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Four years ago, when then-state Rep. Mary Nolan challenged Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz for a seat on the City Council, they squared off in a debate at City Club of Portland, an event widely covered by local media.
Chloe Eudaly, who's challenging Commissioner Steve Novick in the November election, won't get that same chance to boost her name recognition.
City Club, which airs debates on Oregon Public Broadcasting, won't be hosting a Friday Forum between Novick and Eudaly. "There was a feeling," says Mike Marshall, the club's executive director, "that a city council race in Portland wouldn't resonate with listeners statewide."
The club is, however, hosting a Friday Forum debate among the four candidates for two seats on the Multnomah County Commission. Marshall says that's because county issues have a regional impact.
City Club did host an informal debate between Novick and Eudaly at The Slide Inn bar Sept. 6 in front of about 100 people, a far smaller crowd than the one drawn to the Friday Forums.
Eudaly, who notes she was left out of a January forum about the arts that was co-sponsored by City Club, says she's disappointed. "It makes me feel that they don't take this election seriously," she says. (Novick, a City Club member, didn't immediately respond to an interview request.)
OPB played no role in the decision, says Marshall.
"News to us," confirms Steve Bass, president and CEO of OPB. "We never said to them because this is broadcast statewide, they can't do Portland politics."
Willamette Week