Cha-ching! Ken Rust is now a lobbyist.
Wow, that was quick. Ken Rust, who for many years was the City of Portland's top administrator, particularly in money matters, has surfaced as a lobbyist at City Hall just eight months after he stepped down. His first project: Trying to get the city to blow sewer revenues on a "biogas" plant for Rust's private client, Columbia Biogas.
Rust oversaw a breathtaking run-up of debt by the city, and the city auditor's stinging report on that massive debt load was, in a sense, an indictment of his role in creating it. Now he's turning up the heat, asking for a rush-rush deal. What's the big hurry? The biogas plant has been on the drawing boards for more than a year; if it were financially viable, it would have been built by now. Maybe the Sam Rand Twins are buying, but the other three members of the City Council ought to tell him to calm down or show himself out the door.
| Posted at 1:46 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (16)
As before, I have horrible suspicions that I've already seen this movie. I just keep picturing Sam in a chainmail cocktail dress, listening over an intercom to Ken Rust smirking "Who run Stumptown?"
"Ken Rust."
"Who?"
"Ken Rust runs Stumptown."
"Say LOUDER."
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | March 5, 2012 2:02 PM
Nice Master Blaster reference.
Isn't there a move to make lobbying after public service illegal?
Posted by Jo | March 5, 2012 2:35 PM
Quite a few moves, Jo, on both state and federal level. You can imagine how popular those moves are with state and federal legislators.
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | March 5, 2012 2:49 PM
If this cast of CoP characters were Republicans, WillyWeek would be up for another Pulitzer.
As it is: nothing but crickets.
Posted by Mister Tee | March 5, 2012 3:14 PM
Telltale sign of a bad government project: "We have to do this right away!"
Remember the $700 billion bail-out that had to get through Congress in less than a week?
Posted by Mike in NE | March 5, 2012 3:48 PM
You mean that bail out that saved us from selling our babies to Morocco? Or some such similarly dire situation?
Oh I remember. Decades coming. One week to act.
Posted by Jo | March 5, 2012 4:04 PM
Robbyist is more like it.
Posted by Mojo | March 5, 2012 4:38 PM
Here's the people deal to Adams and crew: We give Adams $900k (1 year's loss on the BioGas plant); and tell him to leave town, and go have fun on vacation for the next 12 months (just to make sure the time runs out on his term as Mayor). This Mayor is so manic his continued Mayorship through January of next year will easily cost us one way or another much more than $900k. Paid run-out-the-clock-vacation for Leonard, too.
Posted by Bob Clark | March 5, 2012 4:54 PM
Given boy Mayor Sam and Admiral Randy's misuse of public funds on all sorts of questionable project I'd propose an alternative to the pay them to "go away scenario"
Instead we pay them a $1 a day.
Just like the other inmates...
Posted by tankfixer | March 5, 2012 6:38 PM
"What's the big hurry?"
With Samdy they know what they have. The only way this'll get pushed that hard is if Hales gets in.
BTW, according to C BioMass, those lobbying rules that were supposed to bring sunlight to Portland - They don't apply to Ken Rust.
Posted by Steve | March 5, 2012 7:33 PM
The rules never apply to Portland Insiders. Which should make the U.S. Attorney's job so much easier.
Posted by Mister Tee | March 5, 2012 9:10 PM
I always thought it was interesting how Ken Rust talks such a big game about maintaining a good credit rating for the City. When Tim Grewe was CAO, and Ken was CFO, he would frequently talk about conservative financial management. All the while going along with the political classes dramatic increase in city debt.
Posted by DaveD_PDX | March 5, 2012 10:11 PM
What is the current status of our credit rating?
Posted by clinamen | March 6, 2012 12:38 AM
The big rush is some state or federal handout expires soon. If they don't get the money from Sam the Scam soon, then they can't suck at the other teat.
"At Columbia Biofuels, we convert dollars to diesel."
Posted by Garage Wine | March 6, 2012 6:33 AM
Rust never sleeps...
Posted by Tim | March 6, 2012 10:50 AM
Damn, I wish I had thought of that. Good one!
My my, hey hey...
Posted by Jack Bog | March 7, 2012 3:53 AM