The primary ballots will be here any day now. Time to figure out whom I'm voting for in the Multnomah County races.
County Chair: Whatever you thought of incumbent Diane Linn's whole gay marriage thing, the subsequent degeneration of the county commission into a junior high school screechfest is grounds for dismissal. I don't care if she emancipated the slaves, she is so gone in my book. But Ted Wheeler doesn't exactly thrill me, either. He's buying the election, and with his gobs and gobs of timber money and treks to the North Pole, his "regular guy" schtick is mighty thin. He reminds me of the time when Packwood was passing himself off as Jewish. I'm kind of leaning toward the Fred Meyer produce guy, Terrence R. Smyth.
District No. 2: Everybody and his brother is urging a vote for Jeff Cogen, but his associations leave me cold. He's the brains behind Dan Saltzman? Endorsed by Vera Katz and Bev Stein? You're losing me, people. Xander Patterson's just way too out to the left for me, and so that leaves Lew Frederick and Gary Hansen. Hansen's a state legislator (strike 1) and endorsed by Sam Adams (strike 2), but he's got Randy Leonard and a couple of neighborhood activist types in his column. Frederick's a Ph.D. candidate in the Portland State urban affairs program (strike 1) and endorsed by Serena Cruz Walsh, whose seat he's running for (strike 2), but he's backed by Bud Clark, Avel Gordly, Joel Shapiro, and the letter carriers. Close call -- I'm leaning toward Frederick.
County auditor: This is the undercard to the nasty smackdown for Metro auditor. The current county auditor's leaving to slug it out over there, and her assistant, Lavonne Griffin-Valade, is looking to step up. Despite some scary names in her endorsement list, La GriVa's got a slight edge over Steve March, a state legislator (strike 1) who's been working as a "policy analyst" for Lisa Naito, one of the "mean girls" currently on the commission (strike 2 -- I like Lisa, but not what she's been doing lately). For an auditor, March sure knows how to write one impenetrably vague resume. College professor, substitute teacher -- what the heck does this guy do for a living?
You, too, Jack? While voters wonder whatever happened to the issues, some observers and our current Multnomah County Chair seemed obsessed with how rich Ted Wheeler is.
In the City Club debate not long ago, each candidate had three chances to ask the other a question. Diane Linn squandered one those questions by pointing out that she drives a Ford Taurus, and asking Ted whether his choice of a Ford Focus was to prove he's a "man of the people."
Wow. That's just what's on everybody's minds. Not how the county can help make sure our schools have support in the long term. Not how we can open those jail beds we built without an operations plan or budget. Not how we can help more frail and elderly in our communities. But why Ted drives a Ford Focus.
Is Ted rich? Richer than me. Probably richer than you. But who the hell cares? It's time for new leadership to stop the silliness at the Multnomah County. It's time for someone with smarts, integrity and the ability to work with others to get the job done. It's time to stop dickering about cars, or snow days, or who gets the credit.
I think it's time for Ted Wheeler. I've known him since high school, so I'm biased. But I think you'll like him, too, when you get to know him.
Ted has hundreds of contributors, and leaving aside whatever money he's loaned his campaign and his family has contributed (which could be up to a quarter of his funding, as the WW reported), he STILL has raised more than twice as much as Diane. He's not buying this race, but he is working his tail off to earn our support.
(For the record, Ted says he test drove the Taurus, but chose the Focus because it was smaller and thus more maneuverable, given his lousy parallel-parking skills. It also fits in his garage, and gets better mileage than the Taurus.)
I just have trouble when old timber money starts playing liberal. Maybe it's not fair to the guy, but impeccable fairness probably didn't get his family to where it is today, either. And if he wasn't rich, we would never have heard of him.
He was a Republican until 2001, when he decided he was going to run for office around here. Suddenly he became born-again "independent." It's just another example of how our government is being turned over to multi-millionaires like Bush and Gordon Smith and Wyden's new in-laws, and guys like Potter and Leonard who are already on the public pad for huge pensions. Then when they're totally out of touch with real people, everybody asks why.
Everybody runs on the "new blood" platform. But we don't really ever get any. New leaf after new leaf turns out to have fallen from the same family of political trees. The fact that Wheeler is in thick with Naito and her followers makes me skepical. She is a good old girl delux model.
Well, you might have heard of Ted Wheeler despite his wealth because of his long-time work in our community:
- Serving on the Board of Neighborhood House which helps families and seniors in need.
