Hollie Teal, who organized
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.[Read more…]

Adams in October 2007.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Mayor Sam Adams has decided to get back to work as the leader of Portland (read and watch him read the official statement below).

After reading speculation about the decision on the Willamette Week’s blog, I contacted a high-level staffer a few minutes ago and was able to confirm that Adams will stay.

The decision comes on a day when The Oregonian published an interview with Beau Breedlove with more information about the nature of his relationship with Adams.[Read more…]

There were plenty of funny
signs (the one on the
right says, “No prying =
No Lying”.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Friday night’s rally in support of Sam Adams brought hundreds (500-600?) of Portlanders to City Hall. It was an astounding moment of cohesion for a city that had seemed to lose its way in the past few days.

The mantra of the night was “Get back to work!” On signs and on stage, there was a feeling of forgiveness and a sense that many Portlanders just want to see Mayor Adams take the reins of our city once again.

Emcee Mark Acito introduced several local business owners and other community leaders who came to the mic and simply said, “I’m with Sam”. It was a powerful message that seemed to crescendo as the event went on.
[Read more…]

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.[Read more…]

(Photo © J. Maus)

There’s a rally in support of Mayor Adams planned for 5:30 pm tomorrow at City Hall.

Here’s an email I received from a reader about it:

“As you know, Sam has stepped up to the plate for the bikers of Portland many times, and risked his political neck for us just as many. Are we, as a community, then going to leave him to the wolves for a thank you? No, I say we need to take a stand. Now, he is the one that needs our support. Now is not the time for liberal hand wringing. We need to take up the fight to support someone who has supported us, even when it was politically unpopular to do so. This is absolutely relevant to the bike community. His politics are why we elected him, not his private sex life. I hope you will join us in taking a stand for the most pro-bike mayor we’ve had in Portland, and put an announcement on your website about this rally.”

[Read more…]

Adams at his press
conference yesterday.
(Photos © J. Maus)

If Mayor Sam Adams hoped for progress overnight in his effort to save his reputation and his political life, it seems things have only gotten worse.

This morning I awoke to both of our local daily newspapers — The Oregonian and the Portland Tribune — calling for him to resign immediately.[Read more…]

Mayor Sam Adams in
October 2007.
(Photos © J. Maus)

This is a surreal day. While I watched our new President’s moving inaugural speech this morning, it took all of my focus to not keep thinking about the big story I’d heard about the night before involving our leader here in Portland, Mayor Sam Adams.

In case you haven’t heard, yesterday afternoon Adams admitted to the Willamette Week’s Nigel Jaquiss (the same reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for his investigative reporting on a scandal involving Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt) that he lied about a relationship with former intern Beau Breedlove.

I won’t go into detail on the story, but I did want to share my thoughts and give you an opportunity to express how this news makes you feel. [Read more…]