Not bad, get some dirt moved around without a financial agreement. Then it will be too late to stop construction and we'll have to agree to some egreegious financial givebacks to the Paulsons.

Must be something in the Paulson genes about the ability to abusively use public money.

Me thinks it has more to do with the mind set in City Hall.

Major League Soccer!

With unemployment at 15% tickets will be flying out the door!

WW's Beth Slovic has updated her previous postings on this matter:
http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2010/01/04/mayors-staff-insists-construction-risk-falls-on-paulson/#comments

Notice this interchange between WW and spokepeople for the vacationing alleged, divisive mayor of our city:

WW: Are you saying there are no objections?

Ruiz: Who are these people who are concerned? We haven’t heard that.

Kaufmann: We are moving forward because it gets us closer to a definitive agreement. It also allows all parties to try to hit the construction deadline. And it continues to put the risk on Peregrine instead of the city.

It would certainly appear Ms Ruiz is appealing to critics of this gambit to communicate their concerns directly to her.

I was alarmed to read an item on the City Council January 6 regular agenda to discuss, affirm and potentially “allow Peregrine Sports, LLC access to PGE Park to conduct non-construction evaluation and preparation activities.”

Based on the public information available, I would oppose this item without hearing. There has been insufficient public process to restart this discussion with “preparation activities.”

As a candidate for City Council I have spoken with hundreds of prospective Portland voters about the city’s priorities. They are, in order,

• Assertive and competent civilian oversight of the Portland Police Bureau
• Job creation and job security by supporting local existing businesses
• Housing the homeless – protecting the safety net
• Making current roads and bridges safe for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians

When I ask prospective voters about redevelopment of the PGE Park for major league soccer, the response has been, in general, “we dodged a bullet on that one.”

People in Portland who keep up with local news assume the series of proposals from Paulson to convert PGE Park for a major soccer league made the summer of 2009 are no longer operative. City Council should not give Peregrine Sports, Paulson’s latest entity, permission to prepare the stadium without a firm, new, public and contractual agreement – 2009 is not 2010.

We’re in the midst of the most unpredictable financial climate in a generation. All proposals based on the economy of 2009 – or earlier – must be entirely reconsidered, in public, prior to any advancement of a business relationship.

Again, I would vote NO on City Council regular agenda item 41 for January 6, 2010, an unnumbered resolution for a Revocable Permit of Entry to allow Peregrine Sports, LLC access to PGE Park to conduct non-construction evaluation and preparation activities.

Peregrine LLC is like that family dog you can't get to stop humping your leg.

Why is Amy Ruiz involved in this at all? It scares me how idiotic Scam's staff is. Ruiz should have been fired months ago for her involvement in the coverup of Scam's molesting of a child.

Jason, I realize you're just playing to the crowd here, but I have to ask: Renovating the stadium doesn't create construction jobs? The Portland Timbers, founded in 1975, aren't a local business?

And you're going to run on a platform of refusing to honor contracts dated prior to 2010?

Roger, there is no contract(s) prior to 2010 that requires entities to form agreement(s) "to conduct "non-construction evaluation and preparation activities".

Nice try on misinformation.

Roger, the jobs-for-jobs-sake logic is perilous unless it's directed at the most needy persons in the community who would immediately return the money to local economy.

Which is why I buy a lot of copies of Street Roots. That money doesn't travel far before getting spent. The writing's not bad either.

Yea! I saw Pele & Franz Beckenbauer play the Timbers in 1974! Bring that show to town and everyone will get serious and come to the table ready to make a deal.

From Jason's post: "All proposals based on the economy of 2009 – or earlier – must be entirely reconsidered ... "

So is he suggesting we go back to Square One on a lot of things like Urban Renewal budgets, to pick one example?

The topic here isn't so much the terms of the deal, but whether there are mechanisms in place insuring that liability for pre-agreement work falls on the proper parties. Jack's got a post above this one focusing on that.

Unbelievable. They aren't even pretending to any shred of legality or transparency anymore.

refusing to honor contracts dated prior to 2010

There currently is no agreement between the city and Paulson on renovating PGE Park. The contract there was, expired a few months ago. The city is free to walk away from this if it wants to.