Isn't "April Fools" supposed to be at the beginning of April?

Can the recall campaign get a quarter million of city money if they promise to not accept additional donations and get 1,000 signatures?

Kidding aside, I think Sam, Randy and Amanda have been seriously considering this expansion of the "voter owned elections" trial period that will soon come up for a city wide vote. Uh huh. Good one, Jack.

"If" there is a citywide vote. There is nothing binding in a former council's promise. They don't have to put it up for a vote.

Jack, you forgot about the special mediator and the team of historians that must be on board for each case.

But what about the charettes (or is that charetti) and visioning processes? Can't have anything happen in the "City That Works" without those.

If Randy gets recalled, he was probably going to regret spending all that cake on expensive steaks and portraits of himself. Now he won't have to worry about it.

So, here's a question: If the recalled candidate gets $250,000 and doesn't spend it all, do they get to keep the remaining funds?

Can the committee to recal Mayor Creepy get $250K thereby yielding the election a zero sum game?

This is stupid! Fritz is out of her crazy mind...just watch over the next few years and you will see that she will be the most boneheaded member of the council...including creepy and fireman.

I'd contribute $5 to Samadumb's early retirement fund. I don't care if he gets the money now versus waiting until he's left office and gets a cushy consulting gig from his patrons. He'll cost the City way more than that if he stays in office.

Net effect here-Scam Adams would have gotten a prize of 250,000 dollars for screwing some kid and lying to the public about it ? As far as the 1000 signatures goes I guess that just creates a incentive for him to screw 1000 people. Brilliant. Suggested name for this new program: Back Door Shenenanigan Bailout Program.

"Citizens shouldn't have to wonder or worry about the motivation of their elected officials,"

Amanda - What good does it do when your co-council people treat Portland like their own little fiefdom?

This is the stupidest idea yet out of this bunch and that takes some effort. I mean, AManda and Saltzman are afraid to do anything without Mayor McLiar telling them, but come on.

No joke ... This just in from Sam Adams' Twitter feed:

"http://twitpic.com/48gku - Portland City Council now is hearing the 2nd Report on public financing program for city campaigns."

I trust that it would take Mr. John Kroger less than five minutes to find the provision in the state statutes that prohibits public employees from influencing elections for public office or measures.

He has the training and the voter-back mandate to enforce the law, the state law. If he can find some quirky opinion that proclaims that a local government may decriminalize that which the state criminalizes then reveal it. It does not exist. Let the city employee that hands out the dough face prosecution, and then left the city make their case in court, if they can.

Should our expectations for John Kroger be no greater than that for Amanda Fritz? I say tar the right party, the one with a duty and no excuse.

Nothing would surprise me at this stage.

If Mayor Adams was appointed by Obama to run the Department of Transportation, I would just shake my head and wonder whether Goldy was drinking red wine or white at tonight's toast.

So let me get this straight. City elections in Portland can now proceed in the following manner:

1. Declare candidacy
2. Get a bunch of voter cash to run
3. Get elected
4. Do nothing that your constituents want, and everything that they DON'T want
5. When they use the legal process to tell you to hit the bricks, you get MORE voter cash to try to hang on where you aren't wanted?

Shouldn't they be debating how to NOT GET RECALLED IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

I don't hear loud throngs of people trying to recall Ted Wheeler... perhaps it's because he just does his job and doesn't prattle on about the greatness of 'me' while being completely preoccupied with the unnecessary while actual government services are slashed, and infrastructure falls apart?

They just know if they try to do away with the recall they will fail. This allows it to be watered down/drowned with a sustainable propaganda fund.

#2

I'm speechless.....I'm so mad reading this, it proves to me,and you who read this,that the whole bunch are worse then I could ever dream.(its a nightmare)

We all should gather together and prove we will not get pushed around, and pushed back from a recall, by our own money.

Really soon, there will be announcements of what/when/where..and how, we set these out of control people on their respective butts!

I tried a recall of Vera Katz, right now I'd take her back...TODAY!

The line is drawn, we are not cowards, we are not stupid,we are not going to take this "abuse" any longer.

I ask you to tell those you feel that will support the recall effort, city hall is going to fight it using your tax dollars,. if you can't see the insanity, and unreal arrogance, please allow those who do, the space to see that history is made, and we take a day off from work,(those that still are working) and cheer Sam as he leaves city hall,and not coming back.

We don't do it....expect unreal higher tax burdens...but maybe free hotdogs at a MSL game, if you can afford the tickets and can walk to the game..their taxing our car useage next,

O.k., folks -- this post was a spoof. I thought it was obvious.

Not your fault, Jack. Lately,around here, it's hard to make anything sound silly or loony or outrageous enough to beggar belief.

Good prank, Mr. Bogster, especially the fake Fritz quotes. Following the link to the CCC, I looked over their website, then checked their most recent Minutes posted. A real snore, but a couple bits stood out, especially the suggestion for a Loser's Tax:

Feb. 2009 Minutes
"Gary Blackmer said that Arizona has changed its rules regarding assets. Now at the end of campaigns everything goes to the candidate. There are no limits on the monetary value of equipment.
...
Len Norwitz thinks there needs to be a way for second-time-around candidates to have
some kind of tax put on their candidacies, but tax is the wrong word. A different kind of threshold is needed to prove that the candidates are viable.

Janice Thompson (a guest) suggested that the Commission not make a specific recommendation on this issue. Instead the Commission should identify these issues as areas of concern in the report and follow a middle course here.

Len Norwitz will rewrite the section and not make it a recommendation. It will be a
concern of the Commission."

So now the emphasis is on candidates being "financially viable" (i.e. bought or rich) rather than actually qualified for office.

What kind of a degraded process have we wrought?