During our endorsement interview this spring—and at several candidate forums—city council candidate Charles Lewis made it clear there was one issue where he held a different view from his challengers: He opposed the city’s creation of a day laborer center.

Back then, Lewis cited concerns about “where the funds would come from,” as well as the city’s involvement in a messy federal issue. Now, after speaking with center booster Mayor Tom Potter, as well as center organizers, Lewis has a different perspective. Lewis sent out a “letter to the editor” with his thoughts, which is after the cut, but I called him to get the details on his changed mind.

“I had a great conversation with Mayor Potter on the day center. The thing that really got me thinking about it is he said this is an issue of civil disobedience. You’ve got the idea that the governments can actually practice civil disobedience against another government,” Lewis says. “I’ve done stuff in the past where as an individual I can speak out about government… [Portland is] doing something against another government to strike out against injustice there. I feel much more at peace about the whole thing.”

He also was concerned that the center would perpetuate exploitation of vulnerable workers, but was happy to hear that the workers recently voted to impose a $10 minimum wage, “which I thought was an absolute necessity,” says Lewis—who’s facing Amanda Fritz in the runoff for council seat #1.

He points out that the city’s $200,000 investment is “a very miniscule amount of funding to get the ball rolling.” Moreover, “this isn’t the end all be all solution to all of this, but it’s something that we can do as a community to say we’re going to protect people in our community regardless of what the federal government says. We believe that people shouldn’t be exploited, and we will do things as a community to protect the most vulnerable people in our society.” (To that end, Lewis noticed that the center was missing basics like desks and chairs, and he donated a dozen chairs from his campaign office.)

Finally, to set the record straight: Lewis’ opposition to the center seemed to curry favor with the anti-immigration set, and portrayed him as a conservative on the issue. Is that true? “Not at all,” he says. So what are his thoughts on federal immigration policy? “I think it’s a mess, and I think something needs to be done to address all of the issues. I don’t think anyone would think that it’s without problems at all. We need laws for people to become citizens. Immigrants built America and I think we should welcome them with open arms.”

Lewis’ letter is after the cut. And check out this week’s forthcoming Mercury for an excellent feature on the center through two workers’ eyes, written by Sarah Mirk.

Last night the Citizen Campaign Commission, the city’s volunteer group tasked with overseeing and analyzing public financing, held its exit interviews for the three ex-candidates who received public money in the City Council race. The candidates (John Branam, Jim Middaugh and Jeff Bissonette) candidly dished the dirt about the processes’s strengths and shortcomings.

But first! Jim Middaugh said he found public understanding of what public financing actually means was “incredibly low” so below the cut there’s a quick primer on what the hell public financing entails, if you’re feeling a little fuzzy on the facts.

Actually, being unsure of the exact details of the wildly complex and specific campaign finance law was a complaint from some of the candidates, too. Jim Middaugh said the lawyer who perused the entire public financing manual reported that there’s “absolutely no way to comply with all the rules.” Working through the details of whether postcard stamps and pizza slices count as in-kind contributions and filling out thousands of forms in triplicate proved to be cumbersome hurdles.

Also, all the candidates purported to really enjoy the face-to-face contact with voters the public financing rules force on city council candidates as they raced to collect $5 contributions from 1,000 people. “Ninety percent of the effort was fun,” said John Branam. Even Jim Middaugh, whose participation in a special election meant he had under two weeks to get the 1,000 contributions, remained upbeat. “It generated a lot of conversation in the communities,” he said, “There isn’t anything else in our civic fabric that gets people talking like this … it wasn’t so much about the candidacy as it was about people connecting with one another.”

The biggest point of contention was whether the city’s $150,000 matching funds is enough to actually run a city-wide campaign. Jeff Bissonnette and Jim Middaugh felt they lacked the money to really advertise effectively, which hurt their name recognition. “I don’t think you’re going to see any incumbent defeated by a publicly-financed candidate,” said Middaugh. The commissioners replied that the public financing is meant to provide access to the political process, but not necessarily equal footing between candidates, some of whom may be better known.

John Branam, however, thought $150,000 was enough campaign cash. He explained later, “My challenge and that of my fellow candidates in terms of general name recognition had less to do with money and more to do with being at the bottom of the ballot in a year when the presidential and mayoral race dominated.”

I thought Branam would have been more critical of the process, since the questionably-legal payment of his campaign manager caused a dust up but nope, he told me later, “The rules were what they were and the auditor’s office made the decisions they did and all in all, I thought they were very fair.” While the whole system could use some “incremental improvements” in forms and training and such, the fledgling process worked: “These public dollars bought Portlanders a very competitive race.”

All involved said they appreciated the commission’s hard work and good intentions – especially since the commission is all volunteers who spent long nights plowing through public financing paperwork. As one commissioner said, “We’re paid in pizza.”

The suspense has been killing us: This went out in the afternoon, but was embargoed until all the polls closed around the country. Which is now.

