a big ol’ Stand By Your Sam love fest.

redhippie
redhippie
15 years ago

I’d like to be there, but with only a couple hours of notice, bailing out of work and re-arranging daycare is not possible. Perhaps a morning coffee meeting tomorrow?

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

What’s the proof Adams hired Ruiz to avoid being reprimanded, other than the people who didn’t get hired getting paid to say so by the Willamette Weak?

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

“I’m convinced the Sam haters all live outside the city anyways”

There are no end of Sam haters downtown now. I read on a cl blog yesterday that a fag hag had bean thrown out of a business head first for being a Sam supporter

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

A gay business

k.
k.
15 years ago

It’s inconsistent to say “Private sex lives is one thing. Repeated lying about private sex lives, and encouraging others to lie about private sex lives, by a public official, is another.”

There would be no need for Sam to have lied if he hadn’t been pressed on this issue in the first place or felt like it would have affected his campaign for office. But for some voyeristic reason, people do vote based on a candidates sex life.

It’s a classic catch 22 situation for them and you feed that by saying “it’s not the sex, it’s the lies” because ultimately it is about the sex.

I’ll be the first to admit that Sam handled this badly and some of the actions he took to cover his tracks were poorly thought out at the least. But he’d have never had to take those actions if he hadn’t thought (correctly) he’d be persecuted for his sexual behavior.

lacorota
lacorota
15 years ago

Despite minor disappointments with Sam, I support him by virtue of his bicycle centric agendas (at least more so than most others). Perhaps that’s selfish — so be it. As far as criticisms, I can’t rattle my self-righteous sabre.

I could cite plenty of examples from higher leaders’ dishonesty and poor examples, but won’t.

Remeber Warren’s exhortations:

” I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this

k.
k.
15 years ago

Jim, (#6)

Anyone who cites Craig’s List as a source of information has pretty much debunked themselves. I certainly don’t need to any further.

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

K
Forget the cl blog. Look everwhere else, there is hardly any sam supporters no matter what side of the fence you are on. I am not debunked nor blind

Matthew Denton
Matthew Denton
15 years ago

Jim #6.
“There are no end of Sam haters downtown now.”

The Oregonian said there were “a handful” at 10am, (when the protest started.) I rode by at 11:30ish, and the camera crews outnumbered the protesters…

Seriously, the homeless stage better protests than that, (quite probably because they’ve got more at stake…)

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

Hey Hart #5,

Maybe we should ask Sam if that is the truth or not.

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

BTW I do live in the city, I did vote for him. I do support him but I am not giving him a free pass. I don’t want him to resign, but he has a little under six months to convince me not to sign up on the recall or hopefully a whole term to convince me to vote for him again.

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

Jim #6

I usually talk like a drunken sailer, but I still can’t help to think that your bigoted terminology has no place in Bikeportland.org

DT
DT
15 years ago

But he’d have never had to take those actions if he hadn’t thought (correctly) he’d be persecuted for his sexual behavior.

This is the crux of the matter. If this had all blown up because of something besides sex, then it would be a different matter entirely.

As far as the Ruiz hiring goes, how about we wait for more information, huh? This huge rush to judgment makes me sick.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

Maybe we should ask Sam if that is the truth or not.

Or you could use your brain and realize that the Mercury isn’t the only rag in town. Just because they didn’t waste 16 months of resources trying to destroy the career of a decent man doesn’t mean they were paid off. C’mon, man. Smarten up.

Steven J
Steven J
15 years ago

Frankly, the whole subject is none of my damn buisness. Never was.

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

#16
So it’s just an “Honest” coincidence. You make it sound as if Sam hasn’t admitted he did something wrong . I guess that whole press conference was my imagination. Your starting to sound like your using the Sarah Palin book of rebuttals and counter arguments.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
15 years ago

“Frankly, the whole subject is none of my damn buisness. Never was.”

Hey Steven,

Do you really think that the prospect of a popular Mayor stepping down and a major blow to our City’s future is none of your business? Wow.

Regardless of how you feel about Adams’ conduct in and of itself, this has turned into something much larger that we ignore at our own peril.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

I think he meant that the man’s personal sex life wasn’t any of our business. Obviously preventing Sam’s resignation IS our business.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

I read on a cl blog yesterday that a fag hag had bean thrown out of a business head first for being a Sam supporter

That’s funny. I thought Schumacher Furs went out of business. Nice language too. We really don’t get enough of that here.

Mike
Mike
15 years ago

“Do you really think that the prospect of a popular Mayor stepping down and a major blow to our City’s future is none of your business? Wow!”

We can survive, even thrive, without Adams. He isn’t magic, just a liar. Get out Sam, just go.

