This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
News / Politics Ron Tonkin Says Mannix Aide Contacted Him About Recall "Six Or Seven Weeks Ago"
Posted by Matt Davis on Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 10:12 AM
More disturbing news suggesting state-wide conservatives have hijacked the second effort to recall Mayor Sam Adams. Auto dealer Ron Tonkin says he was contacted by Jack Kane, a long-time aide to former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Mannix, just as the grass roots effort was failing on October 5.
- RECALL RECALL: BEING HIJACKED BY STATE CONSERVATIVES
"He has been the person who contacted me about the recall and about supporting it," says Tonkin, referring to Kane. "I've had some emails from him and we have gone back and forth."
Tonkin, speaking to the Mercury last night from his winter home in Indian Wells, California—a town with the highest proportion of millionaires of any city in the United States—says he has already written a check for an undisclosed amount to the new effort.
- MANNIX (LEFT): OREGON'S MR LIBERAL, 2009
The timing of Kane's approach to Tonkin—"about six or seven weeks ago"—would suggest that not only does Mannix's signature gathering firm stand to earn between $150,000 and $300,000 from collecting signatures for the second recall effort, as we reported late last week, but that Mannix's long-time aide has been coordinating it from the start.
Tonkin hasn't been to any of the strategy meetings, he says, adding that he doesn't know the depth of Kane's involvement in the effort. "I'm concerned that there is so much unrest, that Adams' credibility is suspect, and a lot of people have been very restless over this," he says.
So many, that the grass roots effort couldn't even get the targeted 50,000 signatures in three months?
"One way of the other, this will end it," says Tonkin, of the second effort. "I doubt that they are going to have the same problem this time with not getting enough signators."
Tonkin did not know of Kane's political background or involvement with Mannix when he wrote the check, he says. "He asked me if I would support the effort, and I said yes. This is a more concerted effort."
"What's important to me is, if the people want to re-vote, or make their feelings known, and there's as much unrest as there is, then I feel they should have that right to make their wishes known," Tonkin continues. "I do feel that where there's smoke, there's fire, and there's been an awful lot of smoke around this issue."
Homophobia has "absolutely nothing to do with it," says Tonkin. "What a person's persuasion is is their business, not mine."
Mannix's statewide political efforts have run the gamut from "anti-obscenity" measures, to killing taxes on the rich and corporations, to mandatory minimum sentences for drug addicts without the option of treatment over the years. If he is indeed backing the new recall effort, then he will have some strange political bedfellows: Political science student Jasun Wurster launched the first campaign to recall Adams in the wake of the Breedlove scandal, but has now taken a back seat to former Democratic turned Independent State Senator Avel Gordly, who announced her role as spokesperson for the new effort in the Oregonian in late October.
- TONKIN: 'SIGNED' RECALL 2 CHECK
Wurster told the Mercury “I’m just the volunteer coordinator,” and repeatedly refused to answer questions about Mannix and Kane’s involvement in the new effort when contacted by phone last week. “I’ve gotta go,” he said, ending the conversation. Wurster also gave the Mercury a number for a "media spokesperson," Mary Volm, that went straight to voicemail and has yet to be returned. He declined to distance himself from Mannix and Kane, if they are indeed behind the new effort.
Other would-be members of the recall recall have all been conspicuously press-shy over recent weeks. Mannix’s assistant told the Mercury he was “out of town” when we called his Salem office this week. Gordly did not return repeated messages left on her cell phone, seeking comment. Meanwhile, Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle “is traveling right now and will be for the next couple weeks, so is not able to talk to you for your story,” wrote his public relations manager, Leslie Constans, in an email on Monday, November 8.
3
Matt, I'm really still confused with what you're alleging here. If Kane is a political consultant, it makes sense for him to pursue political consulting business. If Mannix runs a signature collection firm, it makes sense for him to throw his hat in the ring to collect signatures.
You're just insinuating (what exactly?) while the facts you present add up to nothing untoward whatsoever.
If your point is that the recall effort won't benefit from being connected to Mannix, I would agree with that. But you seem to be implying a conspiracy or something?
You're just insinuating (what exactly?) while the facts you present add up to nothing untoward whatsoever.
