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Friday, June 19, 2009

City Hall Commissioners' Thoughts on Paulson's Pullout

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 2:56 PM

This morning's surprise news from Merritt Paulson is giving the city commissioners a lot to work out as they head back the drawing board on the Major League Soccer deal. We already reported that Mayor Adams is confidently moving ahead with MLS, hoping to draw funding from a variety of sources, and Leonard is threatening to pull his support for Major League Soccer unless Paulson reconsiders.

So what do the other three votes on Council think of the MLS deal now that the Lents stadium is likely out of the picture (unless Leonard gets his way)? Nick Fish has yet to return a call for comment, but here's the rundown from the offices of the other two Commissioners who had cold feet about the deal.

Dan Saltzman thinks Paulson's pullout is a good idea. "It does increase my confidence that MLS could work. There are still funding constraints, but it definitely takes some pressure off the city to not have to worry about the Beavers in Lents," says Saltzman, who adds that he's not "absolutely opposed" to the idea of urban renewal funding the MLS stadium as long as the city goes through the proper process to snag those dollars. "I'm not for letting the soccer stadium needs drive the creation of a new urban renewal area," he says, referring to the still-fictional Central City URA that may need to be tapped to renovate PGE park.

On the other hand, Amanda Fritz policy manager Tim Crail says Fritz is still completely opposed to the idea of tapping urban renewal funds for the soccer stadium. "I think she would view it as a problem to take funds that from a URA that doesn't exist," says Crail.

 

Comments (10) RSS

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1
I'm still baffled as to why our elected city leaders are even considering making room in Portland (at the taxpayer's expense) for an unprofitable sport like MLS while city employees are being laid off en masse, and PSU is planning to lay off 60+ faculty and staff, and facing a 30% budget cut across the board.

It just doesn't make any sense to me, whatsoever. Am I just missing something here?
Posted by noble_savage on June 19, 2009 at 7:05 PM · Report
2
: D
Posted by Will Radik on June 19, 2009 at 9:30 PM · Report
3
NS:

Because some people at City Hall still suffer the delusion that tourists...er, "Portlanders" like Garrett/Blacked Out matter.
Posted by stukasoverpdx on June 19, 2009 at 10:17 PM · Report
4
BlackedOut is from Texas. I read the Timbers Army message board regularly, and most of them are recent transplants. They move here and immediately look for some kind of "theme park" activity to identify with.
Posted by Portland Lover on June 20, 2009 at 12:01 PM · Report
5
The best grins and giggles are at city hall. Why dont they just hang out there? Best amusement park in the country.
Posted by Tony Columbo on June 20, 2009 at 1:09 PM · Report
6
Here's what Cora Potter (http://twitter.com/bungalowranch) thinks of the community she represents:

@elizabethcb They also have "green colored" glasses when it comes to looking at their sad, brown park.12:22 PM Jun 19th from TwitterFox in reply to elizabethcb

@elizabethcb Let's hope their torches don't set fire to all that thatch.12:23 PM Jun 19th from TwitterFox in reply to elizabethcb

Elitist much?
Posted by farmer roy on June 20, 2009 at 1:36 PM · Report
7
Cora Lee Potter shows absolute disrespect repeatedly towards the community she is supposed to represent.

Yes, the always "professional, rational and savvy" Cora Potter. The same Cora Potter that blabs mis-information on how URA funding and processes work on this site and states her opinion as the opinion of Lents, and posts on Blogtown as Psymonetta Isnoful.

Potter is a perfect example of how flawed URACs are: she fails to understand her role and instead puts herself and her own opinions first and foremost, and is showing herself as an amateur loud-mouth and brown noser to City politicos. My guess is she is vying for some kind of political aspirations or City job and thinks kissing Leonard's and Paulson's ass instead of fulfilling her role on the URAC is the way to go. She's obviously a political rube, since her behavior both online and off illustrates a very politically stupid person. She's alienated herself from the community she represents and City insiders.

I also love her linkedin page: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cora-lee-potte…. I guess listing your professional qualifications and experience as the following makes her very qualified for her role leading URAC.
* Service Specialist at Ride Connection
* Chair at Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee
* Agent Provocateur, Cat Herder and Personal Chef at New Bohemian Grove Farm Resort

PDC likes people like Cora on URACs. They are ill-informed about public financing, and are easy to manipulate and sway and have that power hungry stars in their eyes that people like Sarah Palin had way back when she started in City Politics.

It's like Cora should be a bit character on the TV show Parks and Recreation, except, she has neither the talent nor the humor.

Potter - shut up, go back to your committee, learn your role and for the love of god, please get up to speed on how URAs and TIF work. You are a detriment to your community.

More...
Posted by ExCityEmployee on June 20, 2009 at 3:32 PM · Report
8
This is great news: the Lents idea was about as bad as they come, and typical of a guy like Randy Leonard who tends to think he should always get his way, regardless of what Portlanders want.

The obvious solution, if MLS is to come to Portland, is to sell the Beavers and not build a new stadium. Maybe Beaverton would buy the Beavers. Beaverton Beavers, so catchy!
Posted by blazerlove on June 20, 2009 at 3:42 PM · Report
9
She has "green colored $$" glasses for what would be that sad gray stadium. Maybe someone should inform her that being green is not just a color, but an ideal.
Contrary to what Cora thinks of herself, she won't matter in 100 years. The park will be there better than ever!
Posted by erica on June 20, 2009 at 3:48 PM · Report
10
That giant wooshing sound you hear is air being sucked into the vast vaccuum of leadership we have at city hall.

How about this: "Soccer can come to PGE, and we'll spend the next six months exploring ideas for siting a baseball stadium and give a report when it's over, and then do real public outreach."

Instead of this: "OH MY GOD! WE HAVE TO HAVE A STADIUM RIGHT NOW! AND IT HAS TO BE RIGHT HERE! AND WE HAVE TO VOTE ON IT TONIGHT! VOTE, VOTE NOW!!!"
Posted by Blabby on June 20, 2009 at 4:05 PM · Report

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