Goooal!

[March 18th, 2009]

The 3-2 vote last week by Portland City Council to help Merritt Paulson pay for a new Major League Soccer stadium in Portland was contentious, to say the least. Think Liverpool vs. Manchester United.

Voting no were Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish, who were bothered in part about the timing of the deal given the shaky economy and upcoming budget cuts at City Hall. The deal also drew objections from Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler and Portland Public Schools board members concerned that the city’s proposal to dedicate $15 million from a new urban renewal district around PGE Park would siphon money from their shrinking budgets.

On Paulson’s side were Mayor Sam Adams, Commissioner Randy Leonard (a chief architect of the deal), hundreds of fans of Paulson’s minor league Timbers, and The Oregonian editorial board. Let’s call them Liverpool.

On the other side was a loose coalition of bloggers, education activists and concerned citizens who questioned the agreement’s fine print—specifically, helping to pay for the $88.5 million proposal by creating that new urban renewal district around PGE Park. They also had concerns about Paulson’s plan to move his minor league baseball team, the Beavers, from PGE Park to a new stadium at the current site of the Memorial Coliseum, which last year drew 420,000 customers to the Rose Quarter with Winter Hawks games and other events. By comparison, the Beavers drew 393,000 to PGE Park. Let’s call these critics Manchester United.

In the end, an embattled mayor who is currently facing a criminal inquiry, a no-holds-barred city commissioner, a fabulously wealthy businessman whose father once held sway over the nation’s economy, the daily newspaper, and a loud, impassioned crowd of soccer fans won out.

Which means it’s official. Portland is now a Third World country. And the city’s official language is fútbol.

How did that happen?

Until Commissioner Dan Saltzman cast his decisive vote for the proposal, no one (except, perhaps, Saltzman) could have predicted the outcome in this game, which couldn’t end in a tie.

Scroll down to see how Paulson won in a soccer-style shootout.

Liverpool Vs. Manchester United

Oregonian editorial board vs. Jack Bogdanski

Leading up to the vote, The Oregonian editorial board urged city leaders to approve the deal and wrote that letting Paulson walk away would be tantamount to consigning Portland to "Nowheresville." Lewis & Clark Law School professor and political blogger Jack Bogdanski (bojack.org) called the proposal an outrageous "boondoogle." Right or wrong, The O, which has a far wider reach than any blogger, provided cover for the mayor's plan—just weeks after the same pages had called on him to resign for lying about having sex with then-18-year-old legislative intern Beau Breedlove, setting off an investigation by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger.

Liverpool: 1 vs Manchester: 0

The Publicly Funded Businessman Vs. the Publicly Funded Candidate

In his agreement with the city, Paulson said he would spend $40 million of his own money to pay for an MLS franchise if the league awards him a team, a decision expected this month. Fritz, who used $342,619 in public financing to win her Council seat last year, wondered whether it was in the city's best interest to tear down Memorial Coliseum and put a new baseball stadium on some of the city's most valuable land. "Independent studies have shown there's very limited economic benefit,"

Fritz says. During the meeting, Paulson—who moved to Portland in 2007—indicated he would not put more cash toward the city's end of the deal even if he secured the new soccer team for less than $40 million. It's hard to believe MLS will get its original $40 million asking price in this economy. But Commissioner Randy Leonard says he's OK with not asking Paulson for more money if the team price comes in lower, because the current deal limits the risk to taxpayers. "We drove the deal we did knowing that was entirely possible," he says.

Liverpool: 1 vs Manchester: 0

Leonard vs. Wheeler

If the new soccer stadium is built, Adams may claim credit for it. But Leonard might deserve more. He certainly got more grief. Before the final vote, Wheeler testified at City Council against using $15 million in new urban renewal money for the project at least until affected agencies, including the county and local school districts, could be consulted. The tempestuous Leonard took umbrage at Wheeler's testimony.

But Wheeler didn't back down. "I may be new on the job, but I wasn't born yesterday," he told the Council. Ultimately, the $15 million from a new urban renewal district around PGE Park was pulled from the deal, giving Wheeler a point. And city leaders are now looking to the Portland Development Commission's economic development funds for money to fill that hole in the $88.5 million plan, Leonard says. But stay tuned.

Liverpool: 2 vs Manchester: 0

Timbers Army vs. Trail Blazers brass

It's no secret the Timbers Army wants a new Major League Soccer team to cheer, especially since Northwest neighbors like Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., are moving ahead with their soccer teams. (The Seattle Sounders MLS team begins its first season March 19, and Vancouver just got an expansion team.) Timbers Army fans say that if Portland were to pass on a deal with Paulson, "Soccer City USA" may lose the Timbers altogether as other teams in the Timbers' minor league shift to higher competition. Trail Blazers' leaders have more urgent concerns, which caught the attention of elected officials last week when J. Isaac, a team vice president, pointed them out. For instance, the Blazers contribute more than a third of the tax payments for urban renewal projects around the Rose Quarter. There's a long list of projects seeking those funds, but Paulson wants to jump the line.

Liverpool: 2 vs Manchester: 2

A new urban renewal district vs. Portland School Board member Trudy Sargent

Speaking on behalf of other local school-district leaders, Sargent said the urban renewal district posed a risk because it had the potential to take money away from schools. In response to her testimony and others', City Council agreed to remove the language about a new urban renewal district.

But city leaders—including Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who introduced the amendment—have not ruled out reintroducing the idea later. Next time, however, they vow to seek approval for the district from school and county leaders sooner. Both sides scored.

Liverpool: 3 vs Manchester: 3

Commissioner Dan Saltzman vs. Commissioner Nick Fish

Both commissioners are up for re-election next year, although only Fish has indicated he will definitely run again. In voting for the proposal Fish had rejected, Saltzman said his objections were related solely to the urban renewal district. With that off the table, Saltzman followed Fish's no vote with a yes and the City Hall crowd cheered.

Liverpool: 4 vs Manchester: 3