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

If sam calls himself a queer than that is what I will call him too. I wouldn’t call that bigoted

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

Calling an entire group of people queers, as opposed to referring to them as ‘the queer community’, is pretty bad form.

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

#24
I was referring to the term “fag hag” in your comment #6. Maybe this is appropriate now and not as offensive as it used to be. Granted they are just words, no matter how inappropriate.

redhippie
redhippie
15 years ago

So, what happened with the meeting?

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

Johnathan,
Can’t make it to the gathering at the office. Please have a follow. I am sure the discussion there is more sober and civilized in person than in the fog of anonymity.

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

I believe fag hag is something made up by a circle I am not in, however I am adept at picking up their terms when I hear them and I will use them

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

I guess if “fag hag” doesn’t get stopped by the swear word filter it must be okay, though I sure wouldn’t call a person that.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
15 years ago

we’re here and chatting away.. drop by if you can.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
15 years ago

“We can survive, even thrive, without Adams. He isn’t magic, just a liar. Get out Sam, just go.”

Mike,

I never said we wouldn’t survive. you’re mis-interpreting my comment. i simply think it’s important to stay engaged right now…no matter what happens.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

I believe fag hag is something made up by a circle I am not in, however I am adept at picking up their terms when I hear them and I will use them

Oh, you little anthropologist you! Gosh you’re so smart! Tell me, can you teach them to finger paint and use sign language too?

JC
JC
15 years ago

I agree with Steven, his sex life is none of my damn business. Sam will make a great Mayor, as he made a great commissioner.

I would like to se the community, especially the bike community rally around Sam and give their full wholehearted support. This is not the time for the usual liberal “debate” that ends in non-action. Come on people, you voted for this guy for a reason. Do you really care who he slept with or whether he lied about it?

Duncan
Duncan
15 years ago

Jonothan,

I really wish I could be there for this. I think Sam’s mayorship would have been great for bikers and great for portland. I don’t like how he’s handled this, but I still can’t help but like the guy.

Just my two cents: I support an investigation and a recall. That way, we’d be over this next year and those protagonists that make this an issue would have to put forth a decent candidate as alternative. Then we’d either have ademocratically elected alternative mayor or a re-elected, fully credible mayor.

Lacorota
Lacorota
15 years ago

Perhaps it’s irrelevant, but I’ve got lots of pals I wouldn’t necessarily want as coworkers; as well, I wouldn’t want my favorite coworkers as pals. Point is, I may disagree with Adams’ quagmire, but that likely has little to do with his capacity as a Mayor and promoter of bike commuting and infrastructure.

And I’m down on my luck
Yes, I’m down on my luck
Well, I’m down on my luck

I’m hiding in Honduras – I’m a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns, and money
The shit has hit the fan

driveabus
driveabus
15 years ago

Its time for sam to go. The man has lost all credibility. He lied and had no second thoughts about it until caught in the lie. What else has he/will he lie about? We don’t know but we will always wonder. And hiring Amy just looks like he wanted to keep the lid on it and thought he had it covered. You can’t make me believe there were no other, far more qualified candidates for the position. Do the honorable thing sam and resign. For the good of Portland. Thats what you want isn’t it sam? Whats good for Portland.

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

I allways liked Sam. Now I don’t care, he has lost any respect he had earned, that is all gone now. Now all I have for him is distrust, I will allways be wary of him. If he stays it won’t be without giving Portland a tarnished name.
Sorry if I offended anyone with the fag hag term, it was not in reference to Sam at all, it was one of his supporters who had gay thrown out of a gay business downtown. I believe Sam still prefer’s “queer” as his sexual orientation. Myself that does sound a bit controversial.
Hart- sorry to you to if I struck a nerve, none of it was aimed at you

Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah Blah
15 years ago

I’m not sure what he should do…But I think I’d have a little more respect for the guy if he would’ve stood up and said “It’s none of your damn busines” but he didn’t and lied.

Jim
Jim
15 years ago

What if the whole city counel decided it is just ok to lie whenever they feal like it? or our judges, lawyers, priests, yo mama, teachers, the weather man (well ok for him to lie a little) your banker?
Probably not huh. Definatly not for someone with a multi billion dollar budget, Someone who is entrusted with homeland security sensitive data. Not someone who might have teenage aids alone in the office with him at odd hours

Ishkabibble
Ishkabibble
15 years ago

Am I the only one who thinks darn near everyone lies about their sex life?

GlowBoy
GlowBoy
15 years ago

Wow, a politician lied!?! I am shocked! Shocked!

Listen, I was furious with Bill Clinton for lying about why he bombed the pharmaceutical factory in the Sudan. I was furious with Bush/Cheney for lying about … well, damn near everything.

