Jack, I'm fairly new in town so I don't know the stories behind the local politicos. But I've read that this guy Sten has been in city government pretty much his whole adult life. So where's he get the money for all this pricey real estate? City work pays pretty well? Family dough? Frugality?

His dad died recently and he apparently came into a bundle. But how he's paying two mortgages, one super-jumbo, on what he makes is anyone's guess.

He's probably been treating his own new windfall like he does taxpayer money and he' gotten into trouble.

He's up to something.......no one quits before lining up a new gig. His dad wasn't wealthy and erik has a sib.......IF he had money, wouldn't he have fixed the gab in his front teeth? Still seething over the water dept debacle which cost the taxpayers billions

Opie had to have the job about 90% lined up, these are politicians and by nature are risk averse. In addition to which, they are cheap as all hell with their own money.

I am sure he'll be something like Charlies Hales' buddy running a consultancy on how to shake down taxpayers for money for non-essential projects.

Speaking of which - Is anyone going to stop Sam's water fee to fix streets grab? Bud Clark did this 20 years ago with a franchise fee until Vera/Sam converted all that money to general fund money.

This City is breaking the Phony meter.

Everything about it is phony.
Phony politicians, phony programs and phony results.
The shine of the Pearl and sort of SoWa
brings no luster to the decrepit infrastructure. Roads, schools and basic services.
Of which has the bulk of it's residents having to pay more to cover past and ongoing mistakes.

Oh yeah! Conspiracy! Sky is falling! Fraud. Or, rocket scientists, mortgage rates were relatively high in March 2007, and are now really pretty low.

"IF he had money, wouldn't he have fixed the gab (sic)in his front teeth?"

#1 I think it's really low and incredibly superficial to pick on another human being for a physical characteristic that they were born with. (BTW You might think the gap in his teeth is ugly, but I bet his friends and family find it adorable.)

#2 If you're going to make a snarky low blow like that, can't you at least spell correctly?

I think the point that he may be re-financing the loan due to the drop in interest rates is a valid one. Once he quits his job the employment history portion of the loan application may not look so favorable, and he probably wouldn't be eligible for low rates any longer.

The articled linked to says the house is going on the market, not that he is trying to refinance it.

Erik wasn't in council this morning, either. You know the meeting when they voted in favor of the HUGE tax car increase?
By the way, Jack, they wouldn't allow public testimony on it.
Explanation on my blog. I've gotta go to work, no time now to put it here.

Now that the council approved the tax, prepare to be underwhelmed by how far the money goes. It's not going to bring us current on deferred maintenance. We'll be lucky if council doesn't view the tax as a green light to divert other maintenance money to some grandiose project.

We'll be lucky if council doesn't view the tax as a green light to divert other maintenance money to some grandiose project.

They dont need "other" money. What do you think this tax was really for?
Arent they a bit short on their financing for the MAX line to Milwaukie? The I-5 bridge? And they just got a new pot of gold penned as being for "road repair, bike lanes, and other transportation projects."

Jon, you have it right. Sam is the grandmaster at creating a problem, tax it, then use the money for only his agenda, and not what he sells the tax will remedy.

Sten has a $1 million mortgage on the West Hills pad. Even if his dad left him a bundle, he would still have to show around $400K in annual income to qualify. If he used a stated income loan (liar loan) he might have misrepresented his income, an offense that I believe can result in a 30 year prison term. Did anyone watch "the Wire" last week, same thing happened on the TV show and the newspaper and the cops brought the crooked politician down.

Nigel, are you listening?

Hah! No one at WW is listening about Sten. His re-election was, to them, the "defining issue of our lifetimes." Unfortunately, he disappeared immediately after getting re-elected -- some lifetime.