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Portland's future is quickly becoming a reflection of Mayor Sam Adam's ambition. Yet questions remain. Will Adam's survive a full term? Can Portland execute all this major construction? Will the new Portland be a city that works?
July 1st is the deadline to begin circulating petitions to recall Mayor Adams. The Mayor is under fire for lying about a 2005 sexual relationship with an 18-year-old legislative intern, Beau Breedlove, while he (Adams) was a city commissioner.
Last Tuesday it was revealed that the mayor has lost the support of one of his most visible backers — local musician and man around town Thomas Lauderdale. The pianist repeatedly denounced Adams during the Tuesday open house on redeveloping the Rose Quarter. Lauderdale, of Pink Martini fame, may just be the tip of the iceberg. It remains to be seen who else will come out against Adams and for the recall.
The Mayor's reaction to the after math of the scandal has been to keep his head down while initiating as many landscape changing multi-million dollar projects as possible.
In the last six weeks, Adams has thrown his energy into a $247.5 million convention center hotel in the Lloyd District, a $40 million Major League Soccer stadium at PGE Park, and on April 7 he announced the demolition of Memorial Coliseum to make room for a new Minor League Baseball stadium and entertainment district in the Rose Quarter.
Add to this the proposed new interstate bridge between Oregon and Washington and it is apparent that Portland is in line for growth. Things are moving fast.
George Bush Sr.'s staff called Portland "Little Beirut" in the early 1990s. Now some say Portland is on the way to becoming "Little Dubai" (a wildly overdeveloped Middle Eastern nation).
Can Portland build its way to success? Is this the way out of the Great Recession?
Comments
Sam Adams is a punchline to a bad joke. I saw him in TV this weekend on the back of a tandem bicylcle and all I could think of was how nervous the guy in the front of the bike must of been, I don't even know the original purpose of that little photo opp and I don't care, all I could see was that big dork on the back of that bike having a real good time. I have seen lots of progress in Portland since I first started paying attenetion in about 1960 and in the period of 1960 to 2005 I think about specific accomplishments, the zoo, the Hilton Hotel, max, now all I think about in terms of Portland history is your leader taking a young boy into the mens room.
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