This Week in the Mercury
Thursday, May 7, 2009
News / Politics Leonard And Fritz: Two Polar Opposites
Posted by Matt Davis on Thu, May 7, 2009 at 2:20 PM
City Commissioner Amanda Fritz likes process. Lots and lots of process. So much process, sometimes, that even if people's civil rights are impacted as a side-effect of that process, well, so be it. City Commissioner Randy Leonard, on the other hand, hates process. If he wants to stick a 10-foot neon rose on top of a historic city building, well, then he wants his sh_t-damned motherf__king 10-foot neon rose already. Got it? Good.
Let's sit them next to each other!
Yesterday morning, Fritz wanted more time before voting on an ordinance proposed by Leonard and Mayor Sam Adams that would extend the validity of decisions made on land use. With "respect," and you know, I think politicians only use that word when they'd prefer to say something disrespectful, but that's probably just me, Leonard wasn't having it:
FRITZ AND LEONARD: USING THE WORD "RESPECT" A LOT YESTERDAY...
Is that tension in the air? "No, we were having a discussion," said Leonard, afterwards.
But I suspect Leonard may well have been still smarting from Fritz's editorial in Monday's Oregonian:
We face the most challenging economic and environmental conditions of our lifetimes. Millions of jobs lost. Ice sheets melting. Unemployment in Oregon at 12 percent. Deadly influenza. Incomprehensible government programs like TARP and the stimulus package. Huge budget gaps in providing services for citizens.And we're talking about sports facilities and iconic signs?
Let's refocus.
BURRRRRN! BURRRRRRN, RANDY LEONARD! BURRRRRRRN!!! YA'BURRRRRNED!!! Next time I'm tempted to say "f__k you," reader, I now plan to simply utter the words "let's refocus." Way cooler!
Leonard probably isn't too pleased to see that even conservative columnist Dave Lister has started praising Fritz for her "greater independence" on council this morning, either. Lister, like Leonard, has been an opponent of publicly-financed election campaigns in the past. Fritz won her council seat through a publicly-financed campaign. But now, Lister says he likes having someone on council who doesn't have to put up with any 'tude. Any Randytude! In fact I would have preferred it if Leonard had said "Don't make me open up a can of Randytude on you, Amanda," yesterday. Still, there's three-and-a-half more years.
1
I agree with Fritz. We have far too many public decisions made without thinking about them hard (Thanks Bush/Obama!)
3
I'd love to see her in drag. I bet she'd look great as Inigo Montoya.
http://elultimoquecierrelapuerta.files.wor…
http://elultimoquecierrelapuerta.files.wor…
4
I'd love to see her in drag. I bet she'd look great as Inigo Montoya.
http://elultimoquecierrelapuerta.files.wor…
http://elultimoquecierrelapuerta.files.wor…
5
I'd love to see her in drag. I bet she'd look great as Inigo Montoya.
http://elultimoquecierrelapuerta.files.wor…
http://elultimoquecierrelapuerta.files.wor…
6
Amanda Fritz is an idiot. I read that OP/Ed and the first thing that came to my mind was - "And WTF as member of the Portland City Council can you do about any of those things?".
I'm as concerned about global warming, the economy, my job and not getting swine flu as the next PDX liberal but you see Amanda I voted for Barack Obama and Earl Blumenaur to work on those meta things like TARP, Economic Stimulus and extending unemployment benefits. There is this agency you may have heard of called the Centers for Disease Control who know a thing or three about influenza. Alot more than you do and I trust them alot more than you.
You got elected (with taxpayer financing for the record) to be a Portland City Councilor. If you don't like the job than quit and run for something else.
I'm as concerned about global warming, the economy, my job and not getting swine flu as the next PDX liberal but you see Amanda I voted for Barack Obama and Earl Blumenaur to work on those meta things like TARP, Economic Stimulus and extending unemployment benefits. There is this agency you may have heard of called the Centers for Disease Control who know a thing or three about influenza. Alot more than you do and I trust them alot more than you.
You got elected (with taxpayer financing for the record) to be a Portland City Councilor. If you don't like the job than quit and run for something else.
8
@Dave Lister
What did Finnegan say that you didn't think was true? Fritz wants to talk about creating jobs. That's the problem with her. She would talk about for so long that by the time she figured out what she was going to vote for to create jobs the recession would be over.
The reason Portland has such a high unemployment rate is because of how unfriendly it has been to business. There. People like Fritz are exactly the reason business leaves Portland or doesn't come here.
What did Finnegan say that you didn't think was true? Fritz wants to talk about creating jobs. That's the problem with her. She would talk about for so long that by the time she figured out what she was going to vote for to create jobs the recession would be over.
The reason Portland has such a high unemployment rate is because of how unfriendly it has been to business. There. People like Fritz are exactly the reason business leaves Portland or doesn't come here.
9
Why get all ad hominem against Amanda because she was using the big picture of the world to place emphasis on how BRAINDEAD some of Randy's projects are?
Right now Adams and Leonard are DESPERATE to get union support for their shared sinking political life-raft, so they are careening like chased rabbits, hence their agenda to date:
eg #1 Demolishing MC. This was the most shovel-ready project available, (no design, no permits, and would employ a LOT of people instantly).
eg#2 Building a 12-lane road ASAP: that piece of meat will keep the trucking and construction and ODOT people in their pockets forever.
eg#3 Building a new baseball stadium, when we could just get rid of baseball OR we could even keep baseball at PGE IF we sought out the innovations in bleacher/seating switch-outs, but no union business is involved there, so fuck it.
