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Former Portland Mayor Sam Adams is returning home.
Adams served as Portland mayor from 2009 to 2013. He was the first openly gay mayor of one of the nation's 30 largest cities.
His term was quickly upended by the revelation he had lied about a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old legislative aide. But even his toughest critics acknowledged by the end of his term that he had been an accomplished mayor.
He moved to Washington, D.C., in 2014 to work on addressing climate change for a nonprofit called the World Resources Institute.
Adams left that job two years ago. In recent weeks, he's been spotted at several civic events—and tells WW he's preparing for a full-time return in August.
"I am in Portland today," he texts, "riding on the Yellow Line MAX over the Willamette River."
He says he is helping family members battle illness.
Adams sent a picture of himself sporting sunglasses and a full gray beard.