the rally that convinced Sam Adams
to stay on as Mayor, sat down with
him for a chat recently.
(Photos © J. Maus)
Without Hollie Teal, Sam Adams would no longer be Portland’s Mayor. At least, that’s what Adams told her during a lunch they recently had together.
Teal is the woman who organized the big rally in support of Sam Adams just as his chances at staying on the job looked grim (Adams was absent from City Hall and calls for his resignation were all over the media). Back in January, when the rally happened, I wondered if it signaled Adams’ political resurrection. Turns out, it did.
Teal — an everyday bike commuter who describes herself as a “cycling wonk” — served as catalyst for the rally and she also maintains the Sam is Still My Mayor blog. A few days ago, Adams called Teal to thank her for her support. Yesterday, the two met and Teal wrote about the meeting on her blog.
sign at the rally last month.
The big news for Teal was Adams sharing with her that it was the rally that convinced him to stay. She wrote (emphasis mine):
“Sam was going to quit before the rally happened, but the outpouring of support convinced him to stay. He had that first week been holed up at home, reading the negative press about himself, and felt shocked and hurt at how the local media was attacking him. Our support was a turning point for him, and he showed no shortage of gratitude for our efforts.”
Teal says they also talked about a wide range of topics including, not surprisingly, transportation:
“We talked a lot about transportation infrastructure, the CRC, cycling in Portland (when he gets honked at by cars, he tries to catch up to them and make sure they see his face — I guess the reaction he gets is pretty funny), the Interstate Ave. off-ramp where Brett Jarolimek was killed (he says “It will never be re-opened”), bike licensing (he’s against it, but supports free bike registration to help track down stolen bikes), how often he rides (3 times a week), the BTA (he’s a member and supports the organization strongly), bike boulevards, etc.. It was heaven for a cycling wonk like me!”
For many Portlanders, hearing that a bike lover and “cycling wonk” is one of Adams’ most ardent and active supporters, isn’t a big surprise. But on the other side of the Adams saga is a man behind a fledgling effort to remove him from office.
at a Midnight Mystery Ride in
January 2006.
(Photo: Elly Blue)
Jasun Wurster, who has been involved with many local bike events and initiatives, is also a volunteer spokesperson for RecallSamAdams.com (read more about Wurster’s involvement in this article that appeared in the Portland Tribune last week).
Wurster’s outspoken actions in trying to get Adams removed from office have surprised some in the bike scene. Carye Bye, who worked with Hollie Teal to organize the pro-Adams rally, recently sent an email to friends hoping to muster support for the Mayor. In that email she wrote:
“…one of the bigger surprises many of us are learning is that Jasun Wurster is the spokesperson for the Recall Sam Adams. (Jasun if you reading this, I want my sunflower mu-mu back from the Pretty Dress Bike Ride!)”
in April 2006.
(Photo © J. Maus)
An exasperated Wurster told me on the phone this morning that he’s not used to being “Public enemy number one.” That being said, Wurster is no stranger to politics or the bike scene.
Wurster says he’s just one paper shy of completing a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Portland State University. He was also deputy campaign manager for Amanda Fritz’s primary election campaign last fall (she won, and is now a Portland city commissioner).
On the bike side of things, Wurster is a common sight at bike events. In years past he has done everything from helping organize Portland’s Naked Bike Ride to wheeling his bike-mounted stereo system to a bike wedding. He was also very active in a series of sit-down meetings between the Portland Police Bureau, bike lawyer Mark Ginsberg, and others to discuss Critical Mass issues.
According to Wurster, he is trying to recall Mayor Adams precisely because he cares about biking.
“I’m seeing the bike community act as a special interest group with a goal to keep Adams in power, instead of looking at larger issues that affect Portland.”
— Jasun Wurster
“The danger from the bike community comes from having a weak mayor, which is worse than not having a mayor that supports the programs we cherish,” he said.
Wurster believes that the scandal surrounding Adams has left him weak and that he is now being manipulated by Portland’s powerful business interests. “I fear that he is at the mercy of his most powerful and wealthy supporters,” explained Wurster, “These people generally do not care too much about bicycle issues.” (Wurster mentioned the Port of Portland, the Portland Business Alliance and “labor unions wanting big construction jobs” as examples of these supporters).
Wurster sees a divisive split in opinions among people who ride bikes in Portland around the Sam Adams issue (and other issues) — and that’s what he sees as major problem. “Our city needs to be able to rally around a strong leader… Sam has a lot of great ideas, he just doesn’t have the public trust or the political capital to get things done.”
Further, Wurster is critical of how some of his friends in the bike scene have responded to the Adams saga. “I’m seeing the bike community act as a special interest group with a goal to keep Adams in power, instead of looking at larger issues that affect Portland.”