- One of two citizens selected by the Mayor's office to scrutinize the city budget last year under the more open, official budget process
- Volunteering for many years as an overnight shelter host at Goose Hollow Family Shelter
- Serving as the county's citizen rep on the panel that advises Metro on land-use planning, fish and wildlife protection, UGB and annexations
- Founding the Walk for the Wildwoood to raise money for Forest Park
- Being a founding member of the Heron Point Wetlands Rehabilitation Project.
- Volunteer rescuer with Mount Hood Mountain Rescue
My parents came from a long line of Republicans, too, and were registered Republicans long into adulthood. They finally switched over as the R's headed deep into reactionary mode on social issues, and when at least my mom realized she had never voted R for president. I don't really hold out the same hope for Ted's dad, but if we Dems are so pure we never accept former Republicans into the fold, we're never going to win this battle!
Teds timber money was made by his parents or grandparents I think. I dont think he had any say into being born into a family with wealth. Why do we hold that against him? You cant choose your parents, besides it never seemed to hamper the Kennedy's.
Right on, Paul. Seriously Jack, I think that one (the PhD crack) needs some explaining...or else a retraction/apology. Otherwise, you're beginning to strain all credibility here.
Ph.D.'s aren't bad per se. But the "urban affairs" crew at PSU are the geniuses behind the current Portland "planning" juggernaut. They're the people who gush over SoWhat, the aerial tram, skinny houses, streetcars to nowhere, etc. If I'm not mistaken, Vera Katz is in residence in that program at the moment. The Parametrix guy who "facilitates" the various fake-public-involvement sessions run by OHSU and the PDC is based there. They're even giving Homer Williams a plaque pretty soon as a pioneer in the great spirit of Portland.
I am impressed with his record of community service, the ideas he has generated during the campaign, and the breadth of his support in the county.
Your concerns seem to elevate style over substance.
Ted has nearly 1000 contributors. Many, like me , contributed $250 or less. He is spending his funds on paid media, and his message is surprisingly positive by local standards. He has also limited contributions from his family. Therefore, you concern about Ted "buying" the election is unfounded.
The reference to his net worth, and the source of him family money, strikes me as completely irrelevant. I don't care where someone starts in life--I am interested in the choices they make and
the values which guide those choices.
Ted has an impressive record of community service. Organizations I respect like Stand for Children have endorsed him. As Ted pointed out at the City Club debate, while he loves his father, Ted, not Sam, is on the ballot.
I have known Ted for several years. He is modest, unassuming and very bright. Rare qualities in politics these days. I don't know what the standard is to qualify as a "regular guy" in your eyes, but I do know that he is a genuine person, not the caricature you refer to.
I'm a little surprised that you focus almost exclusively on impressions and status issues--and not the substantive differences between the candidates. I urge you to take a second look.
"Cheers" is a habit--and not a desparate effort by a balding 47 year old to be hip. Anyway, i am reminded daily by my 13 year old daughter that "hip" is beyond my reach...
OK, so Lew Frederick is in a PhD program. But Lew comes from academics the way Ted Wheeler comes from money. Lew's great grandfather was a freed slave who sent eight children to college - not a bad heritage to bring to public office. He might be of some help in a community that can't seem to figure out how to run a high school in an African American neighborhood
