The lie exposed
Today Tom Hughes, who we thought would be good as Metro president but has turned out to be a spectacular disappointment, inadvertently illustrated the utter fraud that is public involvement in Portland. He was commenting on the zombie Convention Center hotel project:
"We set an aggressive timeline to get this project to term sheets by December and we’re just not there yet," said Hughes. "We'll conduct our due diligence for the sake of the public and we’ll provide opportunities for the public to weigh in."
The guy is already talking "term sheets," which are essentially mini-contracts laying out the terms of the deal. One of the issues that the public would like to give input on is whether this stinker of a deal should be done at all. But Hughes is all the way to discussing the "term sheets" already. In other words, it's a done deal, and the public can talk to the hand.
The latest delay in the process means that Portland's lame-duck mayor and his ineffectual economic advisors won't be presiding over it when the real money starts flowing. But his successor, Char-Lie Hales, will no doubt champion it, just with a slightly different cast of development and construction weasels pulling the strings.
Hughes may throw good money after bad, but we don't do the same with votes, and he's likely gotten the last of ours that he'll ever see.
| Posted at 6:50 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (11)
"We'll conduct our due diligence for the sake of the public"
Sounds like he has the whole listening and democracy thing down pat.
Posted by Steve | November 29, 2012 7:06 PM
This is one reason why I voted for Bob Stacey.
Posted by Peggy | November 29, 2012 9:36 PM
Ugh. Even worse -- much worse.
Posted by Jack Bog | November 29, 2012 9:40 PM
I met Tom Hughes in my childhood when I played him at the burg called 'Starkey' in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon. In his teen years in Hillsboro he worked for migrant workers rights through (what I think was called) the Valley Migrant League. Much later he became the mayor of H-boro and worked wonders for the fiscal health of the city. I was convinced that his election to Metro would help change it to a useful organization. Damn, was I ever wrong. What happened Tom?
Posted by B.P. Red | November 29, 2012 10:04 PM
When was the last time a politician was elected who tried to shrink government or thought that just keeping things running and the government solvent was doing a good job? They all want to be builders with our money. Once in they just can't help themselves. What is it about power and access to lots of money? Does any politician have the ability to Just Say No?
Posted by Nolo | November 30, 2012 2:17 AM
Damn! That whole due diligence thing is just SO inconvenient!
What a pain....is it really necessary?
Why should the public have anything to say about THE grand plan? What does the public know about anything anyway?
The central committee will make all the decisions! ......
Posted by Portland Native | November 30, 2012 5:31 AM
What is it about power and access to lots of money?
That's precisely the problem. Checks and balances have been dismantled or are being ignored without consequence.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | November 30, 2012 6:49 AM
"Hughes may throw good money after bad, but we don't do the same with votes"
Some clarification:
"Hughes may throw OUR good money after HIS bad"
AND
"we don't do the same with votes"
We voted down the Convention Center and they built it anyways.
Our votes don't matter because we are backward-thinking cave-dwellers.
Posted by Steve | November 30, 2012 7:54 AM
Tom "Hyatt" Hughes:
Thanks for having integrity and a sense of stewardship of the commons. That is a tremendous accomplishment whilst wearing your developer's ass hat tight around the brow.
Posted by tim | November 30, 2012 8:51 AM
Nolo, Mr. Grumpy:
Your valid comments remind me of a quotation from P.J. O'Rourke:
"Giving money and power to politicians is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
Posted by trm | November 30, 2012 11:54 AM
So the Metro President election was between:
1. A man that lied to get votes, or
2. A man who showed disdain of most voters and showed his true colors?
It's no wonder voters are so cynical of government, feel disenchanted, and that government doesn't listen to their concerns... Heck - Metro's slogan should be "We just don't care what you think anyways."
Posted by Erik H. | November 30, 2012 2:15 PM