http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/06/16/breaking-mayors-house-on-foreclosure-list Comments On: Breaking: Mayor's House On Foreclosure List by Matt Davis en-us Copyright 2009 Portland Mercury. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Portland Mercury readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Portland Mercury. webmaster@portlandmercury.com (Portland Mercury Webmaster) Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:30:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss No, seriously, thank you. That has got to be the best description of events out here.
Posted by iRobot]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:04:56 -0700 Portland Mercury
Secondly, you're buying into the propaganda put forth by Sam and perpetuated by Randy, Vera and the media, that Ball was out to smear Sam. That was Sam’s opinion, but where is the proof? Where are Bob Ball's derogatory words? Here's a quote from Ball from the WW:

“In July, an individual close to Sam Adams told me facts that a reasonable person would conclude raised concerns about a relationship with a minor. As a reserve police officer, I am a public official. In an effort to understand my obligations with regard to this information, I consulted an attorney, Mary Overgaard, a lawyer experienced in police matters. Ms. Overgaard advised me to inform a public official about what I had been told. In early August, I informed Randy Leonard, a friend of Adams’ and mine, of what I had been told. In a later conversation with Vera Katz, I acknowledged that there were rumors about Adams, but I did not reveal any details to Vera Katz. Any story here is not about me.”

Sam is an admitted liar and only told the truth when backed against the wall. He also has the reputation of being a vindictive bully. If he’d heard similar rumors about a political opponent he would have brought them to light as well.

I've never met Bob Ball and haven’t heard negative things about his reputation other than those put forth by Sam and his followers. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in this matter - Sam has proven himself untrustworthy. Ball didn't make up rumors, he talked about them to Randy and Vera, and the rumors were true. Sam did have a relationship with a minor, illegal or not.

Thirdly, I can't imagine anyone going to the police with this sort of rumor. Ball didn’t have any evidence – he said he’d heard stories. What would the police do with that? I would think you’d need some hard evidence or a complaint from the victim’s parents before the police would get involved. He acted on the advice of an attorney, although he definitely talked to the wrong people in this case. That doesn’t change the fact that Sam was indeed pursuing a 17 year old and lied about it to everyone until he was busted. And in the process he destroyed a person’s reputation and political career to save his own skin.

Lastly, if Ball was indeed a "sleazy do-anything-for-power wannabe politician", did Sam need to stoop to his level in order to defend himself?
Posted by pdxrocks]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:51:43 -0700 Portland Mercury
pdxrocks The motives of why the story was broken to the media is irrelevant to the facts of what Sam Adams admitted he did. You are attempting to smear Bill Ball to divert attention from Sam Adams
Posted by Trlsmn]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:19:15 -0700 Portland Mercury
I disagree with you though on one major thing. If Ball was hearing rumors about Sam & Beau having underage sex, he should have reported them to the police to investigate. Instead, he spread the rumor to as many media outlets as he could, despite having no proof that anything had happened. There's no way you can tell me he had the right to do that, or that it wasn't a deliberate smear campaign by him; if he had honorable intentions he would have gone to the cops not the press. He's just another sleazy do-anything-for-power wannabe politician - exactly what people keep accusing Sam of being...
Posted by Stu]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:18:13 -0700 Portland Mercury
Stu, I disagree. Ball brought to light rumors that were created by Sam himself (his own advisers were suspicious and knew it looked bad).

Sam allowed Katz, Leonard and the media to vilify Ball when in fact, by Sam's own admission he was attracted to/involved with with Beau while he was still 17.

Beau apologized to Ball for what happened to him due to the lies that Sam encouraged him to tell, even though Beau wanted to tell the truth at the time (makes him a bigger man than Sam).

Sam eliminated a potential opponent with his lies and the ensuing smear campaign against Ball.

Ball had every right to bring to light these particular rumors (they involved the possibility of illegal behavior), and if you don't think Sam would have done the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot you're pretty naive.

The truth would have eventually come out, one way or another, and trashing Ball from bringing them to light is disingenuous. You can't blame the messenger just because you don't like the message.

Sam and Randy owe Ball a public apology, unless there is something I missed in all the reporting I read. If you have this information, please share it.



Posted by pdxrocks]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:02:27 -0700 Portland Mercury Best case scenario, pay your legal bills, sell your house, step down (or be recalled) and leave town. Take your Amy with you.
Posted by iRobot]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:58:25 -0700 Portland Mercury
Amusing that people are using any foreclosure/policy/budget issues in any context regarding the recall discussion. That's why elections exist. You don't like his politics, vote him out next time.

But hey, carry on anyway. When do we get to the part where you tie a rock to his leg, throw him in a lake, and see if he floats?

Posted by Jack Acid]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:44:35 -0700 Portland Mercury
I am so sick of certain people saying that Sam Adams is being targeted and so on, just because he's gay.

