They always do it late Friday afternoon to avoid the 'news cycle'. If he doesn't announce it tomorrow, I suspect he never will.

Um, I would think a mayor's resignation would be big enough to make the next day's "news cycle."

Yeah, but the next day is Saturday, when people pay the least attention to the news.

The great Hawkeye Pierce from MASH wrote this phrase on Frank Burns's toe tag as he was passed out : Emotionaly Exhausted and Morally Bankrupt....

That describes Scoutmaster Sam to a tee !!

The rally tomorrow will keep him in office until at least Monday. The question this weekend is who will be the one to deliver the news to Sam that it's over? Homer? Someone else?

My prediction: There's a big press conference scheduled. One of Sam's media people comes to the microphone and announces Sam is suffering from a sexual addiction, and will need immediate treatment. 6 weeks later, he returns, a healed man. He then plays the brave victim card for the rest of his term and is reelected.

Years from now he's living his life as a productive monogamous gay man. The light hits the window just right and the rain clouds go by. He thinks about his wild times with Beau and shakes his head. Life is so much more boring now, but at least he has found a way to cling to power.

If they can fire a female PPB officer that lied about what type of operation she got on medical leave, then this certainly calls for his removal.

Sex addiction or not, he lied & should go.

Those in favor of Adams remaining focus intently on the issue of privacy and sexual orientation.

Those calling for resignation focus on the issue of high standards of ethics in public service.

I'm confused (and sad)--if a public figure lies publicly and repeatedly over three years, while publicly and harshly trashing critics of the behavior and calling himself a victim, then uses his office and retainers to ask others to lie for him--then, *only* after a story was about to break *and* attaining the office he sought, he suddenly decides to confess his lie--how can Adams (or anyone) claim this is an "aberration"?

And Adams himself confessed in print the past two days that yes, he basically *did* lie to win the office.

how in the world can such a long-term, coolly calculated lie of convenience and expediency not make us pause and thoughtfully consider other leadership?

or is the message I'm hearing: "it's okay to lie and pretend while seeking and holding public office, as long as you're lying about your sex life and you apologize later"?

is it really that difficult to distinguish between a matter of ethics and a matter of privacy, or are those like Thomas Lauderdale really thinking we're all just hung up on gay sex?

I am still astounded by this breaking news that a older man had a sexual relationship with a younger person and then lied about it. Surely Sam Adams is the first politician to do so.

Samadams isn't the first, won't be the last, but that doesn't mean we have to turn away and pretend he did no wrong. I don't think it is unreasonable to hold him and other public officials to a higher standard for honesty and integrity - after all, they aren't just looking out for Number One (aren't supposed to be, anyway). Their lies and lapses in judgment affect everyone.

Oh please. He's a gay man who had gay sex with a gay guy--admit it, people. It makes you squeamish. This newfound morality brigade is truly hilarious to me. Sam has given everyone a severe case of the vapors--it's like living with a bunch of Southern socialites.

He's a gay man who had gay sex with a gay guy--admit it, people. It makes you squeamish. This newfound morality brigade is truly hilarious to me.

the funny thing is, *you* are making yourself the "morality brigade." telling me how you think I feel doesn't impress me.

in other words--you're wrong. to paraphrase Obama, the ground's shifted under your feet. as for me, I'm not sad about his sex life--who cares? I'm sad about his easy and repeated disregard for ethics, and that I trusted him when I voted for him. I believed him.

To the above post......

Give me a break.... it's not about gay or straight its about dishonesty....pure and simple...

I'm sad about his easy and repeated disregard for ethics, and that I trusted him when I voted for him. I believed him.

Good for you. I don't let a politician's behavior in the bedroom influence my vote. Honestly, I don't care if a politician lies to me about his sex life, because his sex life IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

No - It IS about gay or straight. Had this been a straight guy, say Tom Potter, and a 17/18 year-old girl everybody would be baying for his blood - including all the gays who are now leaping to Adams' defense. If it were a straight guy, he wouldn't have a prayer of staying in office. Since Adams is the "first gay mayor of a large US City", he will cling to office at least until the recall, leaving us with a divided city. Sam, do the right thing - hit the road.

This sets gay people in Portland back a long way. The longer Adams stays in office, the farther back they go.

Our young, now we know better, and excited nation has much more important work to do than focus on sex scandals. He messed up and let a lot of people down because he lied, not because of his actions.

I'd love to see him resign...then run again. Face it...The next few months are focused on this now anyway.

Dave J., I think Sam Adams should resign or be recalled, and it has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. It's not even about the fact that this involves a sexual issue. Straight or gay, sexual or not, what he did was wrong.

It's not even really about the question of whether or not Breedlove was 17 or 18. It's about Sam's blatant lack of ethics and consistent tendency to lie, and his smearing of an opponent, Bob Ball--who also happens to be gay, I might add.

His ethical improprieties don't stop with this incident, either. It was going to catch up with him in some way or another at some point. It serves him right that it only took 3 weeks after he became mayor.

Good for you. I don't let a politician's behavior in the bedroom influence my vote. Honestly, I don't care if a politician lies to me about his sex life, because his sex life IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Sam decided that the truth in general was none of your business too.

