interview last fall.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Bob Stacey, the former director of land-use non-profit 1000 Friends of Oregon and candidate for Metro President, has withdrawn his application for a vacant spot on Metro council.
Stacey — who has become a favorite of many bike advocates in Portland for his positions on transportation issues — says he made the decision because it is clear to him that he wouldn’t win a majority of Metro Council votes and that former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts looks to be a shoe-in. Not wanting to “waste the time” of his supporters, Stacey says he’ll bow out of this race to focus all efforts on the May 2012 Metro election.
He published a statement with more details on his website. Read the statement below:
Today, I’m withdrawing my application for appointment to the vacant District 6 position on the Metro Council. Last Wednesday, Governor Barbara Roberts filed her application for that seat, and graciously called me immediately to give me the news.
Governor Roberts told me that several members of the Metro Council had phoned her that day, the deadline for applying for appointment to the District 6 vacancy. The first phone call came at 8:30 in the morning, from a councilor who told her that none of the applicants for the vacancy—including me—could get majority support from the Council. This councilor asked Governor Roberts to apply, so that the Council logjam could be broken. During the day more councilors called her, urging her to fill out the application form and submit it by day’s end.
It’s clear that there’s no reason for me to continue to seek the appointment. I certainly don’t want to waste the time and effort of the many friends who planned to appear and testify on my behalf at this week’s hearing before the Metro Council. Accordingly, I’m withdrawing, and I’m shifting my efforts from the members of the Council to the ultimate decision makers: the voters of District 6.
I’m reaffirming my intention to campaign for election to the Metro Council on the May 2012 ballot. I received strong support from voters in this part of Metro in the 2010 election, and I’m eager to ask for their votes again.
Governor Roberts has announced she won’t be a candidate for election in 2012. However, she won’t simply be a “caretaker” councilor. She’ll be called upon to participate in important decisions facing Metro over the next two years, involving economic recovery, land use, transportation, and investment in public facilities, among many others. I’m very pleased that her deep leadership experience in state and local government—and her passionate support of sound land use planning, social justice, and prudent public budgeting—will help guide Metro decision making for the balance of Robert Liberty’s term.
Last week we shared the list of eight candidates vying for the position left vacant by the resignation of Robert Liberty. Current Metro councilors will pick Liberty’s replacement (after a public hearing and possibly a debate) by the end of this month.