But I was only a little angry with Bill Clinton for lying about his sex life. Not for the falsehood, but for even dignifying the question with a response. Same thing this time, except SO FAR AS WE KNOW this time it’s even less serious. In this case Breedlove didn’t even work for Adams and there was no desecration of any honored office.

One thing is for sure: Sam knows whether he had sex with a minor, and whether he traded favors with Ruiz. If he’s guilty of those things, he will ultimately lose any battle he fights and must resign.

But if those allegations are false, he is equally compelled to stand tall and face down the beast of hatred that has risen up in our community. If the allegations are false, he will prevail, we will all be better off and we will have taught the rest of the world a powerful lesson about right or wrong.

At this point that’s a question only Sam can answer. Sounds like we’ll find out soon.

DT
DT
15 years ago

@ lothar (#19)

So it’s just an “Honest” coincidence. You make it sound as if Sam hasn’t admitted he did something wrong . I guess that whole press conference was my imagination. Your starting to sound like your using the Sarah Palin book of rebuttals and counter arguments.

Yeah, bringing up Sarah Palin really helps your argument.

I said “How about we wait for more information” regarding Amy Ruiz. For that matter, how about we wait until we know whether Beau was really 18? These are things that would be criminal and worth resigning over. But I don’t see any reason to make draconian demands of resignation based on *speculation*. I am disturbed by the mob mentality that demands blood based on someone lying about their sex life and has very little hard evidence of an actual crime.

And nowhere did I comment on Sam’s confession. Yes, he admitted he lied. I am sorry and disappointed that he chose to lie. I am also sorry that he was asked an inappropriate question that backed him into a corner with no good choices. I personally think we should accept his apology, forgive him, and move on. If the investigation turns up criminal activity, then we can deal with it then.

You can be cynical all you like about “coincidences”, Beau’s age, etc, but none of us really know the facts. Until then, all the calls for resignation are overblown grandstanding, IMO.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

Sing it with me Portland:


Sometimes its hard to be a man
Giving all your love to just one Sam
You’ll have bad times
And he’ll have good times
Doing things that you don’t understand
But if you love him you’ll forgive him
Even though he’s hard to understand
And if you love him
Oh be proud of him
‘Cause after all he’s just Sam
Stand by your Sam
Give him two arms to cling to
And something warm to come to
When nights are cold and lonely
Stand by your Sam
And tell the world you love him
Keep giving all the love you can
Stand by your Sam
Stand by your Sam
And show the world you love him
Keep giving all the love you can
Stand by your Sam!!!

We support Sam Adams for Mayor of Portland f*ÇK¡ing Oregon!!!

DT
DT
15 years ago

That song was awesome. 😛

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

What if the whole city counel{sic} decided it is just ok to lie whenever they feal{sic} like it?

You know what? I’m totally fine with that, as long as they’re lying about THEIR OWN PRIVATE SEX LIVES!!!! Stop obsessing over it and get your own damn sex life!

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

Repost the lyrics above and send them to the Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/contactus/

this is all a mess
this is all a mess
15 years ago

I don’t understand why people think it was so inappropriate for him to be questioned about this during the campaign. People out there knew, the rumors were circulating, that he was sleeping with someone who had JUST turned 18. Common sense would lead you to wonder…well, they were dating when he was only 17, did they really wait until he was 18? That’s illegal and carries a prison sentence, you know. Why wouldn’t that be worth looking into at the time?! You wouldn’t want clarification, before you elect someone, as to whether or not they were boinking a minor?! I mean, that’s not about being pervy and wanting to know too much about someone’s personal sex life…that’s wanting to know if you’re electing a criminal or not.

lothat
lothat
15 years ago

DT #43

If you read on the other thread
“/rally-tomorrow-for-most-pro-bike-mayor-weve-had-in-portland/#comments”
and scroll down to comment #53 you will see that our friend Hart brought up Sarah Palins name a day before.

My coincidence comment was pointed at Amy and not the young mans age. In fact I don’t mention Beau at all in this thread.I also commented that I don’t want him to resign. Just Amy if indeed her appointment was to shut the story.

But here is the real problem. It was my mistake, I meant to comment on #17 not #16. My bad and I will resign from this thread.

lothar
lothar
15 years ago

DT #43

If you read on the other thread
“/rally-tomorrow-for-most-pro-bike-mayor-weve-had-in-portland/#comments”
and scroll down to comment #53 you will see that our friend Hart brought up Sarah Palins name a day before.

My coincidence comment was pointed at Amy and not the young mans age. In fact I don’t mention Beau at all in this thread.I also commented that I don’t want him to resign. Just Amy if indeed her appointment was to shut the story.

But here is the real problem. It was my mistake, I meant to comment on #17 not #16. My bad and I will