If your point is that the recall effort won't benefit from being connected to Mannix, I would agree with that. But you seem to be implying a conspiracy or something?
4
Mary Volm = Jasun Wurster's significant other?
Let's go ahead and do some Facebook fact-checking, Matt!
Let's go ahead and do some Facebook fact-checking, Matt!
5
Mr. Davis;
Avel Gordly is the spokesperson and chief petitioner for the Recall Sam Adams campaign. It is not me. Whether Ms. Gordly returns your call is her decision.
As I have said to you before, I find you to be the most irresponsible "journalist" in this city, primarily because you just make things up, including quotes, to suit your interest.
Mary Volm
Avel Gordly is the spokesperson and chief petitioner for the Recall Sam Adams campaign. It is not me. Whether Ms. Gordly returns your call is her decision.
As I have said to you before, I find you to be the most irresponsible "journalist" in this city, primarily because you just make things up, including quotes, to suit your interest.
Mary Volm
7
Lol, all this is starting over? But this time with villains rather than bumbling fools? How much time and effort are we going to spend doing a recall vote that doesn't recall Mayor Adams? Or a recall vote that recalls Adams and then we just elect him again?
Until the Recall idiots can properly say what their preferred alternative to Sam is, the entire endeavor is dead in the water.
Until the Recall idiots can properly say what their preferred alternative to Sam is, the entire endeavor is dead in the water.
9
The issue is Sam Adams, not the company that the recall campaign hires to implement signature gathering.
"For an adult in a powerful role—an adult over a child is a powerful role in and of itself—but an adult in an elected position asking a young person to tell a lie so that the adult can maintain, what, power? That is unacceptable. How can we say that that is okay? And maybe my concern there comes from being a mom".
-- Avel Gordly (who is the mother of a GAY son).
http://www.justout.com/news.aspx?id=145
Matt, you're employing the same tactic Sam Adams did to cover up his lies. He discredited a messenger, Bob Ball, to hide the truth about his relationship with a teenager.
Now you're trying to obscure the message (that many of us want Sam held accountable for his unethical behavior) by discrediting the recall campaign and its vendors.
Not very progressive, Matt... rather Republican, actually.
Graham, read what Avel has to say and note that she makes her point without stooping to name-calling. You can call us idiots all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that Sam Adams is an unethical liar who denied us a fair and honest election and the recall is about him, not us.
"For an adult in a powerful role—an adult over a child is a powerful role in and of itself—but an adult in an elected position asking a young person to tell a lie so that the adult can maintain, what, power? That is unacceptable. How can we say that that is okay? And maybe my concern there comes from being a mom".
-- Avel Gordly (who is the mother of a GAY son).
http://www.justout.com/news.aspx?id=145
Matt, you're employing the same tactic Sam Adams did to cover up his lies. He discredited a messenger, Bob Ball, to hide the truth about his relationship with a teenager.
Now you're trying to obscure the message (that many of us want Sam held accountable for his unethical behavior) by discrediting the recall campaign and its vendors.
Not very progressive, Matt... rather Republican, actually.
Graham, read what Avel has to say and note that she makes her point without stooping to name-calling. You can call us idiots all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that Sam Adams is an unethical liar who denied us a fair and honest election and the recall is about him, not us.
10
@pdxrocks: Go fuck your mother. For Avel to pull the "I've got a gay son" card bullshit, it is disengenuous. A false argument. What does it have to do with anything? Nothing untoward happened (other than inappropriate questions about a man's sex life). This entire campaign of slander and lies is based on homophobia and conservatives worried that they'll have to pay taxes.
Now please explain the end-game plans that the Recall idiots have for the theoretical recall? Who do you plan to have for someone to step in to the roll of mayor?
Now please explain the end-game plans that the Recall idiots have for the theoretical recall? Who do you plan to have for someone to step in to the roll of mayor?
11
Ha! The dumbass tech support drone thinks someone "steps in to [sic.] the roll [sic.] of mayor," rather than what will happen -- an election.
13
Blabby, it seems shady to me that the guy trying to get something started will turn around and write a big fat check to his buddy for collecting the signatures. Doesn't that sound like a conflict of interest to you? It starts to look more like a money making venture than a principled stand.
