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On Feb. 27, Liv Osthus joined the race for Portland mayor. She’s never held elected office before, and cheerfully concedes she has no managerial experience. So why did her candidacy draw far more attention than the announcements by sitting City Commissioners Mingus Mapps, Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio? Because Osthus is better known as Viva Las Vegas, the name under which she’s danced at Mary’s Club for more than 25 years. She declared her candidacy in the pages of WW last week [”Entrance Interview: Liv Osthus,” Feb. 28]. Here’s what our readers had to say:
juliewebbmusic, via Instagram: “I’d move back to Portland to vote for Viva.”
imllikesaelp, via Reddit: “I love Viva. I think she’s a great person, smart as a whip, and a hard worker, but she has not done a damn thing to earn my vote. I kinda hate that she’s the best candidate out there (so far).”
oregoner, via wweek.com: “This city used to be cool. Now it’s people with the screen name of ‘ghost of old dead white guy’ worrying that Fox News will laugh at us if we do something unorthodox. We know, you’re going to vote for Rene Gonzalez so he can jail the homeless. The rest of us are grateful that, win or lose, someone with a soul is finally running for mayor.”
edwartica, via Reddit: “In all seriousness, does anyone remember 2004 when Tom Potter ran against the likes of Extremo the Clown, Jim Spagg, and someone who said they preached ‘salvationism through television’?
“I remember voting for the guy who worked at the Mercury.”
la_camel_la_camel, via Instagram: “Great, I am voting for her…we need more people from the working class to run for office…Not couch potatoes [who have] been doing it for 30 years…”
Oihan Wylde, via wweek.com: “Mayor Bud Clark had zero political experience, but he knew the needs of the common person.
“Bud Clark surrounded himself with knowledgeable advisers and made some significant long-lasting positive changes to this city. I’d like to hear more specific details of what Liv Osthus would do.
“Maybe Liv can bring back a bit of what made Portland vibrant. The artistically creative underground was an important piece of our city for many decades. We’ve become a boring homogenous dystopia lately.”
Jarry, via wweek.com: “Not much at stake here. To paraphrase an Edwin Edwards bumper sticker, ‘Vote for the stripper. It’s not important.’”
GOO-GONE VS. GRAFFITI
My wife passed along your article on graffiti [”Know Your Tagger,” Feb. 28]. Very well done! I’ve been waging a private battle with taggers around Oaks Park boathouse for the past several years. There are a couple big signs along the river that make attractive palettes. My preferred product is currently Goo-Gone. It’s safe on plastics and usually gets the paint off with three applications. I think regular citizens believe graffiti removal requires special training. Not so! A spray bottle with remover, a bag of rags from Home Depot, protective glasses, and an N-95 mask are all you need. If you’re OCD about neighborhood cleanliness, it’s a very satisfying way to spend a half-hour.
I agree with the folks who state the primary goal is fast removal. If you get it down right away, the taggers usually leave that spot alone for a while.
Thanks again for your article. It’s nice to hear we might make some progress over the coming months.
Malcolm McIver
Southeast Portland
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