Agreed. They missed their chance.

They should focus instead on finding a credible challenger.

They should have found one for the Saltzman race, and they definitely should be lining up somebody to take on Mayor Creepy's frat president, Fireman Randy, at the next opportunity. Instead they waste time with this.

"Even if proponents force the election, the recall vote will fail, and that will only make him look stronger."

I agree that it would fail, but I don't know how strong it would make him look, because I don't think he'd win by very much.

The campaign would also force people to come out and voice support for him, and I'm wondering if he might find deafening silence from his supposed supporters on that score. What prominent person would be photographed throwing his arm around Adams and vouching for his leadership at this point?

I think the entire process would drive home what a dud he is.

There are lots of people with big money who love Adams for the deals he has promised them. Many of them are the old Goldschmidt network. They showed up the day after the scandal broke and stood in the City Hall foyer to say how much they loved Sam. If the recall gets on the ballot, they won't like it, but they'll be back out there. It's good business.

Not to mention the bicycle and soccer people, of course.

He's not looking too strong to some:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/demonstrators_gather_at_justic.html

Why didn't Sam ask those folks to use their "jazz hands?"

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/a_lesson_in_civility.html

What a crock.

I'm very much looking forward to signing and returning mine. If it fails I'll hope for a third recall effort. I there isn't, well, I'll support the first recall effort of Adams' second term after he's re-elected. Everybody needs a hobby!

It may already be in the works, but if I was a respected member of the African-American community like Avel Gordly and there continue to be large protests organized by the Albina Ministerial Alliance over the Campbell shooting, I'd have people out there hustling signatures for the recall.

Why is it the right thing always has excuses for not going it?

Just throw him out.

He may or may not survive an actual recall election, but I think it is important to give the voters an option to capture their frustration with his performance to date and see just how seriously they want him out. Things like the police abuse incidents, the bridge, the bike plan, etc. will all be forgotten or swept under the rug in a few years' time. Even if Adumbs squeaks by a recall, hopefully it will send the message that his appeal is waning each time he makes another stupid move.

Jack, don't forget the local subsidized art establishment -- including, for example, PICA's Victoria Frey and RACC's Eloise Damrosch -- which relies on the alleged, divisive, secretive, stumbling mayor of our city for public largesse:
http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/01/30/breedlove-the-beautiful-boy-ww-art-critic-richard-speer-weighs-in/

It is hard to admit Jack, but you are probably right about this current recall attempt (how disapointing). But isn't it important to keep trying anyway and at least send the message to Mayor Adams that there are X number of Portlanders out there that do not support his monkey business?

I don't get it. I seriously don't get it. What did he do? He lied about a personal matter that's no one's damn business. He didn't lie under oath, he didn't do anything illegal. At all. If this was a financial scandal, I'd be the first one howling at the gates, cos I have zero tolerance for that crap. But this? Really? He declined to kiss-n-tell with a consenting adult. That's all it is. Big effing deal.

But no. He's the "WORST MAYOR EVER," according to the cork board at my work that some psycho keeps pinning notes to.

To me, you might as well be trying to impeach him because he ate someone's sandwich and denied eating it. Who cares?! What does him mugging out with some dude have to do with his qualifications as a mayor? Nothing. It isn't like he lied about anything of importance or anything that has to do with the civil infrastructure. It's his personal business.

Look, you can tweet the guy about a dangerous intersection and he'll respond. A few days later he will tweet that he's at the intersection checking it out for safety. That's a good mayor, tweeting safety info during the the water contamination scare, and all that kinda junk.

Lotsa people including me eat that crap up, having a mayor that responds to emails 'n tweets.

Oh and he's anti-WalMart and pro-bike so he fits what an ideal Portland ideal mayor should be, really; he reflects PDX values as far as his policies. Recalled for kissing? Get real and be honest with yourself about where your vitriol is coming from, Barney.