Where were these people when there was no money to be made off the effort?
Where were these people when there was no money to be made off the effort?
15
Lookie!Little Brute has something negative to say without any proof. He is so cute when he gets all indignant way up on his high horsie.
16
Mary Volm,
How do you sleep next to that lying, witholding, duplicitious weasel of a phony, jason wurster? Are you blinded by the irony?
How do you sleep next to that lying, witholding, duplicitious weasel of a phony, jason wurster? Are you blinded by the irony?
17
These comments are reminding me of a really scary Heironymus Bosch painting. Or of the illustration in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where all the creepy violent haters are swarming all over the dead lion...
Would all you really nasty gnashing mutilating hordes just go somewhere very isolated and sunny, with not too many poisonous snakes or psychotics around, and drink some peyote tea, or something?
Chill out, this is a fucking democracy, in case you FORGOT.
Would all you really nasty gnashing mutilating hordes just go somewhere very isolated and sunny, with not too many poisonous snakes or psychotics around, and drink some peyote tea, or something?
Chill out, this is a fucking democracy, in case you FORGOT.
18
I think the point is that a couple of ceo's shouldn't be able to buy themselves a new mayor to steamroll the city for a more favorable corporate tax policy as well as other freebies they're looking for to lower the operating expenses and land costs. All this under the guise of bringing honesty into the mayor's office. Let's be honest, reducing (or maintaining) the low corporate tax rate doesn't help the city's flailing schools, police, infrastructure, parks, libraries etc.
19
The other day I heard that Wurster is broke and looking for a job. We need to keep the pressure on that bumbling fat little homophobe for what he did to our city and Sam Adams. It is all of that little fucking liar's fault that we have not moved on. Matt was spot on saying that he is nothing and full of bullshit. Good luck getting a job Wurster. I hope you live a long life working a crappy job at the bible superstore.
20
Oh, and Matt, 50K signatures in three months through a volunteer effort, is, like, almost impossible. Four, five, six months needed, minimum.
Why? Very simple. The people signature gatherers meet on the street break down roughly as follows:
One in five is not registered to vote and has no idea who Sam Adams is
One in five is from outside the city limits. (And almost all of them say that they would sign if they could. One exception in my experience.)
One in five is friendly to the recall effort, but declines to sign, even though clearly disgusted with Adams. Variety of explanations (I don't want to cast the first stone/it will be expensive/we can't afford instability/we can just vote him out at election time/ I'm a public employee and don't want my name on the petition/ I don't sign petitions because I don't want the government in my business/ I don't want to sign because there might be some homophobia behind the effort/ I need to do some more research to really make up my mind/I'm afraid to have Randy Leonard as mayor, etc etc, etc blah blah
One in five loves Sam, (and half of them are totally obnoxious to the volunteer, which is really a drag).
One in five can't sign fast enough.
And many, many people who WOULD sign are unavailable older adults (who have time to read the newspaper, and have seen some crooks in their day). They live in secured apartment buildings that cannot be canvassed; they also don't spend a lot of time in public due to infirmity, caring for ailing relatives and friends, etc.
Do the math, and you will realize that it takes an hour to gather five signatures, because gatherers have to contact another 20 people who say no, because they are from California, or Gresham, or would prefer to pass, or love Sam..( A person can't really physically ask more than 25 people an hour for their signature). At five signatures an hour, you will need 10,000 volunteer hours to get 50K signatures. Hello. That's 3300 volunteer hours per month over the three month period, translating in to over one hundred volunteer hours per day. That's 10 volunteers working full time every day.
Matt, it would behoove you to get a fuller grasp of what you are talking about before suggesting that this project was easy.
The fact that we came very close to 30K is a FUCKING MIRACLE; please take note of the fact, and cease and desist with the belittling.
More...
Why? Very simple. The people signature gatherers meet on the street break down roughly as follows:
One in five is not registered to vote and has no idea who Sam Adams is
One in five is from outside the city limits. (And almost all of them say that they would sign if they could. One exception in my experience.)