Oregon Secretary of State and Democratic superdelegate Bill Bradbury Tuesday endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Bradbury said he admires and respects Sen. Hillary Clinton but feels Obama would be the best choice for the Democrats in 2008.

“This has been a difficult personal decision for me because of my friendship and admiration for both Hillary and Bill Clinton,” Bradbury said. “We have been fortunate to have two enormously skilled Democratic candidates this year. Sen. Clinton has run a tremendous campaign and I am confident she will remain a leader in the U.S. Senate and the country.”

“Our challenge now is to defeat the Republicans in the fall and that will accomplish us working together. Sen. Obama has the vision and commitment to bring people together. This country needs a lot of repair and Sen. Obama will be well-suited to accomplish that.”

Bradbury was one of two superdelegates appointed by Democratic secretaries of state from around the country.

In its May 20 primary, nearly 59 percent of Oregon voters cast their ballots for Obama.

Oregon super delegate Frank Dixon endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama today for the Democratic nomination for president. Dixon is Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. He lives in Portland. Here’s his statement:

I am announcing my decision as one of Oregon’s 12 automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention to support U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois for President of the United States.

I have waited until the end of this race to announce my decision out of respect for Senator Hillary Clinton, her campaign staff and passionate supporters who have made this closely contested primary an historic contest. No primary has drawn this kind of interest and participation from so many voters in so many states.

In my view both candidates are capable of winning the election and becoming a great President. I can find no compelling reason not to represent the voters of Oregon, who overwhelmingly chose Senator Obama. I do find many reasons to help bring this Primary contest to a conclusion so that the Democratic Party may now focus on unity and the hard work necessary to elect our federal and state candidates.

There’s another Superdelegate yet to declare—Secretary of State Bill Bradbury. Will he also declare for Obama tonight?

Way to grab the limelight, people.

It’s sure sounding that way. From the Huffington Post:

Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama….

Earlier in the day it was reported that Clinton staffers were being urged by the campaign’s finance department “to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week,” another sign that the run at the White House was nearing an end. In addition, Politico wrote that members of Clinton’s advance staff had received calls and emails Sunday night, summoning them to New York City and telling them their roles on the campaign are ending.

Okay, so it looks like she might be done. For real this time. Then again: Everybody’s been thinking she’s been done for like the past 600 years, but she keeps proving them wrong, so who knows. But would this surprise anyone? Would anyone not let out a huge sigh of relief? It’s just kind of ridiculous at this point: When Hillary goes out to dinner, the waiter has to stop himself from asking if she wants her resignation on the dish itself or on the side. Some dude at an Outback Steakhouse in Minneapolis asked her that, and if the tip she left was any indication, she was furious.

I’m a day late on this one, but I still wonder what you think: Is this a good political ad?

Want to see more pop-up videos of Gordon Smith? I do. It seems like a fun way to fact check a politico.

I haven’t heard much from Ed Garren lately—in fact, not a word since he sent in a critical letter following a ‘fact check’ piece I wrote early this month.

Now that the election dust has settled (Nick Fish won in that race), Garren is offering policy advice to the council about where to site transitional housing. From an open letter he sent today:

I have repeatedly seen news stories about the location of housing for returning offenders being located in places that cause controversy in residential neighborhoods.

As a professional who has worked in offender rehabilitation for much of my career, I can understand the concerns of neighbors and neighborhoods and offer a suggestion. Locate these facilities in industrial areas. Current zoning laws do not allow any residential occupancy in industrial areas. A simple exception in policy could allow certain types of transitional housing to be located in industrial zones. I have worked for many agencies that were able to do this (in other places, not here) and it was a good solution. It keeps returning offenders at a reasonable distance from schools and parks, yet allows them an opportunity to demonstrate that they are ready to return to life outside of incarceration. Also, the agency wins because rents are generally cheaper in these areas as well.

I hope the new leadership in the City will consider this as a solution to the current controversies created by locating such facilities in residential neighborhoods.

Ed Garren, MA, LMFT
www.edgarren.us

(Since the election, I’ve also found myself on candidate Fred Stewart’s near-daily email list, where today, for example, he forwarded “some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every gallon” of gas pumped at the filling station.)

People have been trying to push Hillary Clinton out of the race for the Democratic nomination, but she’s staying in because there’s a chance Obama might be assassinated. She implied it. I don’t believe it. Do you?

Nick Fish isn’t wasting any time—after pulling in around 62 percent of the vote on Tuesday night, he’s got his eye on June 10th, the earliest day he might be sworn in as the newest city commissioner.

“I went into this race because i wanted to be the next housing commissioner. I spent 4 1/2 months focused, focused on the election, and I never once allowed myself to get ahead and think what if. I had a very strong set of opponents and this was a tough cycle. I also was sleep deprived toward the end. I’m going to take a couple of days off this weekend,” Fish says. “I’ll catch up on my sleep, then I have a couple of weeks to get the transition going. I’m incredibly excited to be on the council and be an independent voice.”

