City Commissioner Randy Leonard has responded to the Mercury's earlier inquiry asking him to react to this morning's new revelations about the city hall smooch.

Hi Matt-

I am really focused, at this point, on making sure the city is getting all of its work done in a responsible and professional manner.

Yesterday, during our meeting in my office, Sam told me that there were no more revelations to come concerning his relationship with Mr. Breedlove. When I picked up the paper this morning, I realized he had once again been less than truthful with me. This does little to help repair the damage my relationship with Sam has suffered, both on a personal and professional level.

From here on out, my sole focus is making sure the work of the city is getting done.

Randy


Yesterday, Leonard said he had been "as frank" as he "knew how to be" with Adams during their meeting in his office.

But if you'll indulge some off the cuff analysis, I think this new break in their relationship is significant in several ways.

Adams' ability to get the job done as mayor over the coming months will depend largely on his relationship with his fellow city commissioners, but also, with the bureau heads—the people running the water bureau, the Portland Department of Transportation, the planning and sustainability bureau, the police bureau, the folks at PDC, and so on. If those folks feel that Adams has lost some of his power base, been publicly "de-fanged," as it were, then some of them are going to fill that power vacuum, but with what? Under former mayor, Tom Potter, little got done because nobody respected Potter's authority.

Now, one of Adams' closest allies in the run-up to the election—a man many dubbed Adams' "attack dog" in the ongoing debate over Potter's leadership, and who even stood up for Adams when would-be political rival Bob Ball came out with the Breedlove allegations—has publicly thrown him under the bus.

City Commissioner Nick Fish, too, has mentioned several times that he's focused on "doing the work of city council." That's not a ringing endorsement of Adams. UPDATE: Reached at 5:50pm, Fish told the Mercury, "I'm taking the day off, Matt," and had no response to the news of Adams' announcement he would stay. ORIGINAL POST: Fish hasn't returned the Mercury's inquiries today, and after all, it's Sunday, but if Fish were to come out this week with a line as strong as Leonard's, that would be a sign that Adams is facing a far less unified council than he was. And it'll knock his leadership.