Good for Tom Potter. I hope he doesn't ruin it by apologizing.

Potter needs to go. What has he accomplished since he began his term??
Instead of true leadership we get Visioning. WTF?

2008 ain't looking that great so far either. Who's gonna take Grampa down?
Sam "there's not a camera in Portland I don't love" Adams? Please. I thought my home state of SC had some politically retarded politicans, but Portland almost puts them to shame.

Here's a few ideas:
1. pave some streets
2. provide adequate police protection of the city (not the kind that requires beating/shooting someone to death)
3. take of the graffiti/gang shit ASAP!
(see broken window theory: crimnal justice 101)
4. Initiate some projects in the city outside of the Pearl and SoWa. Think about those of us who drive through "streets" that resemble wetland habitats.
5. LEAD!

Shit, it should read, "...take care of the graffiti, etc.

Great googly moogly, this should be fun.

Good lord. Some a-hole is heckling him during a public meeting? He's lucky he got only a "shut up" -- rather than getting bodily removed.

It didn't even qualify as a heckle. He blurted out a response to a rhetorical question.

And I doubt Potter considers Irwin an a-hole, if he's appointing the man to commissions and advisory panels. One would assume Potter values Mandel's opinion—including one blurted out during Potter's wrap up comments before a vote.

Irwin Mandel is an upstanding member of the community. He may have got a little agitated and spoken out of turn—but most observers agree that the mayor's response was over-zealous.

As a witness to the incident, I can say it wasn't a heckle. During Potter's speech, he had a carefully crafted bit where he asked everyone to close their eyes and imagine their ideal form of government. Mandel said (and not loudly), "Yeah, commission government."

That was the "heckling" that got him shut up, and then warned that he'd be ruled out of order and removed from the chamber.

There was a lead-up to this, though. Irwin was miffed that Paul Meier, one of the charter review commission members, got to give an unscheduled three-minute testimony before a 10-minute break, meaning that there was no room for a rebuttal. And, of course, there were all the harsh words the Mandels had for pushing the charter reform vote for May. But that's their right in a public forum.

...but most observers agree that the mayor's response was over-zealous.

Considring that in the past Potter's been willing to violate both the City Code and City Charter during a session when someone pisses him off, this particular situation is tame, if more amusing.

Now we understand why Tom gave Christopher
"Kazy Killer Kop" Humphreys and Kyle "not
so nice" Nice a free pass on their stomp-
ing and kicking to death of James Chasse.

Now when Tom tells a fellow-citizen to
SHUT-UP, he won't have to escalate to the
more empathic SHUT THE FU^K UP...he'll
have Humphreys & Nice to "be nice to 'em"
and stomp 'em into shutting up!

Can't wait for my ballot. It's going to be an easy vote on this one-- NO.

Potter's Waterloo indeed. Besides Adams, who's most likely to take on Potter in 08? Is Randy Leonard considering a run?

Seriously, who wants this stupid strong-executive change? Haven't we seen in George W. Bush what can be wrong with a strong executive with no checks and balances?

I count the Oregonian editorial board, the Portland Business Alliance, and the Mayor as the only supporters (other than the Mayor's hand-picked charter review committee).

If it ain't broke, have a beer and chill out.

Actually, Billy, not even all of the Charter Review Commission members support the changes. Seven of the 20 members voted against it, and at least two of those have already made their opposition known in public.

Oh, Thom Hartman likes the idea.

Oh, Thom Hartman likes the idea.

At least he managed to end the segment this morning by helpfully describing the opponents of the proposal as "the labor community" and "progressive" and the supporters of the proposal as "the powerful" and "conservative".

Though that might have confused his progressive listeners who, indeed, might recall him saying it was a good idea.

If Mayor Potter's response to Irwin's interruption had been, "Please be quiet and let me have a turn", I suspect the episode would have ended differently.

Remember there are four ballot measures going out from Mayor Potter in May. Only the one on PDC has broad support on the Council. The referrals on Civil Service and ongoing Charter reform are almost as bad as the Form of Government one, in my opinion. They give future Mayors way too much power, even if the change to the Dominant Mayor is rejected.