Gay, sex, lies...whatever. It's now about trust and his ability to lead in the midst of many many people who will be unable to summon confidence in him.

When asked about sex with Breedlove, he could have said, "None of your business." But he didn't. He lied through his teeth. For a year and change.

He stole the election, and now he needs to give it back. Or be recalled from office.

If he had any real job skills, this would be a lot easier for him.

"... I trusted him when I voted for him. I believed him."

Is that why you voted for him? Were you undecided or flip-a-coin except for trusting and believing? How 'bout Obama?, same thing there?, only vote who you trust? Kulongoski? Blumenauer? Merkley? etc.?

"... I'm hearing: "it's okay to lie ... and you apologize later"?"

I'd kinda think 'a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest / lie lie lie la-la-la lie-lie lie la-lie la-la lielielie' -- Paul Simon (Or this, my new rage fave: "We don't see things the way they are. We see things the way we are." -- Anais Nin)

The (I) take-home message: "Politic(ian)s are all lies. No, it's not okay. The recourse is: Don't vote? ... but isn't that their strategy? repulse everyone else from voting, then vote for themselves and win by 1? Or is recourse to get world-wise with extant amorals and gene-doped behaviors, (pretty much the definition of sophisticated: to lose naive innocence, lose virginity, salt or sully the pristine -- 'acid, meet base ... there goes your pH neighborhood'); to realize ALL politics is faking group virtue, lying as it might be while not being truly so mighty ... so you vote for the one with the least lie or whitest lie or a harmless lie; ("I promise to eat right and exercise every day and be your healthiest representative" brrzzzzt!, NOT, he's lying ... you just know it, believe me, you can trust me on this)."

So all politics is politicians lying. If they got no morals, they're unlikely to adopt mine, especially if I try to force them. More especially since I refuse having theirs forced on me. Maybe the best (or least bad) of the politicians is whoever is amoral, non-moral, just a bureaucratic clerk of transactions like blind Justice with her Scales, neither buying nor selling, just at your service. An amoral person is not the kind you like for a neighbor or friend or employee, but it's who you can like for a politician. If you can trust them.

That's my base bias for the political realm and all politicians -- they're dodgy duplicitous and two-faced ... but I must say, this is the first time I ever saw one full-face admit it, confess and apologize.

---
Seeing 9/3/1963, Montana Mountain Time I guess about 9:00 am, and progressed to now, I suppose he's gonna skate and get away with it. I voted resign time 'Never'; I didn't vote what I'd do if it was me, because it's not me.

Mike(the other),I am not holding Sam to higher standards than myself or my friends and clients.

Why should we have higher standards for politicians than ourselves?

By my own, friend and client standards, Sam has lied, exerted undue influence, probably misused his office, slandered and more. My and their answer for those facts is that he should resign very soon for our city.

Had this been a straight guy, say Tom Potter, and a 17/18 year-old girl everybody would be baying for his blood - including all the gays who are now leaping to Adams' defense.

Uh, like that President guy--what was his name again?--who repeatedly cheated on his wife (unlike Sam Adams, who is single) with a 21 year old intern, and then, um, LIED about it, under oath, even? Seems to me that guy remained pretty damn popular, and in fact had a majority of the country supporting him in the midst of that little event.

Yeah, like that President guy - who got impeached! Popular or not, he went to trial, and Gore may have lost the election because of it. Sam Adams may eventually do a good job running a two-bit foundation, and become quite popular in the process.

But for lying to the people and making his political opponent look like the bad guy and then after taking office and coming out with an apology on the biggest pre-ordained news day of the year - Dave J. - you don't find that slimy? You don't find that offensive? You don't find that deplorable? Who are you anyway? Sam Adams incognito?

"... cheated on his wife." What a quaint figure of speech.

Yeah, like that President guy - who got impeached! Popular or not, he went to trial, and Gore may have lost the election because of it.

At the risk of taking this thread in a whole new direction, I'd urge you to go back and look at public opinion polls during that absurd impeachment fiasco. The public was solidly on Clinton's side throughout. Gore, in fact, lost because he ran FROM Clinton, not because of anything Clinton did. My point is that, when you get down to it, Sam and Bill behaved much the same. And if one survives while the other does not...I think we'll know why.

Dave J.--here's the difference between Sam and Clinton:

-Clinton's lie did not tarnish anyone's reputation except his own, and was not used to gain an advantage in an election. Bob Ball was basically forced to fall off the map over what Sam did.

-Monica Lewinsky was clearly of legal age, where as Beau Breedlove may or may not have been.

The only "sex angle" I see has nothing to do with him being gay. The fact that a 43 year old thought it was acceptable to date a 17 year old (fine, so he waited until the kid turned 18 to do the ultimate deed) shows me that he has poor judgment is a little lacking in the self-preservation department.

Drinking alcohol is legal, but would you vote for a falling-down drunk? Even if he confined his activities to the weekend? What if he was a serial adulterer? To put a little more Portland spin on it ... what if he was a member of the NRA in his spare time?