I hope it makes the ballot, even though I'm likely to vote against a recall, not because I'm a Sam fan but because the window for this closed a long time ago (and for that we can thank the hapless Jasun Wurster).

Whether Sam survives or gets the ol' heave-ho, it will be an important catharsis either way. The voters deserve the opportunity to decide if Sam's appalling actions make him unfit for office. And if they don't think they do, then the majority will have spoken and we'll just have to suck it up and live with it (and Sam) for another three years.

James: "He lied about a personal matter that's no one's damn business. He didn't lie under oath, he didn't do anything illegal."

James, even making out with the kid in the City Hall bathroom was a crime. It's called Sex Abuse III. I tend to believe Breedlove on this point at the very least. Based on this, I think he committed a crime and to top it off, he lied to the entire city, tried to cover it up, destroy the reputations of political opponents and groomed a minor for sex. If Adams didn't have anything to hide, he wouldn't have reacted the way he did.

City Council is in complete chaos, Adams is showing zero leadership and we're all suffering because he won't resign.

Recall Sam Adams

James, I'm not pro-bike and indifferent to Wal-Mart. My Portland values are not a bunch of easy left-wing talking points.

The biggest problem with the Breedlove affair is that he launched a terrible smear of his political rival Bob Ball while covering it up. And he's shown that he's a liar. I don't want to guess when my Mayor is being honest and when he's telling self-serving lies.

The reasons I think he's a terrible mayor are apparently the same reasons you love him. I think that his focus on bikes and streetcars and hating Wal-Mart are ridiculous priorities.

How about a mayor who talks about jobs and has ideas on how to actually bring some to town? (And no, making a speech filled with terms like "green industry clusters" is not an actual economic development plan.) How about a mayor that even understands the private-sector economy well enough to discuss it intelligently?

How about a mayor who responds to the toughest economic times in decades by talking about how to balance the city's budget, instead of borrowing for a new soccer stadium and bike lanes?

How about a mayor who actually comes out and makes a bold statement within 24 hours of a police shooting instead of hiding in his office until the press forces him to respond?

How about having just one F**KING ADULT on our city council? Just one who understands that running a city is about providing basic services within the budget you have, and not playing SimCity with trams and trolleys.

I understand people not being bothered by the sex scandale. What I don't understand is how you guys can't see the obvious fact that Sam Adams is an airhead.

they had their chance. Jasun Wurster had hundreds of volunteers, he had the highest level of both publicity & outrage, and Portlanders decided they did not want a recall. they are claiming a combination of ineptitude & lack of money -- they didn't have Columbia Sports buying Kevin Mannix's invaluable help (hey Avel Gordly, great to see you chummy with a guy whose more responsible than anyone else for so many African-American being in Oregon's jails).

maybe they can buy a recall, but it'll be as democratic as CA's purchase of the Governator -- that worked out real well, too.

Sam lied & Portlanders still want him as mayor. sorry.

James

1) He used city resources (personnel, travel) to pursue a relationship with an underage individual

2) He likely violated sexual contact with a minor laws on city property

3) He savaged a political opponent and used his sexuality in the most cynical way to deflect attention, evade the truth, and win an election.

4) He destroyed the careers of individuals who work for him in a continuing attempt to cover up his activities.

He's desperately responsive to your "tweets" because that's the way he convinces you he's a good mayor. Do you really think a good mayor should be wasting his time dealing with street intersections? (Although I suspect he has a staff person doing this.)

Let me spell it out for you, dude. A real leader doesn't have the f-ing time to respond to your tweets and complaints about pot holes. He should be running the g-dd-n city!

t.a. barnhart-

Really? You are defending someone who made out in a City Hall bathroom with a minor (I believe Breedlove), groomed him for sex, admitted their relationship was 'romantic' from the very beginning, called a minor (and who only knows what he might have texted him) 30+ times before he turned 18, lied to our city, gave $750 to the kid to keep him close, smeared anyone who brought it forward, asked the kid to lie, kept the kid in his corner until it was time for his attorneys to attack the young man's credibility, and has showed absolutely no leadership in the last couple weeks as our city has been polarized?

