Two gray heads in the bunch. No wonder they screw everything up. No life experience amongst the bunch of them, other than school and all night sessions playing "Sim City".

No kidding. You know it's bad when Sam Adams is the most mature guy in the office.

29 people and counting.

Makes you feel great when you see some geniuses like Amy Ruiz and economic planners who haven't ever had a real job. Of course, sycophancy trumps experience every time with Sam.

His office alone is growing faster than anything else in Portland.

Does anyone have any idea how the recall campaign is going? I haven't seen/heard anything about it in the media for quite some time.

I love that his media relations b***boy has the same glasses.

You know it's bad when Sam Adams is the most mature guy in the office.

And such a...well.."diverse" group of young folks. And yes, I know, this is Portland. But its kinda like watching Sesame Street...or a McDonalds commercial.

Adams' hiring proclivities are well known. Short on experience, long on fawning admiration and a desire to "be somebody" at City Hall are the prime requisites.

The "Planning and Sustainability" staff are particularly farcical.

Does anyone have any idea how the recall campaign is going?

I believe they're at about 10,000 signatures -- if that's right, they'd need another 1,000 a day...

Adams is well known for hiring people that fit the "image" he wants and people that will admire and agree with him at all costs. A major flaw that shows lack of leadership on his part. Good leaders hire people based on skills and experience, and those who have those skills in areas where said leader is weak.

Sam has always surrounded himself with sycophants and yes men and women. Then, when they are no longer useful, he brutally cuts them out of the circle - even go as far to lie about the reasons why they left. Ask his former communications person. You know, the one who is suing him right now.

Sam isn't a leader. He's a raging narcissist.

If Sam is indeed kicked out of office, does his stable of "staffer groupies" leave with him?

And, why is there not one African American MALE in the group? TRUE diversity too dangerous for the small town boy?

Can someone provide the total personnel costs for this gang? Salaries and fringes? A stunning reminder of what Adams needs to feel secure. How did Potter manage?

The imbedded videos are an appalling waste of time, bandwidth, and money.

They are a pretty amusing collection of Portland City Hall propaganda buzzwords, however.

I bet that atleast 75% of his staff could be fired and the same amount of work would be done.

That whole page should be posted on a wanted flyer...wanted for ruining Portland.

"Can someone provide the total personnel costs for this gang?"

If the average guy is around $50K/yr, add another 60% for benes to get about $80K/yr.

Times 29 people = $2.32M/yr.

Guesstimate, like price means anything to Sam.

"= $2.32M/yr."

For comparison, remember North Clackamas school district is short about $3M and is laying off 60 teachers.

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2009/08/north_clackamas_to_cut_teacher.html

I won't even mention how many $100K/yr jobs Teddy K has to give out as payback and favors.

And, why is there not one African American MALE in the group? TRUE diversity too dangerous for the small town boy?

There was once an African American male on Adams' staff. That was Wade Nkrumah, who resigned his job as the mayor's spokesman after Adams lied to him repeatedly. He is now suing Adams and the City because Sam lied to the media about why Nkrumah quit.

The people Sam picks are easily manipulated/cajoled and Mr Nkrumah had a backbone. 'Nuff said?

Fifth row, first on left we have AMY RUIZ, "planning and sustainablity policy advisor" (rim shot)

Fifth row, first on left we have AMY RUIZ, "planning and sustainablity policy advisor" (rim shot)

Watch her video, it's particularly funny.

SO happy to see we have an International Relations Manager working for us. Now, does he handle the charter flights for soccer fans coming to PDX or the mayor's private trips overseas??

"Fifth row, first on left"

Sorry my personal fave is Kimberly Schneider, his economic development director. Her previous job was writing grants for subsistence farmers in sub-Sahara Africa.

Then again, maybe Sam knows something about the economic future in Portland.

Watch her video, it's particularly funny.

Yep. And captures her glib, nervous, and "I can't believe I got this job" attitude perfectly. She mentions "a place to grow veggies" as if it's a super-cool and interesting--and hip, forgetting that the problem isn't space (most already have space to grow "veggies"), it's behavior.

And growing some tomatoes in a plot is fine--but on the list of city priorities is so far down the list that making it a crucial issue is nonsensical. But it makes for a hip issue to be associated with.

Meanwhile, systemic, critical, far-reaching planning issues--like rapid environmental degradation and permanent resource loss from urban development--gets no mention by any planning staff. how could it? without urban development, densification and skyscraper/condo construction, an constant opportunities for community behavior modification, large chunks of planning become irrelevant.

Imagine if urban planning focused on doing less, one of the only meaningful keys to "sustainability". Building less. Undoing, rather than doing.

But no--instead, Big Pipe-style projects go forward. Increase capacity! Build out! Dig downward, outward, upward!

Wow. He has 29 people blackmailing him...

I guess all those "sustainability" jobs have to come from somewhere.

No, it's a parasitical relationship.