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ISSUE #34.13 • NEWS • COLUMN
[ROGUE OF THE WEEK]

Sam Adams


The devil made him do it.

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BY WW EDITORIAL STAFF | 503-243-2122

[February 6th, 2008]

Let’s be clear: Oregon Petroleum Association rep Paul Romain pulled a slimy move last week when he broke a bargain with Commissioner Sam Adams on Adams’ $464 million transportation tax.

Yes, Adams has made a case to seek money for new asphalt, traffic signals and bike routes. But Romain makes a valid point (as did crotchety blogger Jack Bogdanski this week): Adams has gone to Roguish lengths to keep Portlanders from voting on his tax when he’s also running for mayor.

Until last month, Adams was doing a good job building support for his plan. Then, in order to complicate Romain’s ballot-referral threats and legal challenges, Adams broke his transportation package into three chunks.

On Jan. 30, Adams announced Romain had agreed to drop his signature-gathering plans in exchange for reduced fees for his convenience-store clients. (Basically, Adams gave a $1.1 million break to the very folks he now calls “Big Oil” stooges.)

But when a relieved Adams recombined his plan into a single ordinance, Romain reneged, saying he’d agreed to not oppose the “measures,” but would still seek to refer the “measure.” (Romain argues Adams doesn’t know what the meaning of “s” is.)

So why not call Romain’s bluff, and take the tax to the ballot? “They have no intention of making this a deal in good faith. They don’t have any more good faith,” says Adams.

OK. But after watching this duel, it’s hard not to conclude that Adams’ real motivation is as Romain suggests, that Adams fears voters would reject his tax—and his mayoral candidacy along with it.

On Wednesday, Feb. 6, the City Council hears Adams’ plan for the second time, in three parts. And then it’s gone till November.














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RECENT COMMENTS ON “Sam Adams”

33

"Randy's speech was brilliant"?

Boy are there some stupid people stopping by here.

To them, dishonest, fabricated jibberish sounds brilliant.

Don, Feb 8th, 2008 7:16pm
34

I LIKE paying local taxes. At least I know they're going to improve my community, not support the OILY MAN's bloody wars. If you don't like paying local taxes, I suggest you move to some decrepit bibl...

Glenn G., Feb 9th, 2008 4:33pm
35

A big problem for this tax is its going on a ballot with other financing requests. Schools are asking for money, so are Parks, so are...

Voters my see all that money and just say n...

BS, Feb 12th, 2008 8:23am
36

peter,

You couldn't be more foolish if you don't think people sit in traffic for miles arund here.

Thanks to people like Sam and YOU our congestion is worsening f...

Don, Feb 13th, 2008 8:27am
 
 
 





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