Opie flips the mansion
An alert reader points out that former Portland Commissioner Erik Sten has sold his home in the West Hills, which he purchased in March 2007. The property tax records show that the house was transferred on July 14 of this year (to this guy, apparently) for $1,320,000. The same records show that Sten paid $1,285,000 for the place when he bought it last year. Sten is still listed as the owner of his former residence in the Irvington neighborhood, which he bought in 2001.
The midterm resignation, the churning of the houses, the apparent lack of any career plan -- it all seems so odd for a 40-year-old guy who not long ago was basically running Portland.
| Posted at 1:16 PM | Permalink |
|
Comments (13)
Oh he is so going to show up employed by
some client benefactor of CoP biz.
Posted by Hal | August 9, 2008 2:03 PM
I thought his original plan was a spot in the Hillary administration. Now I'm guessing some sort of nonprofit gig in D.C.
He wouldn't dare try law school...
8c)
Posted by Jack Bog | August 9, 2008 2:07 PM
Perhaps it back to Mayberry RFD.
Posted by genop | August 9, 2008 4:26 PM
It's probably been suggested before but maybe he's hiding some dark Goldschmidt-esque scandal? Who knows what evil lies behind that gap-toothed smile?
Posted by Not me | August 9, 2008 5:24 PM
One pedantic point: I wouldn't consider Bridlemile as part of the West Hills. That'd be like conflating Irvington and Sabin - or maybe Irvington and Concordia.
Posted by Betsy Richter | August 9, 2008 6:19 PM
It's West Hills enough for me. Swimming pools, cul de sacs, titans of industry. Amanda Fritz, who lives near Opie's old place, likes to pass it off as middle-class -- a dubious proposition. It sure as heck ain't Sabin or Concordia.
Posted by Jack Bog | August 10, 2008 3:18 AM
They sometimes accepted offers of shelter for the night from local residents
they met along the way. “People were very accommodating,” reminisces Williams. “It gave me a good sense of community. These small-town people led a simple, uncomplicated life and were content.”
Gotta wonder if this guy who bought the home for $1.3 mill will offer his home for shelter?
Ah, to live the simple, uncomplicated life...
Posted by Frank Dufay | August 10, 2008 3:20 AM
Why wouldn't Sten "dare try law school?" In many ways it would be a very logical step for him.
He could commute to Willamette instead of go to LC.
I don't begrudge Sten anything as a private citizen. Actually, if Sten went to law school and did lots of pro bono work for the homeless and represented the poor on contingency and bargain fees, I'd have a lot of respect for the man. Maybe Sten left City Hall because he just wants to earn $40,000 a year, live a modest life, and hang out at homeless shelters looking for good causes to represent as a lawyer.
Posted by Ted | August 10, 2008 8:18 AM
A 2.7% gain isn't what's usually referred to as flipping. It was probably a net loss if he used a realtor.
Posted by Sue Hagmeier | August 10, 2008 1:17 PM
It's not flipping.
It is evidence that Mr. Sten is incompetent rather than corrupt. It also demonstrates that he runs his private life with the same fiscal responsibility he ran his public tilts at windmills.
Posted by Garage Wine | August 10, 2008 2:01 PM
If the media in PDX hadn't celebrated his efforts to tilt windmills he wouldn't have been elected in the first place.
Posted by David E Gilmore | August 11, 2008 8:11 AM
No one ever pressed him on this one. He told the media that he sold the NE Portland houses to afford the big down payment on the mansion. They said, "case closed".
It looks like he did not sell the Irvington house and county records show he took out a $1 million mortgage.
So, how did he qualify? If he lied about his income on his mortgage application that is a federal crime with serious punishment. (even on a "stated income loan" application)
If not, where did the civil servant get an extra quarter million dollars per year in income?
Do we really have a media in this town?
Posted by John | August 11, 2008 5:41 PM
Do we really have a media in this town?
No.
Next
Posted by Ben | August 11, 2008 9:50 PM