— For more on both sides of this discussion, see Hollie Teal’s Sam is Still My Mayor blog and learn more about Wurster’s efforts at RecallSamAdams.com.
Thanks for reading.
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“The big news for Teal was Adams sharing with her that it was the rally that convinced him to stay.”
I am sure our pudgy pederast in chief is busy telling all sorts of people how special they are to him. Does anyone believe a word out of this guys mouth? Sam clearly never intended to resign.
I wish the analytical, critical thought that Wurster represents was shared by more in the cycling world. Sadly, the Hollies are the norm. Anyone seen Sam near a school lately?
Amy Ruiz for mayor!!
+1 for Jasun Wurster.
I’m an avid cyclist, a Dad, and a citizen. I voted for Sam and feel betrayed.
If I honked at him on the street and he caught me to show his face, I’d show him my finger. I don’t want him making any guest appearances at any Portland area schools either. He should resign and register as a sex offender.
His judgement is in question. His integrity is in question. Both as a man, and more importantly, as our city’s leader. If he genuinely cared about the city, he’d pedal off into the sunset and let us get on with our business of making Portland the best place we possibly can. Putting all of our love of bicycling aside and trying to broaden our minds reveals the reality that Sam has very little, if any, political capital left to see through any of his initiatives.
Best of luck in whatever you choose to do next Sam. Hope you don’t have any kids. If so, sooner or later they’ll be exposed to the world. …and regretably, personalities such as yourself.
“The danger from the bike community comes from having a weak mayor, which is worse than not having a mayor that supports the programs we cherish”
+1
Sam has surrounded himself with those who believe forgiveness means never having to pay a consequence. The rest of the community, and almost all local politicans, are biding their time until the recall. Portland’s political agenda is essentially on ice until the recall.
@ above posters, +1 gossip. Please allow the state investigation to uncover the facts before trolling BikePortland. The above posts belong in the pages of a gossip magazine, not to mention the similarities in the language used in all three posts makes me suspicious that they are the work of one troll.
The fault in Wurster’s logic that “[t]he danger from the bike community comes from having a weak mayor, which is worse than not having a mayor that supports the programs we cherish” is his assumption that a different mayor wouldn’t work to undermine the cycling community. What’s worse, a mayor who can’t push 100% of our programs or a mayor who pushes 100% the other direction.
I support Sam Adams. Until the state investigation decides a crime was committed, I will hold off judging him.
Kevin H,
If I may speak for myself on this: My assertion is that if (in the highly unlikely event) the mayor that will replace Adams actively worked to undermine the cycling community we would mount a grassroots effort to educate him\her. The issue I pointed out with Sam Adams, is that the majority of the cycling community are under the impression that he represents them.
I submit that Sam Adams does not have the political capital to effectively represent our projects that conflict with his wealthy and powerful supporters* ( PBA, Port of PDX and developers). Sadly, these are the real people behind why he is still in power. Have any business leaders called for his resignation? The answer is ‘No’. The reason is because they gain from keeping him in office at the expense of our smaller communities.
A common narrative to keep Adams in office based on ‘fear of a new mayor’. It is our duty as citizens to be vigilant during the election to replace Adams and fully vet all candidates that run. I have faith in the citizens of Portland and that our democratic process will produce a Mayor who is honest, transparent and represents us. Sam Adams has admitted that he did not have faith in Portland or our election process, so he resorted to lies and cover-ups to win.
As for the AG investigation (this is from the Tribune article): It is important to point out that John Kroger can only enforce Oregon law. Lying to the public to get elected, though unethical, is not illegal. It is not up to the AG to have the definitive say if Sam Adams should hold public office. This is the right granted to the citizens of Portland through elections, recalls and speaking at public meetings.
I have received a lot of criticism for my actions and lost friends (which sucks!). Friendships are what our communities are based on. Sam Adams trust issues have pitted us against one another and he is weakening our communities. The only people that win with him as mayor are Sam Adams and his powerful friends.
* To know who Adams real supporters are we have the following spreadsheet of those that contributed to his campaign available for you to download: http://www.citizenrecall.org/data/Sam_Adams_For_Mayor_Supporters.xls
+10 to Jonathan for keeping a keen eye on the budget and informing us how it affects cycling.
Kevin H, I am not a troll or a Sam Adams sycophant like a lot of prople on this blog are! I think Wurster is exactly right and anyone can see that Adams is not effective and will not be as mayor. He is going to have to fight to keep his job his whole term! I voted for him and have met him and like him! That being said, one has to get real, there are a lot of things that need to be done and unfortunately he won’t be able to be the advocate he needs to be. Not everyone in this town supports bike projects or wants to spend money on the infrastructure it takes to make this a better city. We need a mayor who can rally public opinion to support these projects and Adams has his hand full just trying to stay in office. Such a letdown!
