Voters’ Pamphlet Blunder Costs Sam Adams $30,000

The fee for being included in the pamphlet, which goes to all voters in Multnomah County, is just $300.

Sam Adams. (Abby Gordon)
By Anthony Effinger

Former Mayor Sam Adams, attempting a political comeback by running for the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, loaned his campaign $30,000 on Sept. 17, according to state election records.

Adams said the cash will cover the cost of mailing a page describing his qualifications that should have appeared in the county’s Voters’ Pamphlet. Adams missed the Aug. 29 deadline for his submission after misreading the instructions, he told WW last month.

It was an expensive mistake. The fee for being included in the pamphlet, which goes to all voters in Multnomah County, is just $300. Now Adams expects to spend 100 times that amount to make voters aware of his candidacy and credentials.

“Having to mail the Voters’ Pamphlet page wasn’t in the budget,” Adams said in an interview.

Adams left the mayoralty in December 2012 after one term. He is running against Shannon Singleton, a social worker and former nonprofit leader, to be commissioner for Multnomah County District 2, which includes North and Northeast Portland.

In debates, the two have sparred over the solutions to homelessness. Adams supports arresting homeless people who violate camping bans and refuse shelter. Singleton, meanwhile, says that approach amounts to punishment and will change nothing.

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