Lange, Pinot Gris 2015
Kiona, Lemberger 2014
Willamette Valley, Pinot Gris 2015
Aix, Rosé de Provence 2016
Marchigüe, Cabernet 2013
Inazío Irruzola, Getariako Txakolina Rosé 2015
Maso Canali, Pinot Grigio 2015
Campo Viejo, Rioja Reserva 2011
Kirkland, Côtes de Provence Rosé 2016
Cantele, Salice Salentino Reserva 2013
Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence Rosé 2013
Avissi, Prosecco
Cleto Charli, Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco, Vecchia Modena
Pique Poul, Rosé 2016
Edmunds St. John, Bone-Jolly Rosé 2016
Stoller, Pinot Noir Rosé 2016
Chehalem, Inox Chardonnay 2015
The Four Graces, Pinot Gris 2015
Gascón, Colosal Red 2013
Cardwell Hill, Pinot Gris 2015
L'Ecole No. 41, Merlot 2013
Della Terra, Anonymus
Willamette Valley, Dijon Clone Chardonnay 2013
Wraith, Cabernet, Eidolon Estate 2012
Januik, Red 2015
Tomassi, Valpolicella, Rafaél, 2014
Sharecropper's Pinot Noir 2013
Helix, Pomatia Red Blend 2013
La Espera, Cabernet 2011
Campo Viejo, Rioja Reserva 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2013
Locations, Spanish Red Wine
Locations, Argentinian Red Wine
La Antigua Clásico, Rioja 2011
Shatter, Grenache, Maury 2012
Argyle, Vintage Brut 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #16
Abacela, Fiesta Tempranillo 2014
Benton Hill, Pinot Gris 2015
Primarius, Pinot Gris 2015
Januik, Merlot 2013
Napa Cellars, Cabernet 2013
J. Bookwalter, Protagonist 2012
LAN, Rioja Edicion Limitada 2011
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2009
Denada Cellars, Cabernet, Maipo Valley 2014
Marchigüe, Cabernet, Colchagua Valley 2013
Oberon, Cabernet 2014
Hedges, Red Mountain 2012
Balboa, Rose of Grenache 2015
Ontañón, Rioja Reserva 2015
Three Horse Ranch, Pinot Gris 2014
Archery Summit, Vireton Pinot Gris 2014
Nelms Road, Merlot 2013
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris 2014
Conn Creek, Cabernet, Napa 2012
Conn Creek, Cabernet, Napa 2013
Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc 2015
G3, Cabernet 2013
Chateau Smith, Cabernet, Washington State 2014
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #16
Willamette Valley, Rose of Pinot Noir, Whole Clusters 2015
Albero, Bobal Rose 2015
Ca' del Baio Barbaresco Valgrande 2012
Goodfellow, Reserve Pinot Gris, Clover 2014
Lugana, San Benedetto 2014
Wente, Cabernet, Charles Wetmore 2011
La Espera, Cabernet 2011
King Estate, Pinot Gris 2015
Adelsheim, Pinot Gris 2015
Trader Joe's, Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley 2015
La Vite Lucente, Toscana Red 2013
St. Francis, Cabernet, Sonoma 2013
Kendall-Jackson, Pinot Noir, California 2013
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Napa Valley 2013
Erath, Pinot Noir, Estate Selection 2012
Abbot's Table, Columbia Valley 2014
Intrinsic, Cabernet 2014
Oyster Bay, Pinot Noir 2010
Occhipinti, SP68 Bianco 2014
Layer Cake, Shiraz 2013
Desert Wind, Ruah 2011
WillaKenzie, Pinot Gris 2014
Abacela, Fiesta Tempranillo 2013
Des Amis, Rose 2014
Dunham, Trautina 2012
RoxyAnn, Claret 2012
Del Ri, Claret 2012
Stoppa, Emilia, Red 2004
Primarius, Pinot Noir 2013
Domaines Bunan, Bandol Rose 2015
Albero, Bobal Rose 2015
Deer Creek, Pinot Gris 2015
Beaulieu, Rutherford Cabernet 2013
Archery Summit, Vireton Pinot Gris 2014
King Estate, Pinot Gris, Backbone 2014
Oberon, Napa Cabernet 2013
Apaltagua, Envero Carmenere Gran Reserva 2013
Chateau des Arnauds, Cuvee des Capucins 2012
Nine Hats, Red 2013
Benziger, Cabernet, Sonoma 2012
Roxy Ann, Claret 2012
Januik, Merlot 2012
Conundrum, White 2013
St. Francis, Sonoma Cabernet 2012
The Occasional Book
Phil Stanford - Rose City Vice
Kenneth R. Feinberg - What is Life Worth?