“I’m seeing the bike community act as a special interest group with a goal to keep Adams in power, instead of looking at larger issues that affect Portland.”
For me, as a non-bikey type, that’s want it looks like. We know he lied, we know he made out with a 17 year old while at work, we now know that many folks involved in the cover-up have received jobs that they may or may not have been the most qualified candidates for. And they are all bikey types.
The reporter who called Hollie’s rally as diverse as the RNC before his editor took it out of the Mercury still makes me giggle.
It’s not necessarily news that some in cyclist community will excuse anyone who puts their agenda FIRST. No different that the Mormons and evangelical Christians aligning for Prop. 8. Like many special interest groups, single-minded focus is the order of the day.
Many in your community are more interested in continuing the insular nature of your community than participating/caring about in the Portland community as a whole. The Adams scandal just put it out front for everybody.
Wurster is correct.
As #7 mentioned “We need a mayor who can rally public opinion to support these projects.” What is Adams going to accomplish? Seriously?
I’m confused.
Untill someone can tell me a) that Mr. Adams broke a law b) that it somehow cost me or the state money c) that there is someone better than Sam Adams to be mayor of our city, then I will not be moved from supporting him.
When RecallSam folks write here about Sam being useless because his is being undermined and that this scandal hs split the cycling community…well, aren’t you the ones doing that? Are you the ones that are undermining and NOT “moving on”? Aren’t you the ones you are blaming?
I don’t see how arguing about his “political capitol” helps either. If you want to talk about why he should be removed from office, fine. Great, you are free to make judgements about his character based on hearsay. We all are. We can dissagree, about our conclusions.
However, posing hypothetical ideas about his waning political capitol, when these proposals have yet to be posited…that’s just playing devil’s advocate.
If you do want Sam, give me an ALTERNATE, not a blank slate.
correction:
*If you don’t want Sam, give me an alternate.
“Section 5a. Policy regarding marriage. It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage. [Created through initiative petition filed March 2, 2004, and adopted by the people Nov. 2, 2004]”
–Oregon Constitution
As long as the citizens of this state continue to support making people like Sam Adams (and myself, and tens of thousands of other Oregonians) second-class citizens, I will continue to support Sam Adams as mayor of Portland.
How ironic that Jason Wurstler promoted a “bike marriage” when there are thousands of legitimate couples in this state who want the legal protections and social recognitions real marriage affords, and can’t get it because their very existence offends someone or another’s mythological super-being, or so they believe. How typical that someone like that’s efforts would be directed towards “Recall the Queer” rather than actually fighting for civil rights and equal treatment under the law.
Sorry, but when Jason, Dave, steve et.al. are told *they* can’t be married to the ones they love, their children can’t be assured of a the same protections extended to the families of their classmates can’t be extended to their families, their tax dollars don’t count the same as everyone else’s because of whom they love, then maybe I’ll give a hoot about what you have to say. Until then, it’s pretty obvious what ugliness is really motivating you all with your snide remarks and insults — the same ugliness Oregon has enshrined in it’s constitution.
Jason Wurster looks like he hates life in that picture
just sayin
Congrats for the most off topic post ever, Michael.
We elected an openly gay mayor. Now we want to get rid of our lying, p**** p**** (Steve, I do not appreciate personal insults. — Jonathan) of a disgrace. Who yes, happens to be gay.
The local gay publication ‘Just Out’ has called for his resignation. They even managed to do it without mentioning gay marriage ’cause you know, it has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Amy Ruiz for mayor!!!
I am amazed by the vitriolic polarity and the assumption in the first few posts on this article. It also seems very early in the process. I am still waiting for full and undisputed facts before I listen to opinions (or, even, possibly gossip).
In the meantime, is the mayor who “lost political capital” the mayor who is being sabotaged by other political entities?
If Mr. Adams was not invited to some meeting where he would have passionately and fully performed the job we hired him to do (and you have not yet proven to me that he would fulfill campaign promises with less vigor) isn’t it really those saboteurs who are punishing PORTLAND And not Mr. Adams?
I can accept posts that I remain ignorant of all the facts (especially very recent developments since I’ve been distracted by job hunting) but I can only say that this whole debacle is very reminiscent of the republican boycott of a very serious political agenda in a very seriously dire time.
In other words, I don’t want this done capriciously or in a reactionary way.
