Whatever happened to Portland City Commissioner Erik "Opie" Sten? After foisting one unworkable big idea after another on the city's taxpayers for eons, he got himself re-elected easily last year (in the Defining Candidacy of our Lifetimes, according to his pals at WW), and promptly disappeared from any and all media radar screens.

Not having to counter his daily outbursts of sage Stanford-English-major policy suggestions is a relief for some of us, but the respite has given us ample time to wonder what he's up to. Perhaps he's just being a dad, enjoying life, coasting a bit -- they all seem like possibilities, but that wouldn't be the lovable, energetic tyke we've gotten to know around City Hall. Surely he's got the Next Big Thing in the works.

Given the deafening silence, our intuition tells us that it's something outside of city government, and before his current term is up. I remember reading somewhere that his old buddy Marshall Runkel (co-genius behind the city's efficient, effective "clean money" public campaign finance system and its thriving free wi-fi program) is back on the muni payroll, no doubt being groomed to take over the Opie throne should the Stenster decide to step off. Meanwhile, something tells us, it's résumé time for the sitting commish.

Yesterday we caught a glimpse at what might be next from our man. He's become a local bigwig in the Presidential campaign of Hillary (No-Last-Name). Not too surprising -- she's obnoxious, and the two of them have friends in common. If HRC should become the next President, do you think she'd invite Opie back to D.C. to run something -- maybe a big public housing agency? I do. One of the FOH with local connections is a buddy of Sten's and mine, Rey Ramsey (a former Runkel boss). Rey's got "cabinet" written all over him, and surely he'd want a Portland visionary or two by his side.

And if Hillary called, would Opie answer? I'd bet he'd be on his way faster than you can say "MetroFi litigation."

Of course, she's unelectable -- a "canard" according to her husband, Bubba, but one that seems to have proven quite the problem when the last two Democratic Party candidates for the White House couldn't beat a simian. So don't cry for him, Albina. One way or the other, I think we're going to have Opie with us for a good long time.