Sometimes the things politicians do in their personal lives float to the top of the discussion because the folks who put themselves out there for election claim they have more talent, more dedication, more intellect, or more integrity to do the job. If they don't like being scrutinized, go work somewhere else - not on the public's dime.

Predictions 2, 3, and 4:
Sam will announce he's staying on and fighting and he'll say it in such a way that he'll begin to brag about himself. It will take the form of wanting to help Portland SO much that he can't bring himself to resign. He will also say the easier thing would be to walk away but he just can't do it to the city he loves that needs him now more than ever.

Bob Ball will slap a lawsuit on Sam for his previous statements.

We'll all spend the rest of Obama's first term dealing with this.

February. In the near term, he'll be buoyed by the legions of Dave J's out there with picket signs and on Facebook. It will take until February for him to realize that the recall will succeed and that by the time it does, his chances of becoming executive director of anything but NAMBLA will have become sparse.

To put a little more Portland spin on it ... what if he was a member of the NRA in his spare time?

What on Earth are you talking about ? I don't know how long you have lived in Portland, but this city is chock full of gun owners. Your neighbors, co-workers...normal, responsible, intelligent people. Some of them quite urbane and sophisticated.

Some of these evil gun owners are even homosexuals, if ya can dig that. People who have decided not to be helpless victims of gay-bashing, for instance.

I'm sorry, but that is one of the most silly-assed things I've seen in quite a while...equating a man in his 40s who has sex with a teenager, with someone who exercises his Second Amendment rights.

All that aside, I really liked Dozono. Too bad this liar stole the election.

Bill McD. nailed it. He'll turn this into a personal crusade which we'll be forced to endure.

Prediction 278 - Now that we are in Day xxx of Sam hiding in Dick Cheney's bunker, Portland's furor will have blown over.

Sam will come out like the gorundhog, not see his shadow and re-assume the throne. Thus forth a code amongst council members never to mention this untoward event will occur.

Portland will continue to be lied to by Randy and Sam while the remaining council will stare at each other.

PFDR and Randy/Sam's projects will bankrupt the city. Sam will be an older wiser man and target actual 18-year-olds.

Sam has a full complement of enablers and they seem to be getting up a full head of steam.

"Sam has a full complement of enablers"

You're right, he pulled something out of the Clinton book, he now has a pastor to consult with.

Pastor is code for Mark Wiener

Where do these people come from who publicly proclaim a right to lie to the public about anything the public would object to, like 40 year olds hitting on barely legals? No doubt they also believe in a right to lie to the public about whether they believe in a right to lie to the public in order to get elected.

If, indeed, it is proven that Beau was 18 when the relationship was consummated, then Adams did nothing worse than Clinton.

Clinton, however, had a couple of years of accomplishments as president to go on, and many of us (yes, including me), liked that. So I, at least, agreed to forgive him.

Also consider that in this town, the Clinton scandal happened before the Goldschmidt scandal. Which left many of us saying: never again.

Adams has no track record yet as mayor, and we just got through electing a president many of us feel good about as a human being.

Yes, Adams is the victim of bad timing, yet he is bright enough that I can't believe he was so arrogant as to fall into the trap of Clinton and Goldschmidt (OK, what Goldschmidt did WAS a major felony; even if Beau was 17, that wasn't).

I voted for Sam, but I now am officially tired of sexual peccadillos and the subsequent lies.

And in this case, the lies -- and the smearing of a political opponent -- bother me the most.

Not that I haven't lied about sex before -- I have sympathy for that as a human being, but I'm not an elected public official.

Enough. Resign.

P.S. I wouldn't forgive Clinton now.

The sex part doesn't bother me overmuch. Yeah, it was more than a little sleazy to seduce a seventeen-year-old then wait for his birthday to actually nail him, but it's really none of my business.*

As a politician he lied in a campaign. Though we have come to expect some lies from politicians, these were an especially vicious, focused, and persistent set of lies, complete with coaching potential leakers. That's pretty despicable, and surely enough to justify a recall attempt.

But that's not the worst. Just think what could have happened if someone besides a newspaper gotten hold of this information first? If Mr. Adams had been subject to a blackmail attempt using this information, who here thinks he would have risked exposure rather than submit to a demand?

That's what's concerning here, and why he should step aside. He has demonstrated that his vanity makes him especially vulnerable to a tactic crooks have historically found especially useful in corrupting elected officials. We have no idea if there are any other skeletons in his closet, and reason to not believe him even if he says there are not. He's proven himself too big a risk to continue as mayor.

Sorry, Sam, but it's time to go.

[*: Especially as I am not a PDX resident.]

"Adams is planning to meet individually with city commissioners today to discuss his future."

He'll stay on. He has 3 hey-boys on city council who seem to think they can't function without him. Get them all rubber-stamps!

....kudos to Bill McD - he hit the nail on the head. We'll get the "...easier to resign, harder to stay on and fight for the city I love so much...." speech and that will be that.

I expect nothing less from this egotistical jerk.

Saying that Adams 'problem' is not about sex is like saying that the War Between the States was not about slavery.

However, Bill McD has knocked the ball out of the park. Psychologists can cure anything. Sam will return.