Blah blah blah, a bunch of people “voting” on the comments section of a blog… AGAIN. None of you have ever faced what Sam is facing, and unless you are gay, you don’t know about the shame that comes with growing up as a member of a minority that still gets called things like ‘fag’ every day, so don’t judge him from the POV of the status quo. That’s been done way too many times and it’s boring and wrong every time.
P.S. Look how Wurster is holding that microphone! Heh.
Bob Ball knows all about that though Blair.
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2007/09/bob_ballprobably_toast.php
I would imagine the 17 year old boy that the ***deleted*** was playing tonsil hockey with in the men’s room of City Hall knows a bit about it too. All thanks to Sam.
What a great guy.
Amy Ruiz for mayor!!!
NOTE: Steve. Please refrain from personal insults. Thanks.
It has everything to do with it, “steve.” Your contempt for Adams as a gay man is crystal clear. Do you know what a pederast is? A man who has sex — specifically, anal intercourse — with boys. Either you are privy to details of the mayor’s intimate sex life, or your contemptuous, baseless accusations and all-around snideness are motivated by your bigotry and homophobia. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess it’s the latter. And that has everything to do with marriage equality, with full participation in democracy, and with the non-sexual positions of our elected leaders. Like I said, “steve,” when you are told to go sit in the corner and take what scraps of civil rights some straight white male such as yourself might throw at you, then you can lecture me about what it on-topic and what isn’t.
Just Out called for Adams to resign, it has not supported a recall campaign. I would certainly support Adams in a decision (*his* decision) to resign, or a decision to stay. I do not support a recall effort led by people like Wurstler, who think it’s funny to promote a chick being married to a bike, and gives not a second thought to who can’t get married, or supported by people like you, who’s motivations are obvious.
To get things done, Adams needs support from beyond that of liberals, progressives, ‘bikey-types’, and so on; he needs support from at least some conservatives too.
Adam’s behavior with the 17-18 year old kid was simply offensive. That behavior doesn’t inspire much confidence that as mayor he’ll be able to introduce and move contentious issues through city council. When a particularly contentious bit of city business comes around, his detractors will think, ‘Here’s a guy with neither moral or ethical integrity, and yet he and his supporters imagine he can competently advise us how to run our city?’.
Additionally, as a role model for adults in how to conduct their personal lives in the area of intimate, romantic relations, Adams is pathetic.
Sam Adams may be a really neat guy, but before that he’s a politician, so I expect him to do this stuff.
I’m glad Amy Ruiz was mentioned though. Why did she get off the hook so easily? What happened to integrity in journalism?
he lied blatently to get elected. Simple. Sad.
But it is with wry satisfaction thaty I witness the hubris and ego these ‘heros’ have shown lead to their fall. If you actually spent any time with the ‘new bike power elite’ of this city, it would turn your stomach.
I have, and it made me sick. I think it’s time for some creative destruction and rebirth of the vision of this fine city.
Sam’s a man, Portland is an idea. We do not need him to succeed.
Oh Word? (#20) – integrity in journalism is just fine: look at bikeportland.
Seriously, though – huh? Journalistic integrity is just fine – Amy Ruiz left the Merc to go work for Sam. She quit being a journalist, and as far as I can tell, her journalistic integrity right up until that moment was just fine.
I expect that if she resumes being a journalist, that she will have the same hard-hitting, conscientious reporting she’s had in the past, and if not, well, THEN I might speculate on where journalistic integrity has gone.
Has anyone proven that ms. Ruiz knowingly took a position in Sam’s office in return for burying a story? When you do, let’s talk. Until then, this is just baseless accusation. What happened until innocent until proven guilty?
Jasun – I can’t say I agree with you, but I respect you for standing up for your beliefs, especially under pressure.
I’m supporting Sam for now – I don’t care about his personal life, until someone proves he violated the law. Until then, it’s irrelevant. What is relevant is whether he does what’s right for the city. If he continues making decisions that enhance the city’s sustainability, community, and quality of life, then I’ll support him – if he starts catering to growth, increased development, or perpetuation of the current transportation inequity against HPVs and pedestrians, then I’ll be out there calling for his replacement at the earliest opportunity.
I voted for Sam, but him making out with someone he is mentoring, someone who is also underage, in the bathroom of a state building, is too much. He messed up, it’s not his decision to choose the penalty. I forgive Sam for what he did, but I want him out of office. He’s a lame duck mayor, he won’t get anything done. He lied to the voters.. another typical politician who painted those who brought up the truth about his relationship with someone underage as homophobes. Horrible. I still forgive Sam, but I want his ass out office.
Hollie remind me of folks who continued to support GWB after all his bad decisions. What a sheep!