Portland elected him knowing he was gay. So explain that away.

I could care less about his sexuality. It's the character of the man I have a problem with. The whole "bait-and-switch" and lies since he took office.
Posted by JEYPDX]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:21:23 -0700 Portland Mercury become a liar over making out with a minor - worse
if that was it... ok... we just figure he has poor judgment and ask that he pass everything by city council before approving it...
add to that
car wrecks, huge bridges, unneeded stadiums, hotels we cant pay for, staff members who appear to have gotten their job as a pay off, former staff members suing him, late on a few mortgages, etc, etc, etc, etc... is there ANYONE that thinks Portland will come out of our economic crisis better if we have a super bridge, a super hotel and the Beavers have new digs? seriously?
if this was Dan Saltzman we would be calling for his head...
also, the whole thing about the making out with a minor... he is an elected official, supposedly has wanted to be since he was a kid... he knows the rules of elected officials... if you do something that can be perceived as wrong, you WILL get caught for it... even if you don't think it is wrong, someone will, and they will nail you for it... ignoring that some might find making out with a minor offensive makes him either Portland's biggest ego or Portland's biggest idiot...
Posted by Goodfella]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:09:05 -0700 Portland Mercury
As for "character assassination" - sorry, but Ball deserved everything he got. He tried to spread untrue (unless proven otherwise, which they haven't been yet) rumors about Sam having sex with an underage boy. With no proof. Every single thing Sam said about Ball remains true, and the allegations made by Ball were an unfair and unjustified attempt at character assassination. The whole "Ball was hard done by and has been proved right" argument ignores inconvenient things like facts...
Posted by Stu]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:04:16 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by pdxrocks]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:51:43 -0700 Portland Mercury The fact that the definition of the word pedophile is even being discussed in an article about the mayor is yet another "thank you, Sam" moment.
This has nothing to do with the foreclosure crisis; the mayors earnings to mortgage ratio is too high. It has everything to do with self-imposed legal issues that are requiring the mayor to pay for legal representation.
Posted by bennettpdx]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:57:54 -0700 Portland Mercury
He's made more mistakes than I'd like. Are those mistakes bad enough for me to want him out, after balancing the good as well as the bad? No. Do I think he's been good for the city, and far better than any of the other candidates would have been (and far better than any of the other potential successors - Bragdon, Fritz, Dozono, Leonard - would be)? Yes, absolutely. I'd still vote for him over any of them.

I also think that people should be defended against unfair accusations even if you disagree with them on everything else, rather than (as a lot of people on here seem to do) making my mind up on him in general terms and then throwing everything you can at him hoping something will stick. Hell, I've even defended Cheney on single issues before now...
Posted by Stu]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:36:30 -0700 Portland Mercury Can you at least admit you're starting to feel just a little embarrassed defending this guy? I mean, he's kind of a train wreck. He's not rewarding your faith very well.
Posted by Blabby]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:25:30 -0700 Portland Mercury
Plus, Sam himself didn't write the budget. He simply approved it.


Posted by ExCityEmployee]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:24:01 -0700 Portland Mercury
(Oh, yeah, everyone with an IQ above 80 would have thought it)
Posted by Stu]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:04:39 -0700 Portland Mercury
I wonder where are all of the pedophiles that usually defend Sam Adams. Has the Portland Police rounded up all of them?
Posted by VanSmack]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:54:50 -0700 Portland Mercury tH\VF5!V+00HY?jgK7@iA<_(B0Mii*:@e9Iq]]>
Personal bankrupcies are wiped off the record after 7 years. If he had good credit after the declaration, with 1 118K salary he could get credit extended easily, especially in credit happy USA for the past 10 years.
Posted by ?pqM)mH{5i*7V7wVNiH?tcvUk'j>tH\VF5!V+00HY?jgK7@iA<_(B0Mii*:@e9Iq]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:47:50 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Commenty Colin]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:44:34 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by PDX Teacher]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:46:59 -0700 Portland Mercury
Posted by Jack Acid]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:28:10 -0700 Portland Mercury
As for sex related arguments, please, spare me- this has nothing to do with what pot roast or the age of the pot roast he parks his dick in.

This does has everything to do with explaining 4 billion dollar albatrosses over the Columbia and stadiums for rich kid's hobbies while a fifth of local families need help from a food bank, however. The man's judgment is hideous, period. This is just another example.
Posted by fahqueue]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:07:54 -0700 Portland Mercury
find another person to comment on the Mayor's situation. Fred's perspective on anything Adams is way too skewed.
Posted by tabarnhart]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:51:00 -0700 Portland Mercury
Okay, a third vote for somewhere in Lents. Near Sia's house.
Posted by Lt. Billiam Esquire III]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:39:09 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Lt. Billiam Esquire III]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:27:49 -0700 Portland Mercury