DOES SALTZMAN'S PLIGHT HELP OR HINDER JESSE CORNETT?

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  • WILDER SCHMALTZ

Jumping...

Dan Saltzman's election opponent, Jesse Cornett, just released a lengthy statement about the mayor's decision to take back control of the police bureau—which Anna Griffin just described pointedly as a "political whipping" of Saltzman. But the Mercury has endorsed Cornett for the office, although one of our major reasons for doing so was the fact that Mayor Sam Adams should never have given him the police bureau:

The only person who should take responsibility for the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is Mayor Adams. But, in his own words, he'd rather focus on other issues. So the question becomes: Should Saltzman be the scapegoat for the mayor's bad decision?

The answer is unequivocally yes, he should. While Saltzman didn't ask for the police bureau, he didn't turn it down, either. Saltzman got passed a turd, and now he's running for reelection holding that turd. Are we supposed to react as though he isn't holding a giant, steaming pile? We don't think so.


Here's an extract from Cornett's statement:
Cornett on Mayor's decision to remove Saltzman: "It's about time"

City Council candidate Jesse Cornett called the removal of Commissioner Dan Saltzman as Police Commissioner today "long overdue" and a necessary step to restore the credibility of the Portland Police.

"For several months, I have called on Mayor Adams to remove Dan Saltzman as Police Commissioner. Today, the Mayor made the right move. It's about time. Commissioner Saltzman was clearly in over his head and unable to manage the police effectively," said Cornett.

"Whether it was proposing funding for additional training for police officers after tragic incidents occurred or failing to know how much money the Police were spending, Commissioner Saltzman failed to watch the bottom line and to protect taxpayers' money. Saltzman's removal as Police Commissioner is long overdue and I hope the City can now begin to repair the damage to the Police Bureau's credibility and effectiveness that occurred under Saltzman's management."


"I think it helps Dan Saltzman," responds Jason Renaud with the Mental Health Association, who has endorsed Cornett. "It seems counter-intuitive since he's just been removed from this post, but he was a stalwart volunteer for the post. He did his best, which wasn't what we asked for or wanted. But I thought his best day was yesterday, when he settled the Chasse case, when he seemed contrite and sincere. I think this takes the wind out of the sails of a lot of police criticism for the moment."

Nevertheless, Renaud says he still endorses Cornett.

"I did endorse Jesse, and I'm going to stick with that," he says. "I think Jesse has a future in politics, and he's running a good campaign, and I wish him the best of luck."

What do you think?