Amanda is not buying their bullshit. Good for her. If she gets a little too wordy and flowery, meanies like you will keep her on track. But please don't call her an idiot.
Right now Adams and Leonard are DESPERATE to get union support for their shared sinking political life-raft, so they are careening like chased rabbits, hence their agenda to date:
eg #1 Demolishing MC. This was the most shovel-ready project available, (no design, no permits, and would employ a LOT of people instantly).
eg#2 Building a 12-lane road ASAP: that piece of meat will keep the trucking and construction and ODOT people in their pockets forever.
eg#3 Building a new baseball stadium, when we could just get rid of baseball OR we could even keep baseball at PGE IF we sought out the innovations in bleacher/seating switch-outs, but no union business is involved there, so fuck it.
Amanda is not buying their bullshit. Good for her. If she gets a little too wordy and flowery, meanies like you will keep her on track. But please don't call her an idiot.
10
@genetorio
Actually developing a bleacher system that you could remove at the touch of a switch would probably would involve a great deal of union members. It would also involve a great deal of engineers to develop the bleacher system and a turf they could roll it over that wouldn't be destroyed in the process.
Last I checked Fritzy was a bleeding heart liberal. The heart of the Democratic party is unions. Keeping union members out of work because she wants to talk about stuff more isn't helping. Just another thing to remind them about around election time.
Another thing to keep in mind. The way she conducted herself about the stadium deal (and several other projects from what my city hall sources tell me) is that she doesn't listen. She refuses to meet with anyone she disagrees with. At some point Fritz is going to do something you're going to disagree with. Something you're not going to like. Regardless of how you feel about this particular stadium deal we're discussing right now she's not going to listen to you. Like, won't even let you in her office to talk to her type of listening, like the type of listening where she won't let regular citizens meet with her. I'll sympathize with you when it happens...and it will.
Actually developing a bleacher system that you could remove at the touch of a switch would probably would involve a great deal of union members. It would also involve a great deal of engineers to develop the bleacher system and a turf they could roll it over that wouldn't be destroyed in the process.
Last I checked Fritzy was a bleeding heart liberal. The heart of the Democratic party is unions. Keeping union members out of work because she wants to talk about stuff more isn't helping. Just another thing to remind them about around election time.
Another thing to keep in mind. The way she conducted herself about the stadium deal (and several other projects from what my city hall sources tell me) is that she doesn't listen. She refuses to meet with anyone she disagrees with. At some point Fritz is going to do something you're going to disagree with. Something you're not going to like. Regardless of how you feel about this particular stadium deal we're discussing right now she's not going to listen to you. Like, won't even let you in her office to talk to her type of listening, like the type of listening where she won't let regular citizens meet with her. I'll sympathize with you when it happens...and it will.
11
Blacked Out, I'm gonetorio, as in, "gone to rio." And the heart of the democratic party is getting more complicated. But I hear you that she may turn out to be just another ego-driven idiot, just without the problematic sex-drive. Then she would be unacceptable AND boring. And then I will retire to the country and write my futuristic novel about genes.
12
@gonetorio
Eh...more Repubs have had a problematic sex drive than the Dems recently. The difference is they have problems with hookers both male and female, drugs, and tapping their feet in restrooms. Sex between consenting adults is cool though.
I didn't assert she was an ego driven idiot. Idiot perhaps but not ego driven. It takes a certain audacity to slam publically funded projects when the only reason she has a seat is because of a publically funded project.
I already saw 4 years of nothing happening with Tom Potter. I guess that sort of changed the way I view city politics here. I see how Fritz works. She has an opinion, she won't let anyone talk to her and change that opinion, when she isn't on the winning side she'll use delay tactics and talk about process. She's an idealogue. While I think idealogues do have a place...I just don't really think its in elected office.
Eh...more Repubs have had a problematic sex drive than the Dems recently. The difference is they have problems with hookers both male and female, drugs, and tapping their feet in restrooms. Sex between consenting adults is cool though.
I didn't assert she was an ego driven idiot. Idiot perhaps but not ego driven. It takes a certain audacity to slam publically funded projects when the only reason she has a seat is because of a publically funded project.
I already saw 4 years of nothing happening with Tom Potter. I guess that sort of changed the way I view city politics here. I see how Fritz works. She has an opinion, she won't let anyone talk to her and change that opinion, when she isn't on the winning side she'll use delay tactics and talk about process. She's an idealogue. While I think idealogues do have a place...I just don't really think its in elected office.
13
Obviously this comes from my personal point of view, but Fritz has put herself out there on my side of every issue. I think she's reading my mind, sometimes. If that means we don't bulldoze Old Town to put in a Wal-Mart covered in neon roses, I somehow think that's okay.
14
@Will Radik
How do you feel about the sit/lie ordinance? Did you know the council was set to throw it out? They had the votes to vote it out and Fritz threw in that she wanted to talk about it more before they got rid of it.
Personally I think that sit/lie is illegal and have thought that since it was enacted. The council had the votes to throw it out and Fritz wanted to talk about it more.
How do you feel about the sit/lie ordinance? Did you know the council was set to throw it out? They had the votes to vote it out and Fritz threw in that she wanted to talk about it more before they got rid of it.
Personally I think that sit/lie is illegal and have thought that since it was enacted. The council had the votes to throw it out and Fritz wanted to talk about it more.
15
@BlackedOut Don't be so sure you know everything that's going on behind the scenes. Fritz has been the biggest opposition to the sit/lie law on council for sometime. If she hadn't made this compromise she probably wouldn't have gotten the "support" of Leonard and Fish in the first place.
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