One in five is friendly to the recall effort, but declines to sign, even though clearly disgusted with Adams. Variety of explanations (I don't want to cast the first stone/it will be expensive/we can't afford instability/we can just vote him out at election time/ I'm a public employee and don't want my name on the petition/ I don't sign petitions because I don't want the government in my business/ I don't want to sign because there might be some homophobia behind the effort/ I need to do some more research to really make up my mind/I'm afraid to have Randy Leonard as mayor, etc etc, etc blah blah
One in five loves Sam, (and half of them are totally obnoxious to the volunteer, which is really a drag).
One in five can't sign fast enough.
And many, many people who WOULD sign are unavailable older adults (who have time to read the newspaper, and have seen some crooks in their day). They live in secured apartment buildings that cannot be canvassed; they also don't spend a lot of time in public due to infirmity, caring for ailing relatives and friends, etc.
Do the math, and you will realize that it takes an hour to gather five signatures, because gatherers have to contact another 20 people who say no, because they are from California, or Gresham, or would prefer to pass, or love Sam..( A person can't really physically ask more than 25 people an hour for their signature). At five signatures an hour, you will need 10,000 volunteer hours to get 50K signatures. Hello. That's 3300 volunteer hours per month over the three month period, translating in to over one hundred volunteer hours per day. That's 10 volunteers working full time every day.
Matt, it would behoove you to get a fuller grasp of what you are talking about before suggesting that this project was easy.
The fact that we came very close to 30K is a FUCKING MIRACLE; please take note of the fact, and cease and desist with the belittling.
21
@gonetorio, i doubt you came "very close" to 30K signatures. What do you base this on? Wurster saying so? He's never given an actual number or provided one piece of evidence to support this contention.
Here's the thing...the pro-recall people tried and failed. For all of Sam Adams' faults, the people of Portland do not want him recalled. But a tiny portion of people can't accept this and now they have some money-men behind them, so the city must go through this all over again. And it will have the same result.
Here's the thing...the pro-recall people tried and failed. For all of Sam Adams' faults, the people of Portland do not want him recalled. But a tiny portion of people can't accept this and now they have some money-men behind them, so the city must go through this all over again. And it will have the same result.
22
Peenew, I'm going to bed, after making another in a long line of promises to myself to never read the Merc's coverage of Adams again.
It is not appropriate for me to give an exact number, because after we gave our blood for this we don't particularily feel obliged to give an exact figure, especially not to people who have been regularly abusing us for months. But I can tell you it was well over 25K, and very close to 30K.
Not only did I personally hug the pile, I counted the signatures.
It is not appropriate for me to give an exact number, because after we gave our blood for this we don't particularily feel obliged to give an exact figure, especially not to people who have been regularly abusing us for months. But I can tell you it was well over 25K, and very close to 30K.
Not only did I personally hug the pile, I counted the signatures.
23
Oh, and according to the breakdown I described above (not scientific, but I gathered at least 700 signatures and got a very good "on the ground" sense of the breakdown):
one in three Portlanders wants Adams out
one in three loves him
one in three thinks he's an asshole but doesn't wanna sign no petition and just wants to kick his ass out in 2012...
And many, many people were not reached, significantly, elders, because of their secured housing. (And a large majority of older people were ready to give him the boot, in my experience).
So, people who want Adams out are not a "tiny slice", by any means.
one in three Portlanders wants Adams out
one in three loves him
one in three thinks he's an asshole but doesn't wanna sign no petition and just wants to kick his ass out in 2012...
And many, many people were not reached, significantly, elders, because of their secured housing. (And a large majority of older people were ready to give him the boot, in my experience).
So, people who want Adams out are not a "tiny slice", by any means.
24
Wurster is a fucking fraud! He said that he turned in over 30,000 to the right wingnuts at VOTE! Davis called bullshit on that lying sack of shit and I am calling it on him again. Sam Adams is one of the best things to happen to Portland and that clown Wurster is now exposed. You might as well move jason. You are done in this town and everyone knows it.
25
gonetorio.
Do you realize that in any legitimate, non-wursterfied societal realm your yammerings would be dismissed as complete, shit-laced junk science?