And Jonathan, I find that you are tilting ever so towards becoming a Sam apologist. This latest deal with the bike funding should show you how much he really gives a crap about the bike lobby – you all are just pawns in his political game – and the first group he throws under the bus – just watch and…
Wait until he makes some other decisions that are going to make his coalition of special interests blow their collective tops, as he panders to the real people that hold power in this town – how do you think he got to be mayor anyway – by being ‘the smartest person’ in the room?!!? That’s funny.
You folks don’t think Portland can do better than Sam? Wow, maybe standards really have fallen that far – my advice to all is: don’t be a sucker
I would love for you to point out specific bits of my coverage that would lead you to think that.
thanks.
I never got a good vibe off of Jasun, and this news doesn’t surprise me at all. Some people in this town just always have to be fighting something. Can never be happy, can only act happy. I’d sincerely like to hope Jasun isn’t simply living his life as just a series of battles but I doubt it. ex military, ex critical mass etc.
If he has any faith in our system, why not wait for the verdicts and let things take their turn? This endless activism is counterproductive to our common cause.
I agree with People like, Portland deserves an honest mayor, not one who will lie to climb the ladder.
BTW
remember this?
http://bikeportland.org/2006/07/19/sam-adams-releases-letter-to-the-city-on-radio-show-comments/
Same Jasun, Same Sam.
I agree with the pro-Sam comments and continue to support him. I see no better politician who cares more about Portland and the culture which exists here. Sam doesn’t just greenwash himself by driving a Prius, he actually walks the walk.
I took a look at the ‘Recall Sam Adams’ blog and found it interesting that Jasun Wurster attacked Amanda Fritz for her position after receiving campaign financing. Though I’m still happy to talk with you Jasun and there’s no personal hard feelings. I second Matt P’s comments.
I very much applaud you Hollie for the incredible work you did on the rally. Great work.
The recall is a joke. If you missed the interview Wurster gave with the Mercury a few weeks ago, he said that 500,000 people have looked at his website, (or as many people as live in the city) and only 250 people signed up to recall Sam. People that put up a websites selling pills to make “things” bigger get better response rates than that…
This is purely an outside observation of someone who makes his living in politics. I do not think the cycling community is well served by appearing to rally around Adams. I think it creates the kind of “he’s right because he’s with us” double standard I had hoped we had left behind with the Bush administration.
While I understand the cycling community’s excitement to have such an advocate and the short term gains may be better under Adams, I think the community needs to think longer term than a mayor’s term of office. By appearing to defend Adam’s actions, cyclists create a message dissonance that further casts cyclists as a separate group from the rest of the community. This makes building coalitions in the long term more difficult as well as hurts your image to the general non-cycling public.
Perhaps this will all blow over and no harm will be done, but I think the community needs to ask itself if it is really so weak as needing to defend a politician with questionable morals. This movement is about ideas, not personalities, and you should avoid wasting political capital protecting a personality.
Hey Matthew,
Here are some updated numbers from the site since we exchanged posts on the Mercury’s BlogTown.
—————————–
Analyzed requests from 01-20-09 at 11:33 PM to 02-25-09 at 12:37 AM (35.04 days).
Figures in parentheses refer to the 7-day period ending 02-25-09 at 4:13 AM.
Average successful requests per day: 22,590 (11,912)
Successful requests for pages: 116,524 (16,304)
Average successful requests for pages per day: 3,325 (2,329)
Data transferred: 3.18 gigabytes (346.79 megabytes)
Average data transferred per day: 92.87 megabytes (49.54 megabytes)
—————————–
We are also up to 350 volunteers.
Please know that we need all the help we can get, as we will not use paid signature gathers for the recall (no joke). This is a 100% grassroots volunteer effort, please consider signing up at the website for our weekly newsletter and ways you can help remove Sam from office.
We are dedicated to making our government better (not bigger),
RecallSamAdams.com
Jasun Wurster
Censor the dissenting voice now quick! Don’t want to upset unanimous support. Soy cocoa and hugs for everyone! Clearly steve, only Adams’ supporters may deploy personal insults, what are you thinking? Why didn’t posts #28, 18, 16 get censored? Don’t want comments on your blog man, turn ’em off.
Breedlove was not Adams’ intern. He didn’t work for Adams, or with him. He was a legislative intern for the Salem congress. Adams did not actually mentor this kid either, this was part of the lie. Adams SAID he was mentoring the kid to hide the fact he was courting him instead. Also, according to Breedlove, and Adams both, there was no illegal contact between the two prior to Breedlove’s turning 18. The allegations of this last are currently still under investigation.
I don’t support Adams, but then I never did. Mostly because he is a completely mediocre politician, and mayor. Heterosexual white guilt, nor bigotry either one should ever influence the way one votes. IMO, Adams got elected BECAUSE he’s gay, and now he’s being opposed for the exact same reason. Both just make me want to scream.
