For all the losses the O has suffered, Anna Griffin as emerged as their best editorial writer.

The idea of closing the surrounding streets and making the Timbers' games into street parties is a good one regardless of where thing end up.

The one thing I'm surprised she doesn't make more of is this quote:
"It may look, to people who haven't spent a career in public service or been through this talk before, like we're moving too fast," he said.

I've studied political processes for nearly three decades, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone argue that public decisions are particularly timely or fast.

That's a complaint or a compliment that people make about the private sector.

It sounds like Anna's beginning to tune in, but let's not forget her earlier column from March 10th, "Merritt Paulson: A Man to Play Ball With" that included these little bits of analysis:

"Put plainly: This town needs more people like Merritt Paulson."

"Instead, the city's economy -- the financial engine for the entire state -- will rest on the shoulders of small-business owners in sustainable industries who are willing and financially able to take risks. People like Paulson."

I don't know about you, but to me, getting tens of millions from Dad to play sports mogul doesn't make you a small businessman.

In that piece she goes out of her way to mention many reasons why the deal stinks but then concludes that we should do it. Hey, I was a columnist. I know you have to play to what the paper wants, but a few more Merritt Paulsons in our lives? I don't think so. This one's proving quite expensive.

And let's not even go into how much the senior Paulson cost America with the derivatives scandal that's cost us trillions, and threatened to turn the United States into a small business.

The toughest thing for a columnist is to resist the urge to serve the powerful - especially when there's a paycheck on the line.

Since it is now Interstate's turn for an urban renewal drubbing (remember the promises to Lent's urban renewal), perhaps its time the citizens on the urban renewal committees come together. Time to coordinate and focus on a realistic metropolitian plan.

The city pits the urban renewal areas against each other for development, resources and staffing.
Council treats urban renewal as personal bank accounts.

Who's next?
reese

I wonder what S. Renee Mitchell would have had to say about it.

Of course the O also gave yet more space to Paulson on the editorial page to flog his deal.

(The photo they use of him is ridiculous. He's staring boldly into the middle-distance like he's leading soldiers across the Potomac or something.)

The thing that annoys me the most of his many annoying arguments is that one favor he's doing us is to spend $40 million on a soccer franchise. Like he's doing it out of civic altruism. No Merritt, you're spending $40 million on a franchise for YOU.

Is there a way we can work this guy back? Get this deal in writing - especially the part about him paying the cost overruns after the 2.5 million. Then we build an NFL-sized stadium and send the bill to his Dad saying, "Umm, this thing cost a little more than we thought to build."

Oh no. See what happens when you start thinking like they do? What have I become here?

In fact, Merritt DIDN'T spend $40 million on the soccer franchise. It turned out to be $35 million. And when asked if he would be putting the difference toward his contribution, his reply was, "No, the city will cover it."

He once again trots out the unsubstantiated short- and long-term jobs argument and issues a veiled threat:

"Right now, the PGE Park debt is exposed to the risk of us moving the Beavers to a new park - which we don't have plans to do - in 2010 when our lease expires."

I also noticed that, for the second time in a week, the O gave Mr. Paulson a third of one of its editorial pages for what amounts to free lobbying and advertising and a photo. If a regular member of the public tried this approach they would be told to submit the information in one of three ways: (1) take out an advertisement, (2) write a letter to the editor which would probably be edited down or (3) contact an editorial reporter who would consider interviewing you and may or may not publish the resulting article.

Most of the public could never hope to have more than one full-length editorial submission published in their lifetimes. I was not aware that Merritt Paulson was a member of the O's editorial staff.

But paul g., how can you forget Ms Griffin's fantasy regarding Sam Adams the Night Gardener?
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/anna_griffin/index.ssf/2009/01/sam_adams_he_gardens_and_he_wo.html
BTW, Mr Lauderdale has departed the fold in which Ms Griffin numbered him.

Bill McDonald, you are right on target regarding Ms Griffin's paean to Paulson fils. She is clearly a skillful sentence-and-graf scribe but thin in what matters when it comes to hefty opinions. She is not yet a voice of or for the people of this city and may never be.

I like the comment on Griffin's piece by 'outersepdx':

"Adams just wants to put his name on as many things as he can. Why doesn't he just urinate on them to mark his territory like a dog? It would cost the tax payers much less money."

Almost as nice an image of the Lavatory Lothario as the one of him made up like a pussy in Leonard's vile video.

Moving right along, we have this piece of reportage from WW's Beth Slovic:
http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/04/22/swing-vote-saltzman-wavering-on-soccerbaseball-deal/

BTW, a city budget is allegedly being thrashed out.

But, hey guys, I thought the recent actions of Randy and Sam were what people around here called "leadership."...

Isn't this "getting things done?"!