Jack, I agree with your take on Sizemore's comments. But like having all affected citizens vote on urban renewal, it is a right that we should all honor. I guess we should respect Sizemore's rights to freedom of speech. But it hurts. We'll have to deal with it.

No, he doesn't need to come back.

"The proponents of the citizens' initiative are letting Bill Sizemore,"

Sizemore is posting to a story blog all on his own.

The chief petitioners and proponents have nothing to do with letting him do anything.

And out of all the stories and the many comments at Oregonlive and Tribune/community newspapers I've only seen one from him.

But your point is well taken.

Bill had nothing to do with the effort in Clackamas County.

He's a political opportunist looking for an audience.

As an ex-felon, can Sizemore even still vote in Oregon?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The disenfranchising, disarming, and other deprivations of constitutional rights of convicted citizens who have fulfilled their sentences is a controversial issue, btw. Most Democrats didn't even think about that until the Republicans blew their doors off in Florida, purging the voter rolls of purported African-American and other poor and working class felons just before the Nov. 2000 national election. In the end, as you may recall, a 537 (or 1,665) differential under the contested recount parameters.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_watch/jan-june01/recount_4-3.html

If Florida had allowed ex-felons (but not prisoners, probationers or parolees) to vote in 2000, probable margin of victory for Al Gore over George Bush in Florida: 40,000.
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/prisonindex/disenfranchisement.html

(cue the amateur comedians. nah, just fade out).

P.S.:

Number of states that disenfranchise prisoners convicted of a felony: 48

Number of states that disenfranchise felony probationers: 29

Number of states that disenfranchise felons on parole: 33

Percent of states in the year 1800 that disenfranchised some or all of their convicted felons: 0%

Year Utah disenfranchised its prisoners: 1998

Year Massachusetts disenfranchised its prisoners: 2000

Percent of states in 2000 that disenfranchise some or all of their convicted felons: 96%

Percent of African-American men disenfranchised by a felony conviction: 13.1%

Number of states that disenfranchise more than 5% of their adult population: 6

Number of states that disenfranchise more than 5% of their African-American population: 28

Number of states that disenfranchise more than 10% of their African-American population: 16

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/prisonindex/disenfranchisement.html

I don't think they can prevent him from commenting on Oregon"live". But I agree that it probably doesn't help the cause.

And hey, anyway, glad to see that someone may have hired an ex-felon to do PR -- wonder who it might be....Just kidding!

I'd be curious to know if there's confirmation that's actually Sizemore. I wouldn't put it past the sneaky developer/urban renewal crowd to post something like that to paint their adversaries as tea party nutbags rather than a broad coalition of concerned citizens tired of having their rights trampled.

I think if you look around the contributor lists, or commenters, or politicians supporting the counter Commissioner's measure, you'll find a felon or two. You might start with Dike Dame. Sizemore in the same company, how tragic.

In another post Sizemore was praising Kitzhaber (for his education reforms, I think). Maybe Democrats should stop him from mouthing off too?

Nobody is responsible for Sizemore (other than sizemore himself).