Opposition: This situation is sinister, and insidious enough without perpetuating the fallacy that Adams was abusing his position as mentor to Breedlove. It’s bad enough that a professional man of Adams’ stature can show such a lack of tact and discretion concerning his personal life, no need to distort the facts of the case. By all accounts Breedlove was of a consenting age anytime it might have been an issue.
Supporter: Have faith in the community you live in. Does Portland rock, or doesn’t it? I for one, have faith that Adams will get a fairer shake in P-town than many other places in the country. He’s out, and believe it or not many who oppose him really don’t care what his orientation is. If you’d defend Sam as a victim of a witch-hunt, then where were you when Packwood was getting drummed out of office for less? Say what you will about Packwood, but he chaired the Senate/House finance committee for 12 years and many of you use bicycle infrastructure he made happen.
I commend Ms. Teal. I don’t agree with her position but I’m happy for her, for what she did, and for the effect that it has had. I’m further encouraged to learn that the site provided a source of hope for Adams as well. The local media has been way out of line on this and I can personally relate to what its like being burned at the stake by Portland media.
Love our mayor, or hate him, but for Pete’s sake do it for the right reason. Get the facts. I’m astounded to see some of the same misinformation still circulating. I’m ashamed to see homophobia still playing a role in this issue. I’m further ashamed to see heterosexual white-guilt playing a role in this issue. Voting for some one because they are gay is just as bad as not voting for some one just because they are gay.
We all would have lied if faced with a question about our private and personal lives. I can live with that from a politician or personal friend.
I cannot abide by:
1. Getting others to lie.
2. Having my staff coach another person on how to lie to the press effectively.
3. Attacking an opponent and basically destroying their political career to hide the lie, who also happens to be gay.
4. Using the serious issue of homophobia and bigotry to perpetuate the lie.
5. Using every media outlet possible to perpetuate the lie.
6. Writing an open letter to the people of Portland to perpetuate the lie.
7. Doing all of this to gain office.
None of these actions were disputed by Sam Adams.
Had he owned up to the lie and been honest with the electorate I still feel he would have been elected. Instead he put the political machine into action and went for the jugular instead of trusting in the people of Portland.
As for legality, that’s for the AG to decide, as for ethical that is for the city council to decide as put forth in the code of ethics, the pertinent sections listed below.
1.03.020 Trust. The purpose of City government is to serve the public. City officials treat their office as a public trust.
B. City officials promote public respect by avoiding even the appearance of impropriety.
E. Whistle-blowing is appropriate on unlawful or improper actions.
All that being said, as more information became available, I have had to come to grips with the “relationship” side of the issue. It is no longer a private issue when a 43 yr old initiates physical contact with a 17 year old. This was not a single indiscretion.
Regardless of who was chasing whom, there was an adult present who should have known better. There was an adult present who should have better control of his urges.
As for effectiveness, Adams has almost none. He started an education cabinet and had to step down from the leadership role because of the issue. This is the education mayor who cannot work effectively with mentoring groups and educational groups because of his actions.
This is the mayor who is persona non grata with our federal representatives.
Unfortunately Adams is going to head into every meeting and negotiation from a position of weakness whether deserved or not.
I would prefer Adams step down and wait for the AGs investigation to finish. If cleared of any illegal activity he can run in the special election. If elected he then has the mandate of the people to lead and move forward with his initiatives.
Until then he is holding the seat of mayor based on not just a little white lie, but a concerted effort to distort the truth.
Vance,
you know that is not the case here. I do not moderate in a way that protects anyone. thanks.
Jonathan,
I thought this paragraph was a bit of hearsay:
Sam was going to quit before the rally happened, but the outpouring of support convinced him to stay. He had that first week been holed up at home, reading the negative press about himself, and felt shocked and hurt at how the local media was attacking him. Our support was a turning point for him, and he showed no shortage of gratitude for our efforts.
and so obviously fake and false.
Everyone ‘knew’ that Sam would never resign – he has way too big a head for that.
Your highlighting of the specific passages in your post, reinforces, in my opinion, your slight editorial tone/tilt towards pro-Sam coverage. Apologist was a bad and too strong choice of word to describe your coverage – it is more balanced than that and I apologize for that – thanks for calling me out.
“People Like”,
I wrote the paragraph you’re calling hearsay, fake and false. It’s a direct quote from my blog entry recapping the brunch I had with Sam Adams. Those are the things he said to me, not Jonathan’s take on it.
