But, but I thought this was a people-powered democracy?

Shocking! An elite core of private and public servants (1) that answer to a silent set of West Hills mansioneers actually run this town?

(1) The Goldschmidt folks aren't the real power-they are just the loyal well-stroked sires

I think Bragdon was selected as the person to go on record by name because he has chosen to relocate to New York and his statements cannot be easily dismissed by those who would say he is jockeying to succeed Adams in the next election.

Man of Steel Saltzman will stroll into the mayor's office. He's got the West Hills mojo and money. He's "weird enough" for Portland: He dated a sex worker! Even his scandals are West Hills scandals. (This year I learned that many Oregon Democrats don't get married so they can funnel money to their girlfriends.)

Sam the Tram is the king of creating construction pork. I think the problem is he's distracted to the point of craziness. Apart from his attendance problems, he lashes out at some of the oddest times. Like when he took over the police bureau. Or when he disbanded the volunteer oversight board. Or when he disbanded the Rose Quarter stakeholder commission that he tweeted about when he was supposed to be giving a keynote speech.

Bottom line: The Arlington Club set needs to know that their money is put on a safe bet. Sam the Scam is not a safe bet. Man of Steel is the saftest of bets.

But don't worry 'bout Sammy Boy. The Q Center will have a home for him.

Bragdon can speak openly, as he is leaving the region and has no further fear of retribution. Adam's weakness is his strength for those looking for handouts.

I think this council has delivered plenty of pork.

I think the powers that be probably see him as the trainwreck that he is, and don't find his mood swings and waffling useful to their interests. He ain't good for anybody.

Maybe there is rumor of another scandal out there that just needs to be substantiated. In the meantime, they are highlighting his poor leadership and lack of reliability so there is no support of him as mayor once the scandal does hit the news.

Don't forget, Sammy is as vindictive as they get - perhaps someone in the West Hills p***ed him off, and took it in the shorts, so to speak.

They're abandoning a used model that's become inefficient and dangerous. Likely next choice: a luxury vehicle* that's smooth and quiet running. Watch out.

* That means no room on board for you, citizen Portlander, except in the boot where they store the loot.

ghast when Grumpy Gramps won. They tolerated Gramps for 4 years while grooming the Boy Blunder to take over. The Boy Blunder ran Gramps out of the race. Then the Boy Blunder demonstrated himself to be the ultimate blunder.

So, its back to the Csone.

The Scone is coming.

Fear the Scone. If you wonder why, look at the SW Community Center, or the last go round or Parks Bureau levies, and the differences between what was promised and what was delivered.

Fireman Randy was a very observent pupil regarding diverting purportedly dedicated revenue streams.

The mover’s and shaker’s in this town just tolerated him from the get go. After the scandal he was toast in their minds. The problem was with the recall initiatives, Jason Wurster was an idiot. The second effort was led by Avel Gordley who was probably the worst legislator in Oregon ever. She had no influence, was frequently polled as one of the worst in the Willamette Week legislative report card and was totally incompetent. She would pull the race card often to try to get her way, which alienated a bunch of folks. Because of that the West Hills bunch didn’t want anything to do with the recall effort. They new it would fail. They thought they could wait it out for the rest of his term. They are now having second thoughts because federal money might not be as easy to come by with the Republican gains this November. Adams and his pseudo friend Earl the Pearl won’t be able to get the dough. Now they want to clean house.

"Who's "waiting in the wings" to succeed Adams"

Homer Williams
Beau Breedlove
Emily Boyles
Erik Sten
Randy's other handpuppet

Your choice.

Nonny Mouse: . .The Scone is coming. .

Please - NO to the Scone.

NO to insiders, this city cannot sustain their agenda much longer.

The powers in this town are the public employee unions, not the "West Hills Crew", or the Arlington Club. When the unions find a candidate who can endure the crap of an election cycle, a name will surface under the byline of one their "friends". Will Neil be behind the scenes? Of course.

I too found the most interesting thing about this article and recent events the fact that some people are finally willing to speak the truth about the Mayor. This is a distinct change. He is well-known to be vicious, relentless and unforgiving in retaliating against anyone even remotely perceived as not fully supportive. I have seen the most cruel and irrational behavior from him, motivated by nothing that would affect a well-adjusted adult. Now, it appears that some people have lost their fear and finally see him as powerless.

Shouldn't Robert Ball get a real chance since he was slandered by Creepy in the race?