Also, if you hate Davis so much perhaps you should solicit some impressionable, mentally-unstable member of your rank-and-file to accuse Matt of verbally and physically assaulting her at the next pancake rally.
A great shceme's worth another shot, right?
Do you realize that in any legitimate, non-wursterfied societal realm your yammerings would be dismissed as complete, shit-laced junk science?
Also, if you hate Davis so much perhaps you should solicit some impressionable, mentally-unstable member of your rank-and-file to accuse Matt of verbally and physically assaulting her at the next pancake rally.
A great shceme's worth another shot, right?
26
"Sam Adams is one of the best things to happen to Portland".
Tripe of mad hyena.
Carry on, sycophants. Have you picked out the color of your armbands yet? How's your chanting coming?
Tripe of mad hyena.
Carry on, sycophants. Have you picked out the color of your armbands yet? How's your chanting coming?
27
"For all of Sam Adams' faults, the people of Portland do not want him recalled."
Cool, then let's just hold the recall vote and he'll be scott free. Heck, after his fans roundly reject the measure, he can even claim a new popular mandate. The WW is openly calling Leonard the "de facto mayor" so maybe Admas would like a chance to reprove himself.
"Sam Adams is one of the best things to happen to Portland"
Why exactly?
"The other day I heard that Wurster is broke and looking for a job. We need to keep the pressure on that bumbling fat little homophobe for what he did to our city and Sam Adams."
A typical Adams supporter on the high road....
Cool, then let's just hold the recall vote and he'll be scott free. Heck, after his fans roundly reject the measure, he can even claim a new popular mandate. The WW is openly calling Leonard the "de facto mayor" so maybe Admas would like a chance to reprove himself.
"Sam Adams is one of the best things to happen to Portland"
Why exactly?
"The other day I heard that Wurster is broke and looking for a job. We need to keep the pressure on that bumbling fat little homophobe for what he did to our city and Sam Adams."
A typical Adams supporter on the high road....
28
@gonetorio: I tell signature gathers I'm from California. I used to say Washington, but they got smart, (or too many people other started using that line,) and they started carrying Washington petitions, so now I go with California. The problem is that most of the petitions out there are circulated by Sizemore and his kind, and rather than argue with the signature gathers, ("Sure, the government should pay you if their actions cause you land to go down in value, and you should have to pay the government if their actions cause it to go up, that is totally fair. Wait, what? That isn't what the petition says? It just gives everyone a put option on their land? It wouldn't be called 'investing in real estate' if everything came with a free put, care of the taxpayers. What sort of crook wrote this thing? Ohh, that crook. No, I'm not signing it. You got anything that wasn't written by him?") cause they don't know what a put option is anyways, I just lie and say I'm from California. And I know I'm not the only one. 20% of people are using that line now? They are gonna get smart and start carrying recall Arnold petitions in Portland. And I'm gonna have to find a new state. I'm thinking North Dakota.
29
@Matthew D
Fine. By your logic, 20% are sick of Bill Sizemore and petitions in general, therefore they lie about their residency to get out of saying "no". But it is pretty easy to say no to recalling an elected official, compared to saying "no" to the Ocean Conservancy people. Besides, your theory does not tell us what these gentle frauds think about the recall. Probably means they don't care, and won't open their special election recall ballot either...
Seriously, lots of people from the 'couv and surrounding areas are on the street in Portland on any given moment.
Also, my experience was that a huge proportion would say, sorry, i don't live in pdx/i'm from xxxx, but i'd sign it if i could.....
Do you say things like that when you tell your white lies to signature gatherers?
Fine. By your logic, 20% are sick of Bill Sizemore and petitions in general, therefore they lie about their residency to get out of saying "no". But it is pretty easy to say no to recalling an elected official, compared to saying "no" to the Ocean Conservancy people. Besides, your theory does not tell us what these gentle frauds think about the recall. Probably means they don't care, and won't open their special election recall ballot either...
Seriously, lots of people from the 'couv and surrounding areas are on the street in Portland on any given moment.
Also, my experience was that a huge proportion would say, sorry, i don't live in pdx/i'm from xxxx, but i'd sign it if i could.....
Do you say things like that when you tell your white lies to signature gatherers?
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