Kent Haruf - Our Souls at Night
Peter Carey - True History of the Kelly Gang
Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games
Amy Stewart - Girl Waits With Gun
Philip Roth - The Plot Against America
Norm Macdonald - Based on a True Story
Christopher Buckley - Boomsday
Ryan Holiday - The Obstacle is the Way
Ruth Sepetys - Between Shades of Gray
Richard Adams - Watership Down
Claire Vaye Watkins - Gold Fame Citrus
Markus Zusak - I am the Messenger
Anthony Doerr - All the Light We Cannot See
James Joyce - Dubliners
Cheryl Strayed - Torch
William Golding - Lord of the Flies
Saul Bellow - Mister Sammler's Planet
Phil Stanford - White House Call Girl
John Kaplan & Jon R. Waltz - The Trial of Jack Ruby
Kent Haruf - Eventide
David Halberstam - Summer of '49
Norman Mailer - The Naked and the Dead
Maria Dermoȗt - The Ten Thousand Things
William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying
Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
Christopher Buckley - Thank You for Smoking
William Shakespeare - Othello
Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cheryl Strayed - Tiny Beautiful Things
Sara Varon - Bake Sale
Stephen King - 11/22/63
Paul Goldstein - Errors and Omissions
Mark Twain - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Steve Martin - Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
Beverly Cleary - A Girl from Yamhill, a Memoir
Kent Haruf - Plainsong
Hope Larson - A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel
Rudyard Kipling - Kim
Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce
Fran Cannon Slayton - When the Whistle Blows
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 113
At this date last year: 155
Total run in 2016: 155
In 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (19)
Don't forget, there is a write-in candidate for county Sheriff that's actually running: Paul Van Orden.
Posted by no one in particular | April 25, 2006 1:51 PM
NAW! Give Bernie another term. He drives the "mean girls" absolutely up the wall. They deserve to have Bernie around until they hit their term limits.
Posted by Charlie in Gresham | April 25, 2006 5:17 PM
I agree, Paul Van Orden is the way to go. Even if he doesn't make it very far it "sends a message".
Posted by greenbean | April 25, 2006 7:32 PM
I forgot about Paul. I think you're right.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 25, 2006 7:44 PM
You, too, Jack? While voters wonder whatever happened to the issues, some observers and our current Multnomah County Chair seemed obsessed with how rich Ted Wheeler is.
In the City Club debate not long ago, each candidate had three chances to ask the other a question. Diane Linn squandered one those questions by pointing out that she drives a Ford Taurus, and asking Ted whether his choice of a Ford Focus was to prove he's a "man of the people."
Wow. That's just what's on everybody's minds. Not how the county can help make sure our schools have support in the long term. Not how we can open those jail beds we built without an operations plan or budget. Not how we can help more frail and elderly in our communities. But why Ted drives a Ford Focus.
Is Ted rich? Richer than me. Probably richer than you. But who the hell cares? It's time for new leadership to stop the silliness at the Multnomah County. It's time for someone with smarts, integrity and the ability to work with others to get the job done. It's time to stop dickering about cars, or snow days, or who gets the credit.
I think it's time for Ted Wheeler. I've known him since high school, so I'm biased. But I think you'll like him, too, when you get to know him.
Ted has hundreds of contributors, and leaving aside whatever money he's loaned his campaign and his family has contributed (which could be up to a quarter of his funding, as the WW reported), he STILL has raised more than twice as much as Diane. He's not buying this race, but he is working his tail off to earn our support.
(For the record, Ted says he test drove the Taurus, but chose the Focus because it was smaller and thus more maneuverable, given his lousy parallel-parking skills. It also fits in his garage, and gets better mileage than the Taurus.)
Sarah Carlin Ames
Posted by Sarah Carlin Ames | April 25, 2006 9:24 PM
I just have trouble when old timber money starts playing liberal. Maybe it's not fair to the guy, but impeccable fairness probably didn't get his family to where it is today, either. And if he wasn't rich, we would never have heard of him.
He was a Republican until 2001, when he decided he was going to run for office around here. Suddenly he became born-again "independent." It's just another example of how our government is being turned over to multi-millionaires like Bush and Gordon Smith and Wyden's new in-laws, and guys like Potter and Leonard who are already on the public pad for huge pensions. Then when they're totally out of touch with real people, everybody asks why.
I'm asking why up front in this case.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 25, 2006 10:13 PM
Everybody runs on the "new blood" platform. But we don't really ever get any. New leaf after new leaf turns out to have fallen from the same family of political trees. The fact that Wheeler is in thick with Naito and her followers makes me skepical. She is a good old girl delux model.
Posted by Cynthia | April 25, 2006 11:04 PM
Well, you might have heard of Ted Wheeler despite his wealth because of his long-time work in our community:
- Serving on the Board of Neighborhood House which helps families and seniors in need.
- One of two citizens selected by the Mayor's office to scrutinize the city budget last year under the more open, official budget process
- Volunteering for many years as an overnight shelter host at Goose Hollow Family Shelter
- Serving as the county's citizen rep on the panel that advises Metro on land-use planning, fish and wildlife protection, UGB and annexations
- Founding the Walk for the Wildwoood to raise money for Forest Park
- Being a founding member of the Heron Point Wetlands Rehabilitation Project.
