With a new mayor and at least two new members of our five-member City Council, 2008 is set to be a transformational year in Portland politics.
Bike issues and the bike community can play a big role in shaping the local political landscape and I’ll be covering the candidates, races, and news to help you get involved in the process.
With expectations that president-elect Obama might pick his cabinet in the next few weeks, we’re following his pick for Transportation Secretary very closely. Previously, we reported early rumors that Obama was considering former City of Portland transportation commissioner and now U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer or Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar (whose arguably the most important and … Read more
Amanda Fritz(Photo © J. Maus) With 70% of the vote, Amanda Fritz, a neighborhood activist and Registered Nurse, has been elected to Portland City Council. Ms. Fritz, who lost a bid for Commissioner in 2006, won a decisive victory over Charles Lewis and she is the first non-incumbent to win a council seat using Portland’s … Read more
President-elect Obama at a rally in Portland on March 21, 2008.(Photo: Ethan Jewett/Stickeen Photography)
(Photo by Steve Rhodes/Flickr) I don’t care how you get to a ballot box today, just do it. If you haven’t voted, make sure you swing by one of the ballot drop-off sites, get in line, or do whatever it takes to make it happen. And, while you’re at it, drag your friends, co-workers and … Read more
Wednesday’s regularly scheduled KBOO Bike Show will host the BTA’s public affairs director Karl Rohde for some post-election analysis. Post election woes and victories. Guest Karl Rhode will discuss current pro-bicycle legislation, what passed, what didn’t pass and what’s coming down the bike lane. 9-10AM, Wednesday, November 5th KBOO FM 90.7 Streamed live at KBOO.fm … Read more
The Ace Hotel is throwing a big election night party that will raise a glass to a new era in American politics and will raise money for a few local non-profits; including the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA).
Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN)(Photo © J. Maus) Politico published a story today about who might get cabinet-level appointments in a Barack Obama presidency (if he’s elected on Tuesday night of course). Politico reporter Ben Smith and ABC’s Jonathan Karl (who used “well-positioned Democrats” as sources) have put two familiar names in the running for Obama’s … Read more
(Photo © J. Maus) The Multnomah County branch of the Barack Obama campaign has a bike event planned following this Friday’s presidential debate. First, they’ll host a viewing party of the debate at the Laurelhurst Theater in Northeast Portland.
According to Streetsblog, there’s an interesting meme about Sarah Palin and Barack Obama’s two-wheeled preference going around the right-leaning blogosphere. Here’s more from editor Aaron Naparstek: “These two images (below) have been floating around the right wing blogosphere under the shrieky, all-caps headline, “THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.” One of the websites is … Read more
It’s been way too long since I chimed in on the one remaining race for a Portland City Council seat. I hope to offer more coverage of both remaining candidates (Charles Lewis and Amanda Fritz) soon, but in the meantime, here’s a news release fresh from the Fritz camp: “Mayor Elect Sam Adams Endorses Amanda … Read more
Jeff Merkley(Photo: JeffMerkley.com) Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, is turning to Portland’s bike community for help in his race to grab a seat in the United States Senate from incumbent Gordon Smith. I received an invitation yesterday for a fundraising event in September that will take place at the … Read more
“It’s really an opportunity to talk about bikes with Barack.”— SRAM CEO Stan Day in Bicycle Retailer magazine BicycleRetailer.com reports that the president and CEO of component manufacturer SRAM will hold a fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. According to the story, “the event’s goal is to introduce Obama to industry leaders and to … Read more
Comment of the Week: It’s about safety, not ‘cyclists’