Are you really that blind? Or, are you in support of adult minor relationships? I'm truly interested.

"They should focus instead on finding a credible challenger".
The recall process will engender a credible candidate.

"Even if proponents force the election, the recall vote will fail, and that will only make him look stronger."

Just because there are people don't want to recall Adams now doesn't mean they'll vote to keep him. That vote requires them to examine their consciences.

"Lotsa people including me eat that crap up, having a mayor that responds to emails 'n tweets."

Only response I have to that, is that Hitler was democratically elected and people adored him and he did all kindsa popular stuff.

ok, don't wanna get dragged into anything.

stonespdx, you're out of touch with reality. grooming a minor for sex? my god, we've elected Caligula! you really think a sleezebag playgirl-posing attention whore like Breedlove needed to be coaxed? at 17?
not everybody had to wait for their church's singles-mixer at age 34 find their first girlfriend. [sorry, cheap shot. made all the more cheaper as i wont be posting again on this thread.]

jj, first of all, portland is a small town, really, it is, believe or not. and here's the thing about him desperate to respond to tweets: yes! he is desperate to prove he can be a good mayor! i like that! he's already been busted so now he's on eggshells, on his best behavior! i dont think we will see another scandal from him, i like that he was scared straight, so to speak.

ms. harris, yeah, keep the Hitler comparisons coming, i say this with all sincerity. make signs. please.

Snards, dont mistake me for left. i'm all over the map. and, i dont ride no bike, my point was, in this hippyass city, be fervently pro-bike and youve got a slew of votes right off the bat.

you have a lot of legit beefs, Snards, no doubt, but none of them really grounds for recall though. pdx aint as bad as california 2003 yet i guess.

i am, however, anti-walmart. my issue is that they were the speartip in pushing nearly all appliance and electronics manufacturing jobs to china, which played a big part in destroying our economy while allowing wally world to have the cheapest goods and the highest profits. seriously, you wanna put something on their shelves, they say make it cheaper, you say i cant, they say, go to these people in china, we'll set it up for you. -- you know, we used to make TVs in the country, as recently as the early 90s. -- all this aside, i feel Sam doesnt like walmart for the reasons i just listed. i feel like he doesnt like walmart for the same reason the hepster scum dont like it: too much unfashionable white trash shop there. i.e.: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

ya know, i used to work with with an ultra-conservative ProBush buddy and we used to have lotsa good-natured debates over beers. i miss discussions we used to have, but i can't do this crap on the internets.

cheers y'all, have a couple laughs on me at the website, but i won't be commenting further,
James

I was wondering how long it would take for t.a. to pop up with his requisite defense of Adams while accusing all those who oppose him of being undemocratic. Get a new gig, dude. Slamming Gordly seems to be popular with the "progressive" crowd lately too.

I don't get it. I seriously don't get it. What did he do? He lied about a personal matter that's no one's damn business.

If you think that that's the only thing that he did, you really have "eaten that crap up".

He didn't lie under oath, he didn't do anything illegal.

How about unethical?

If this was a financial scandal, I'd be the first one howling at the gates, cos I have zero tolerance for that crap.

Got it. Poor ethics, false rape accusations, and repeated public dishonesty okay, financial scandal not okay.

He declined to kiss-n-tell with a consenting adult. That's all it is. Big effing deal.

Except for that little encounter in the City Hall men's room while at work with a 17-year old. For example.

It isn't like he lied about anything of importance or anything that has to do with the civil infrastructure. It's his personal business.

To quote Adams "I essentially lied to obtain public office". I'll go out on a limb and call that the opposite of "personal business".

Look, you can tweet the guy about a dangerous intersection and he'll respond. That's a good mayor, tweeting safety info during the the water contamination scare, and all that kinda junk.