I think you’re stretching to qualify Jonathan’s position as pro Sam. Perhaps the only way you’d accept his coverage is if it were unequivocally calling for his resignation. Your opinions on this matter are just that– opinions. Your treating them as fact isn’t productive and fuels a divisive and confrontational flamewar rather than a respectful discussion.
Thanks for responding Mr. Maus. I’ve tried my best here… Alas, you remain compelled to censor your comments. This is the ONE thing that I still find very disturbing about this blog. I again call for you to simply turn the comments for this blog off, or refrain from editing them. That, or censor the personal attacks made by everybody, and not just the unpopular ones.
Your blog, and your readers tacitly represent an element in the cycling community I can do without. Thanks to this blog, and your actions within, Mr. Maus I resent this element less every day, and am starting to regret alienating them. I appreciate your efforts with me personally and don’t wish to seem that I feel otherwise. I just think your blog has grown to the point where you’all have a responsibility, and a subsequent decision to make. Blog, or news site? You can’t have your cake and eat it too, my man. Oh, and before you say it:
Yes, I know you have advertisers.
Yes, I know you have a, “family”, market.
Yes, I know you try to leave the, “gist”, of censored comments in tact.
Yes, I know you’all are great folks with the best of intentions!
Yes, I know censorship when I see it.
Vance,
if you (or anyone else) want to call the way I handle comments or editorial decisions on this site censorship than I won’t stop you.
I respect your opinion about this blog. .. I also happen to not agree with it completely.
No matter how large this site grows I will never turn off comments and I will always reserve the right to edit and/or delete them as I deem necessary.
I simply don’t like name-calling or insults and when I see one I will edit the comment. Or, if I feel the tone of someone’s commenting is purposefully inflammatory, inciteful, or just plain mean-spirited, I will delete it completely (like i did with a comment from Steve a few hours ago).
Your conspiracy theory that I somehow am protecting Mr. Adams’ reputation just doesn’t hold water. Did you read the story above? Do you not see uncensored comments from someone who is very critical of the Mayor?
And, Mr. “People like” (comment #36 above), I chose to put emphasis on those passages because it was a long quote and I felt those passages were the crux and meat of what Teal wrote.
Folks, I have dedicated three years of my life to making this site as high-quality of a news source as possible.
If you feel there is a bias in my reporting, I welcome getting feedback on that. I love bikes and I love this city and i realize that love means I might not be 100% objective in every word I write.
I am human. I am not a journalistic robot. I try very hard to balance my heart and my head and my dedication to objective journalism.
Vance and Steve, I highly value your contributions to this site… just keep things above the belt and you are free to write whatever you want.
If you feel I’m not fairly moderating comments, please alert me and I will address the comment in question as necessary.
But again, I do not have hard and fast rules. I make decisions about comments by my gut. My gut feeling has served me relatively well over the past three years and over 70,000 comments.
Thanks.
I hear you J. I’m not intending to bash, criticize unduly, or impugn you personally. The reality is you single out certain individuals for a little more, “Editing”, than others. Having been one of those individuals I really resent this. Blogging and journalism are mutually exclusive elements. Journalists bear the burden of libel, bloggers don’t. By taking the position you do, you benefit from being exempted from libel as a blogger, but also receive the benefits derived from being perceived as a pro-journalist.
For the record, I feel your coverage of this issue has been spot-on. I put forth no conspiracy theory, nor did I throw my lot in with steve and his criticisms. I simply cried foul for his treatment here. I resent that some commenters feel you are too biased on this as I feel you are not. I have personally witnessed you remain very neutral on the whole thing, and you are to be commended as I know you are pulling for the Mayor.
Again, my only complaint is that commenters perceived as being conservative in any way are derided, ridiculed, and shut down. Usually with your support. Not cool. You see it otherwise, fine by me. Issue resolved, as far as I’m concerned.
Your reply to my comment implies that you take my own comments personally. I apologize for anything I may do, or have done, to cause you to feel this. I have nothing but respect for you personally. As such I’d ask that you think better of me in the future. I don’t do conspiracy theories. I haven’t personally insulted any one in here in a very long while, and I didn’t voice one whit of support for steve’s comments. I’m just mad that I don’t get to read them and make up my own mind.
Speaking of belts, isn’t pointing to the number of comments you’ve received a bit low? My mom told me, “Two wrongs never make a right!”. Alright, thanks for the acknowledgment. Keep up the good work,and thanks for the forum.
It’s Maus’s personal weblog. He can and does censor comments at will, according to his own subjective judgment. That means that on certain occasions, some people that get censored perhaps shouldn’t be, and some that don’t, should be. When people’s comments are censored according to personal preference, there’s a danger of playing favorites.