- Volunteer rescuer with Mount Hood Mountain Rescue
My parents came from a long line of Republicans, too, and were registered Republicans long into adulthood. They finally switched over as the R's headed deep into reactionary mode on social issues, and when at least my mom realized she had never voted R for president. I don't really hold out the same hope for Ted's dad, but if we Dems are so pure we never accept former Republicans into the fold, we're never going to win this battle!
Posted by Sarah Carlin Ames | April 26, 2006 7:16 AM
Jack,
Teds timber money was made by his parents or grandparents I think. I dont think he had any say into being born into a family with wealth. Why do we hold that against him? You cant choose your parents, besides it never seemed to hamper the Kennedy's.
Posted by gl | April 26, 2006 9:26 AM
Sarah, when being in a PhD program in an urban affairs program merits a strike, I don't know how you can expect reasonable endorsements.
Posted by paul | April 26, 2006 1:42 PM
Right on, Paul. Seriously Jack, I think that one (the PhD crack) needs some explaining...or else a retraction/apology. Otherwise, you're beginning to strain all credibility here.
Posted by activist kaza | April 26, 2006 6:31 PM
Ph.D.'s aren't bad per se. But the "urban affairs" crew at PSU are the geniuses behind the current Portland "planning" juggernaut. They're the people who gush over SoWhat, the aerial tram, skinny houses, streetcars to nowhere, etc. If I'm not mistaken, Vera Katz is in residence in that program at the moment. The Parametrix guy who "facilitates" the various fake-public-involvement sessions run by OHSU and the PDC is based there. They're even giving Homer Williams a plaque pretty soon as a pioneer in the great spirit of Portland.
Ick. They are a major part of the problem.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 26, 2006 6:40 PM
PhD's gooooood, timber money Baaaaaaaad.
Posted by Alice | April 26, 2006 9:38 PM
Jack--
I am a supporter of Ted Wheeler.
I am impressed with his record of community service, the ideas he has generated during the campaign, and the breadth of his support in the county.
Your concerns seem to elevate style over substance.
Ted has nearly 1000 contributors. Many, like me , contributed $250 or less. He is spending his funds on paid media, and his message is surprisingly positive by local standards. He has also limited contributions from his family. Therefore, you concern about Ted "buying" the election is unfounded.
The reference to his net worth, and the source of him family money, strikes me as completely irrelevant. I don't care where someone starts in life--I am interested in the choices they make and
the values which guide those choices.
Ted has an impressive record of community service. Organizations I respect like Stand for Children have endorsed him. As Ted pointed out at the City Club debate, while he loves his father, Ted, not Sam, is on the ballot.
I have known Ted for several years. He is modest, unassuming and very bright. Rare qualities in politics these days. I don't know what the standard is to qualify as a "regular guy" in your eyes, but I do know that he is a genuine person, not the caricature you refer to.
I'm a little surprised that you focus almost exclusively on impressions and status issues--and not the substantive differences between the candidates. I urge you to take a second look.
Cheers.
Nick Fish
Posted by Nick Fish | April 27, 2006 9:23 AM
Am I thankful or what that I dont live in Multnomah County anymore. I love sitting back and watching the circus from far away.
Posted by Bobby | April 27, 2006 9:28 AM
Nick,
I agree about your stance on Ted.
However, please stop using "cheers" to finish your thoughts...you are not as hip as you think you may be.
Posted by gl | April 27, 2006 10:42 AM
GL--
"Cheers" is a habit--and not a desparate effort by a balding 47 year old to be hip. Anyway, i am reminded daily by my 13 year old daughter that "hip" is beyond my reach...
Glad we agree on Ted.
Nick
Posted by Nick Fish | April 27, 2006 11:35 AM
We're also glad you don't live here anymore, Bobster. Everybody wins!
Posted by libertas | April 27, 2006 12:33 PM
OK, so Lew Frederick is in a PhD program. But Lew comes from academics the way Ted Wheeler comes from money. Lew's great grandfather was a freed slave who sent eight children to college - not a bad heritage to bring to public office. He might be of some help in a community that can't seem to figure out how to run a high school in an African American neighborhood
Posted by Katie | April 28, 2006 11:52 PM