Portland's Mayor ... sort of

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Portland Oregon elected an openly gay mayor. to say the least we are pretty open and forgiving here as long as you aren't a conservative. the Portland community has always prided itself on being different and bucking the stereotypical social trends. But Portland is also a community of dichotomy. By that I mean that many of the things we do seem unrelated or juxtaposed on the surface. Most people don't look past that to see that this community simply thinks outside of the box. We don't hold to a particular ethos without waver but instead insure that it is qualified under a fairly unbiased review. This isn't a law town but more of a think outside of the box and hold no ideas back kind of town. That is why it should surprise no one that Sam Adams (not the beer) was elected as the Mayor of Portland a mere 100 (working days) ago.
Last January Portlanders were simply giddy about being a town that not only voted in a Black President but also voted in another openly gay Mayor. That pride was short lived however as within the first few weeks of his term he caught his first scandal. And it is a doosey.
Let's get this part out of the way. Sam was caught up in relationship with a (at the time) minor. The young man pursued Sam and Sam was happy to oblige by not only lying about his relationship but also making monstrously poor decisions about when, where, on who's time, and to whom he lied to about the relationship. It was a mid life crisis gone wonky! (Look up the details yourself at the Oregonians web page if you really need to know.) He lied to his friends, to other city counselmen, to the public and then to top it off he discredited anyone who had the nerve to try to run against him in the Mayoral race. I told you it was a doosey.
Portland however is beside itself with indecision. Do we throw out this great step forward for gay rights or do we live with the consequences of the election? Do we prop up a person who thought they could get away with it because he is gay and a good politician or do we set an example for our children and insure that the next candidate understands the standard to which we hold our public officials?
By all accounts Sam is a good public officail. He get's things done at city hall and works tirelessly on the programs he champions. Whether you agree with those programs or not you have to agree that he is good at his job.
The problem however is that this isn't business. It's not just a job and those who take up a public position are expected to conduct themselves in a manner befitting our ideals. Sam has not done that. This isn't Washington DC folks. We are never going to be ok with a Mayor that breaks the law and is caught with drugs and then get's re-elected. That type of thing just doesn't fly here. We expect our leaders to true leaders which is why when something of this nature comes up the whole country focusses in on it. (see Packwood, Sizemoore, and a few select others...)
Keep in mind this is how we get things done here in Portland. Back office deals (such as a city counsel that heavy handidly creates a law giving same sex couples the right to marriage) are an oddity and are always uncovered. (Thanks to the Portland Tribune, Wilimette Weekly, the Oregonian, and others...) Informed discent and discource is our bread and butter. You think Washington DC has people in the know just go to any coffee house in the metro area and you can strike up a lively debate about anything political. It's the only place I know of that a former pub owners ideas are given the same weight as a multi billion dollar shoe company exec. Portland is still (and god granted always will be) wierd enough to hear both arguments and make an informed choice.
However in Sam's case this is where we sometimes forget ourselves. We really want to be wierd enough to look past this mistake but if we do we give up our high standard of representation. Do you really want to have to tell your kids that this is the person they should look to as an example of how to act in public service? His opponents would say yes due to his tireless devotion to the city. His detractors of course would say no because they really don't want to have to tell their kids that this is the right way to be a public servant. I myself fall in the latter camp and for two reasons.
First his decsions show a total lack of respect for himself, his running mates, the city of Portland, his friends, and democracy. There is a double standard at the top. It isn't just a job to be good at but an example of the person we want to aspire to be. We didn't elect the backstabbing narsacistic politician who would risk his entire future on an underaged piece of tail. We voted for the city councilman who worked tirelessly to keep Portland wierd and who set an example for our kids. Sam, you are not that guy anymore. You should step down.
Second we cannot let our wishful thinking cloud our judgement about the Mayors office. I want it to be an example to the country that we fight fair and practice democracy as the founders of this great nation intended, through informed discourse. Whether you are liberal or conservative at least in Portland you get a fair hearing and that your actions do have consequences. My opinion is that Sam has done enough to certainly be one of our city counselmen but Mayor? No. Just being really good at it isn't enough. you have to be good at the job and be a good person too. Sam wasn't at that time and should take his medicine and make ammends by continuing on the city counsel.
Portland is wierd and great because we don't care whether you are gay, straight, muslim, jew, christian, black, white, red, yellow, or brown. We just want good people who accept the consequences of their actions and do the best they can. We are progressive not liberal and we will keep on the cutting edge through innovation and the acceptance of ideas that most would try to keep in a box. That's what makes us wierd and that's why we love it here.

TL Owens