September 26th, 2007
The Score | Mayday for payday loans5 comments
September 19th, 2007
Winners & Losers | Separating star bucks from Starbucks.7 comments
September 12th, 2007
Winners & Losers4 comments
September 5th, 2007
The latest casualties of gentrification: roaches5 comments
August 29th, 2007
The Mexicans said, “Let my people go,” and, behold, the next morning brought locusts.6 comments
August 22nd, 2007
Mayor Tom Potter swears he always hated wearing that badge.6 comments
August 15th, 2007
Putin meets Santa Claus at North Pole, says, “Old elf ess veek.”2 comments
August 8th, 2007
Stevie thinks he's in Seattle, so be cool.3 comments
August 1st, 2007
So, Oregon timber industry, about those owls...1 comment
July 25th, 2007
Nike just does it to dogs, Clackamas hates booze, everyone loves IKEA5 comments
 DIGNITY VILLAGE - WINNER IMAGE: BASIL CHILDERS |
[May 26th, 2004] WINNERS
Tom Potter's first-place finish--which, in The Oregonian's perceptive headline analysis, "forced" a runoff against ex-frontrunner Jim Francesconi--elevated an unlikely band of Potter-backers to the winners' circle. Dignity Village, the ever-embattled homeless camp, scored, as residents campaigned for Potter. City Commissioner Erik Sten inflicted major damage on Francesconi, his council colleague, by endorsing Potter and mailing a persuasive letter to many likely voters. Finally, props to the Portland State Vanguard. The college newspaper's story pointing out that most mayoral candidates' most appealing qualification was not being Jim Francesconi was one of the funniest pieces this spring.
Election week was good to same-sex-marriage opponents. Their slapdash candidate for Multnomah County commish forced Lisa Naito into a runoff, and they saw their ballot title for a constitutional ban on gay marriage approved with unexpected speed. Plus, the still-competitive mayoral and city-council races will draw liberal funds and talent away from a fight against the initiative.
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LOSERS
State Sen. Kate Brown, Commissioner Sten, developer Bob Ball, ex-gubernatorial hopeful Ron Saxton and a host of less-publicized potential mayoral candidates must have been kicking themselves last week when they saw how effective being anybody but Francesconi turned out to be.
Like many who bet on the erstwhile frontrunner, Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a buddy of Francesconi's, is looking for plan B. The guv provided a strong voicemail endorsement for the city commissioner in the waning days of the primary campaign. Earlier, he clashed with Tom Potter on gay marriage at a City Club event.
The jihad of Portland neighborhood activists is in the market for a new Great Satan, after a coalition of anti-Randy Leonard candidates failed to derail the controversial city commissioner's re-election bid. The aggrieved hopefuls looked to tally enough votes from each of their respective 'hoods to force a runoff. Didn't work.
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