Where all our nominations are qualified.

[October 5th, 2005] Multnomah County chairwoman Diane Linn 's road to re-election looks a whole lot clearer now that challenger Tom Chamberlain has withdrawn. "There's an opportunity coming open that will allow me to have more impact on working folks," says Chamberlain, the former boss of the Portland firefighters' union and current labor adviser to Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Chamberlain's departure leaves only businessman Ted Wheeler to challenge Linn. One more piece of Linn news: Former Cascade AIDS Project director Thomas Bruner (Q & A, July 27, 2005) will join Linn's staff Oct. 17 as a senior policy development director.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ron Saxton couldn't have asked for more: KXL's Lars Larson blasted a statewide email to friends of his show last week, seeking support for state Sen. Jason Atkinson 's gubernatorial bid. That's significant, because it means Larson will work against Kevin Mannix , splitting the party's conservative wing and thus helping the more moderate Saxton. Meanwhile, with the May primary looming, Mannix hasn't hired a campaign manager. And with his campaign debt from his 2002 loss topping $460,000, some people are shying away from the job-like consultant Paul Vogel, who recently got a call feeling him out. Jack Kane, Mannix's campaign consultant, attributed the delay to wanting to make sure they get the right person. "Are you interested in applying?" he quipped.

Talk about calling the wrong guy. L.J. Schwartz , a voter who thinks city Commissioner Erik Sten is too conservative ("he's lost his balls," Schwartz says), fielded a call recently from a pollster in New Mexico (her inability to pronounce "Willamette" or "Multnomah" prompted Schwartz to ask where she was calling from). Using a technique Schwartz recognized as "push-polling ," the pollster extolled the virtues of state Sen. Ginny Burdick , a potential Sten challenger in 2006. And the caller also was thoughtful enough to accuse Sten of never working a day in his life outside politics and (in an apparent reference to Sten's work passing public campaign finance in Portland) diverting money from police to pay for his re-election. "I told her I knew she was working from a script but I didn't appreciate being manipulated," Schwartz says. In case you're wondering, the Portland Business Alliance (a Sten nemesis) denies paying for the poll.

In February, discussing allegations that he spent his campaign funds on personal expenses, lawmaker Derrick Kitts (R-Hillsboro) told The Oregonian his basic test is: "Would I have that expense if I wasn't a state representative?" Well, Kitts' latest campaign fundraising report seems to show him working even when visiting family over the holidays in Puyallup, Wash.-where he reported a Dec. 27, 2004, "meeting/food" tab for $75.52 at a local sports bar called Mugs N Jugs. Kitts will have to find some other Puyallup venue in the future-in May, the city closed down the club based on an unlicensed stripper performance, as well as the club's reputation for generating more DUIIs than any other bar in town. Kitts did not return Murmurs' calls.

Dark days for fans of the Portland Timbers. Not only did they watch their pro soccer heroes flame out in the playoffs, but the hated Seattle Sounders won their minor league's championship last Saturday. In slightly cheerier soccer news, Jefferson High School's star striker Elias Muhammad decided not to transfer to Madison, contrary to reports in last week's WW (see "Democrats with a Kick"). The Demos, making their return to varsity play after a year off due to manpower shortages, lost to Madison 3-2 last Thursday.

CORRECTION: The story "Emergency Options" in last week's paper misspelled the name of Corey Padrón. WW regrets the error.