“I met with Tom Potter yesterday, and asked him some basic questions about transition and protocol, bureau assignments and things like that,” says Fish. He has “about two and a half weeks to do some outreach” in hiring his new staff. “We’re going to cast a big net, I want to bring some new energy into city hall, and I also want a diverse staff. I invite anyone that wants to apply for a job, including people from Commissioner Sten’s office, to apply for positions.”

He’s having lunch with the head of the housing bureau tomorrow. “Technically I have some discretion over bureau leadership, but I have no intention of making changes now,” says Fish. “I’ve got six months to manage the assignments I get from this mayor and then Mayor Adams gets to assign bureaus as he chooses.” He’d like to retain the housing bureau under Adams.

Speaking of Adams and Potter—who haven’t exactly been best buds on the council lately—does Fish see himself aligning with anyone in particular on the council? Traditionally, Potter and Dan Saltzman have been quite aligned, but since Commissioner Erik Sten resigned, the Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard team have been courting Saltzman’s support.

“My job is to find common ground and fight for the benefit of the city,” says Fish—who’s also campaigned against Adams and Leonard in the past, but now counts Leonard as a good friend. As for Adams, “he and I agreed on more things than we disagreed about… [and] where we agree, I’ll be a strong ally,” says Fish.

He thinks that with the mayor’s race decided, much of the recent council animosity will evaporate. And he thinks he can help with a smooth transition. “The mayor elect is going to begin to take the reigns. Tom is my mayor, but Sam is going to be my future mayor, and I think it will work out,” Fish says.

“My single favorite description of me, was the short version of—pardon the expression—what Willamette Week wrote. ‘He’s honest, hard working, and he’s his own man,’” he adds. He points to the work he put in on his campaign, and says “I will tell people what I think, and I will not back stab them. I’m my own man in the sense that while I had a big coalition supporting me, there was no one group that had any particular hold on me. I intend to be indpendent, make up my own mind as we go along.”

Fish takes office just days after the council is slated to adopt a budget, but he has “been invited to weigh in on any issue I care about. If there are some specific budget requests about housing, I will not be shy,” about advocating for them. “I have a mandate and an independent spot. If the chemistry works out the way I think it will, this will be a very productive council.”

Fish’s thoughts on the campaign are after the cut!

I think I get played up as an alcoholic on this blog, which isn’t really fair. It’s just that I drink a lot on Mondays and Tuesdays because I work on the weekends - see? It’s like my weekends are your work days. Make sense? Not an alcoholic.

Anyway, I tagged along with the Portland Bus Project last night for the duration of the evening’s parties. There were about 30 of us piled into a bus, and we went to every single party, dude. Every one. It was really fun, inspiring and exhausting (maybe a smart person wouldn’t have ended an exhausting day by drinking into the wee hours at rontom’s?).

Click Here for a surprisingly well-written article from the Oregonian about the Bus Project that was published yesterday.

Never combine PBR with tomato juice, red wine (so much red wine), more beer, and a shot of chilled raspberry Stoli. You will hate yourself, and everyone else, in the morning.

…can’t even be bothered to find a decent picture.

Charles Lewis just called, to pass on the news that Jeff Bissonnette has conceded.

“He was very gracious and very nice, and I told him I was hoping to meet with him and talk about his sustainability platform and hope to continue some of those ideas in the general election as well,” says Lewis. Is Lewis taking a break before continuing his campaign? Nope.

“We’re off and running, we’re calling people, I’m going to go knock on a few doors this afternoon. I’m excited, I’m energized, it’s where we’re hoping we would be,” he says. “Now it’s working on continuing to get our name out. We’ve got five months, and we made considerable strides—it was a packed field.”

I asked Lewis about his platform, which always struck me as similar to Amanda Fritz’—who he’ll be going to head to head with in November. Lewis agreed that they both talked about basic services around the city, and prioritizing those over “pet projects” (Lewis liked to point toward pricey condos in the South Waterfront as an example). But Lewis points out that he was the first to jump into the race, and hit the ground with that platform.

“She definitely tried absorbing some of those, that messaging, basic services and potholes. It’s something we had been doing since the very beginning,” he says. “The big thing is going to be, going along with our slogan actions speak louder than words. What has she actually done?” Lewis points to the work he’s done at Ethos, where he’s got staff and a budget. “She hasn’t run an organization… I think that will be a really critical difference.”

Though he’s already pointing out the differences between himself and Fritz, Lewis says “we’re going to have a real positive race.”

As for Bissonnette, he confirms that he’s conceded after doing the math and coming up with similar numbers to the ones I crunched.

It came down to “a few hundred votes and half a percentage point or less, but this isn’t horseshoes or hand grenades—close isn’t enough,” says Bissonnette.

What’s next for him? “I’m going back to work for CUB, and going to continue doing the organizing and advocacy. That was my worst case scenario when I decided to run, and I decided that wasn’t a bad place to be,” he says. Will he run again?

“Being an elected official isn’t necessarily on my life goals or list of things to do, but if an opportunity presents itself and makes sense, there’s always the possibility.”