My impression is that this sort of thing has happened here on this weblog. Some people get censored for using an occasional descriptive word like ‘thickhead’ (yep, that was my word in regards, to another person commenting here after they repeatedly insulted and disrespected another person’s comments), while other apparently ‘highly regarded, appreciated’ people are given huge amounts of slack when they repeatedly insult and refer to others comments in a disrespectful manner.
But, that’s o.k., because, again, this is Maus’s weblog. He’s got a right to do what he wants with it, and besides, I’ll readily agree that the positives of the weblog greatly offset the negatives. Keep on ‘keepin on’ jonathan.
Ummm, #9 – ” b) that it somehow cost me or the state money” – who do you think is paying for the criminal investigation into Adams’ actions? Does the money for this grow on trees? Nope, it’s money that the city desperately needs being flushed down the toilet thanks to Mr. Adams.
thanks Vance (#40),
and just FYI… the reason I edit someone like Steve more closely than others isn’t because of who he is insulting… it’s because he has a history of leaving less-than nice comment… therefore I tend to watch his comments more closely.
thanks.
Sam Adams appointed as his senior transportation policy advisor a 23 year-old recent college graduate, with apparently no training in transportation and no work experience (see last week’s Willamette Week).
I want a pro-bike mayor. To me, that means a mayor who takes policy seriously and wants to be surrounded by advisors who are MORE knowledgeable than him on this subject, and on every subject that matters.
A politician who bikes to work, or even one who pays lip service to the biking community, is not the same as a public servant who can negotiate long-term gains for biking, pedestrians, and sound urban planning. I have seen no evidence that Adams was ever interested in being the latter.
Hehe. Ya, I know. I can’t get work here now. I had to leave town, and my own blog, and comments here, followed me there. Bottom line, there is no escaping BikePortland.org! I would save others from that fate if I could.
My name is mud in my own hometown right now which I don’t feel is fair. Clearly you’all have an impact, and lives do get effected. Does a passionate, ill concieved comment on a, “Blog”, warrant losing one’s home and livelihood?
Before BikePortland there was a cycling community in Portland. One in which I was avidly involved. (Yes that would be arrogant egotism. I did great work.) Political elements represented on this site have worked tirelessly to undo progress made by that pre-existing community. I resent this very much. Who wouldn’t? Why is this resentment used to then justify freezing me out of the cycling community, especially professionally?
Now Wurster is being ostracized for no other reason than political ideology. We’re supposed to be cyclists first aren’t we? Bikers come in all walks and tolerance will inevitably be required. Same for steve. None of us know this individual personally, and we shouldn’t judge solely upon comments as I’m sure everybody here has posted things they wish they could have back.
Now about that internship?! Hehe. Not even if I get my G.E.D?! Hehe.
Vance,
I think the issue lies in the idea that “we are cyclists first”.
I don’t look at myself as a cyclist first. I am a citizen of Portland, a parent and an employer before I am a cyclist.
How much cycling is part of your self identification will determine your stance on these issues.
Like all people who have many flags they wave I have to wave some more vigorously than others. While I benefit and support cycling initiatives, I have to give greater support to those initiatives that I feel are in the best interest of my higher priorities. In many cases that being my children and my employees.
So while we all may be cyclists we are not all cyclists first.
Imagine a 37 year old high school principal that makes out with 17yo student in school bathroom. But he’s not fired because he waited until the student graduated to have sex. Sam’s situation is only marginally different.
Bringing Sam’s sexual orientation into play in any way shape or form is a red herring. Its outside the scope of the problem here.
And it seems that people who question his judgment and honesty, who have directly contributed to the biking community (I use that term loosely) are getting 8-balled by people who can’t see past their bike mayor and his spin-control.
And I think Jonathan picked a particularly unflattering picture of Jasun – was that intentional? Look how strange he looks holding the mic, while Holly looks so wholesome in her cycling jacket!
Lola #44, I can’t find the WWeek article you’re talking about, but I’m pretty sure Sam appointed Catherine Ciarlo to be his senior transportation policy adviser (source).
Catherine has a law degree, ten years of experience in transportation issues, experience on the Planning Commission, and was the head of the BTA for seven formative years. She’s widely respected for her smarts and ability to take strong stands yet get things done. I don’t think anyone could claim that Sam’s staff choice in this case is unqualified – quite the opposite.
Anonymous,
I see, and the conspiracy theory about my alleged bias continues…
The reality about the photos is this:
– I have one photo of Hollie Teal. I used it.
– I spent about 15 minutes searching my archives for a better photo of Jasun Wurster. I could only find this one. I used it.
Thanks.
“If I honked at him on the street and he caught me to show his face, I’d show him my finger.”
It’s more than just the bike, no?