In a more just world.

some people are finally willing to speak the truth about the Mayor

So far, it's only David Bragdon (at least for attri(retri?)bution), and only now that he's outside the zone of influence of Portland's local politics. That doesn't look like a sea change to me.

Allan L., I could view it as you do, but I can honestly say I feel a change is coming. As I recall, the article referred to people who confirmed facts but were not willing to be quoted on the record. I assume the Oregonian editor found adequate corroboration. The mere fact that there was a story to print suggests to me that the tide has turned ... thankfully. The fact that Jeff Cogen and Ted Wheeler both very publicly called out the Mayor (something almost never done in this oh-so-polite town) speaks volumes.

"The mission of the Audit Services Division is to promote honest, efficient, effective, and fully accountable City government."

We have a city code of conduct which is somewhere north of worthless. It seems to me some of the issues raised in the O would be open to investigation by the City Auditors office.

"The mission of the Audit Services Division is to promote honest, efficient, effective, and fully accountable City government."

This is just one of the many lies.

In many ways, Adams is just a gay, male, pretentious Vera Katz, without the legislative experience (if you don't count Beau Breedlove).

That means he's a serious friend of developers and the monied; the problem is, it's not always the *right* people, and he's so bizarrely reckless and untalented that the lever pullers *are* shaking their heads and wondering what to do.

But I don't think there's a cabal that's that organized. If I were guessing, I'd say that certain people are sitting back and letting him self-destruct a bit longer, one crazy story at a time.

I think that because the "West Hills" crowd, and elsewhere in this city, has many "creative class" writers and playwrights, they want to keep Sam around a bit longer for the great storylines he brings to their novels, plays, and psychological thrillers. It's entertaining but frightful for Portland's future.

They didn't know where Sam was?

Didn't anyone look in the bathroom?

They're tossing him off the back of the streetcar. The ride's over Sam. Take yer lumps. Mensch, ya ain't.

I heard something about federal money permanently lost to the Sellwood bridge project in a fiddling while Rome burned scenario. There is probably a good cover story in place already, though.

I can't believe none of you has mentioned Jefferson Smith as a possibility. Think about it...

Barring an accident, Adams isn't going anywhere until the next election, which is still a couple of years off.

He's already survived two recall attempts. There's no way he's going to leave on his own power. What would he do for money? Who'd hire him?

I think these stories coming out are damage control in reverse. People are making sure that stuff gets out well ahead of the 2012 election season so it can't be as easily dismissed as last-minute political smears. It has the added effect of diminishing any power Adams has for the last couple years of his term, which could be useful for anyone he might have opposed on some issue. On a punitive level, if someone had heard Adams might have been applying for jobs outside the region using his position as mayor as a stepping-stone, these kinds of revelations might put the kibosh on that.

Mayor Adams is actually much more of the gentrified-East-Side set than of the West Hills set. There are actually several West Hills sets: banking and finance (Arlington Club, older money, Lexus), real estate (University Club, newer money, BMW), commercial construction (overlaps between the two), consultants (Multnomah Club, maxed-out credit cards, Volvos and Subarus), facilitators and coordinators (City Club, ZipCars). The facilitators and coordinators don't mostly live in the West Hills, but are at all the political receptions there.

I can't believe none of you has mentioned Jefferson Smith as a possibility. Think about it...

Jeff wants to be governor, not mayor.

There are rumors circulating the the Mayor is actively seeking employment in Washington D.C.

Karin:I can't believe none of you has mentioned Jefferson Smith as a possibility. Think about it...

No to Jefferson Smith.
He has not stood up for our Bull Run Water System and in my opinion that makes him one of the insiders. Why else the silence on such a critical matter, since his constituents particularly would be hurt by double water rates?

Jefferson Smith is calling the East Portland area Bedrock in his brochure:
Thus "Bedrock District." Not a suggestion of where were are not, but of where we are.
Bedrock also suggests good things about our values, about our people . . . and offers a lunch-bucket reference to the Flintstones, which doesn't bother me at all.

So I use "Bedrock District" to describe where we live & serve. Please join me in using this phrase.

If he continues to call this area Bedrock, his political career should be put to bed. I cannot even fathom the level of insult, the degree of condescension, the depths of utter stupidity implied by his suggestion of that name and his continued use of it in communicating with other political figures.

He can count on my vote...for anyone but him.