Except that (a) that information was available from news organizations two days before, b)that's the water bureau's job, and (c)90% of adults over 30 don't use Twitter.

Lotsa people including me eat that crap up, having a mayor that responds to emails 'n tweets.

Eat it up, then.

Oh and he's anti-WalMart and pro-bike so he fits what an ideal Portland ideal mayor should be, really; he reflects PDX values as far as his policies.

If you think "PDX values" are that monolithic, you're in for a lot of painful surprises in life. In fact, Wal-Mart does fantastic business in PDX, and has reportedly claimed it could open two big box stores and still not meet estimated demand. People have written to Wal-Mart and begged them to build here. Portland sells more handguns per capita. than most large US cities. Those are also "PDX values", James.

But ignore all of this. If the words "unethical" and "dishonest" have no real weight in your assessment of public servants, none of this will matter.

Should Sam Adams be dragged kicking and screaming from the mayor's office and deposited in the middle of Fourth Avenue? Of course.

Will he be recalled? Of course not.

That train has left the station.

You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. Including, I suspect, Avel Gordly and Friends.

You get three more years (at least) of the unctuous, malodorous, perverted Mayor Creepy. God help you all.

What the recall campaign should have done first of all was to find a viable candidate to run in the special election following a successful recall and be the "face" of the movement in the meantime. They had six months to do this after the revelations about Adams in January of '09 but apparently decided it wasn't important. Now the second campaign has repeated this mistake. No matter how negatively people may feel about Adams, most will be terrified to recall him without having at least some idea of who his likely replacement will be. Having a conservative political consulting firm involved will only exacerbate this fear (and you can bet the recall opponents will make this association widely known).

Barnfart is right. I don't care if Adams banged every kid in Lincoln HS, has zero education, and has added 2 billion dollars to our city's debt in a single year (an increase of 33% since taking office). He is our frigging mayor, and we should respect him.

He is our frigging mayor

Yes...(guffaw)...yes he is. Though I would have probably described him as "horny as a jackrabbit," what with the alleged Men's room statutory rape and the alleged drunk driving incident with the unbuttoned pants and mysteriously disappeared passenger. Allegedly.

When I told this stuff to my ultra-liberal Obama worshiping Father, he wondered out loud "..wha ?!? And he's still Mayor ?!?"

Respect ?

He is one of the primary architects of the ruination of a once great American city, in addition to the sleaze.

Respect ? Please.

"i feel Sam doesnt like walmart for the reasons i just listed. i feel like he doesnt like walmart for the same reason the hepster scum dont like it: too much unfashionable white trash shop there. i.e.: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/"

That "unfashionable white trash" is part of the tax base, and your Mayor should be concerned with their needs too. The eastern city limit of the City of Portland isn't 52nd Ave, and hasn't been for quite some time.

Mr. Adams doesn't like Wal Mart for the this simple reason: lots of his constituency doesn't like Wal Mart either. If all of a sudden there was a greater number of voters that DID want more Wal Marts, you bet your ass he'd be working to get them in here, because that's what politicians do now: do what gets you re-elected, not what's right.

See: Bike Plan, Soccer renovations, east side streetcar, aerial tram, demanding that Vancouver accept light rail that they don't want in order to get a way too expensive bridge that they need, eco-roofs, etc. etc. etc.

It's all b***s*** we can't afford, but we're putting it on the credit card anyway because we have a mayor and a council that wants to stay mayor and councilors. Isn't that a "financial scandal" ?

Slamming Gordly seems to be popular with the "progressive" crowd lately too.

Democrats for Gordon Smith Avel Gordly? Geez I wonder why the progressives would get after her?

"Democrats for Gordon Smith Avel Gordly? Geez I wonder why the progressives would get after her?"

God forbid she should think for herself.

Sam is no different than any other politician.

They all sneak around, make backroom deals, lie profusely, and will do anything to stay in office.

It was a smear campaign, plain and simple, and just for that the recall deserves to lose.