Murmurs

[June 14th, 2006] Tom Imeson , once a top lieutenant to former U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield and ex-Govs. Neil Goldschmidt and John Kitzhaber, has done his share of traveling and knows a bit about bureaucracies. But none of that helped Imeson keep his recent Memorial Day trip to Russia from going far off course . Imeson planned to meet in Moscow with several other Portlanders, including Metro boss David Bragdon and political consultant Patricia McCaig (all traveling on their own dimes). But Imeson got bounced at Moscow's airport, accused of traveling with a fake visa . He says immigration officials made him pay a 2,000-ruble "administrative fine" (about $75), then put him on the next plane to Atlanta. Imeson says he got his visa through proper channels but suspects it might have raised suspicions because it wasn't affixed to his passport. Back in the states, he hopped a flight to the Bay Area to vacation there. "I flew about 18,000 miles just to get to Northern California," Imeson told Murmurs.

Need a summer job ? Call Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who's looking for a new campaign manager. Cameron Johnson , who held the position through the May 16 primary, has stepped down after an unexpected death in his family. Kulongoski's team is in talks with possible successors but has not made a hire yet.

The Northwest Children's Theater and School has terminated artistic director John Monteverde. The recent decision has infuriated some theater employees and parents of kids who have been in the 80-plus plays produced by Monteverde, a founding member of the 13-year-old theater. NWCTS president Stephen Kafoury would not specify what caused the termination, saying only that it was "necessary for the continuation of the theater." And Monteverde didn't return Murmurs' calls.

Ginny Burdick's unsuccessful challenge last month of City Commissioner Erik Sten has generated some eye-catching fundraising figures. Preliminary reports filed by Burdick show she raised an unusually high $55,550 —or nearly one-quarter of her total war chest—after Election Day, May 16. Candidates normally raise their money well before ballots are counted; more importantly, the timing raises questions about whether Burdick was sandbagging the city's new public financing of elections. Had the money rolled in earlier, it would have triggered a matching public contribution to Sten, who ended up winning the primary and will return about $15,000 to city coffers.

Because Saturday, June 10, was "Family Night" at the Portland Timbers game, the Timbers Army got copies of a letter placed on seats in their section at PGE Park from coach Chris Agnello asking them to "keep your songs and cheering clean." Translation: Go easy on the cussing so we can sell more tickets for future games to the family crowd. The Army's response: When Vancouver's goalkeeper lined up for his first goal kick (and every one thereafter), he was serenaded with the traditional "You suck, asshole!" Not that the letters were a total waste: The Army used them for confetti and paper airplanes.

For more Murmurs about why city officials are eyeing Flexcar, students may be dancing at Marshall High School, grads are protesting at PSU and Oregon's College Republicans are having first thoughts, go to wweek.com.

Expect Portland City Council to get an earful Wednesday, June 14, at its hearing about car-sharing companies such as Flexcar that park vehicles throughout the city, then charge users an hourly and per-mile rental fee. Many users say the service is a convenient way to avoid the high costs of owning a car in a city. Under a pilot program that's been in effect since June 2004, the city has charged Flexcar a onetime fee of $264 per space to cover administrative costs. But the cash-strapped Portland Office of Transportation now wants to charge Flexcar ongoing per-space fees that would cover the estimated $70,000 those spaces would have earned as meter spots. Flexcar defenders like Portland Streetcar citizens advisory committee chairman Chris Smith say the Flexcar spaces don't cost the city nearly that much because meter-using drivers simply pay to park elsewhere.

Some students at Marshall High School may be lacing up fancy dance shoes instead of grubby sneakers for PE next year. Marshall's Renaissance Arts Academy is proposing a dance alternative to traditional sports-oriented physical education that might allow interested students to earn PE credit. The type of dance hasn't been chosen yet, but Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Sarah Carlin Ames notes that such a proposal has precedent at arts-focused magnet schools in the district. No word yet on what those Marshall students' PE uniforms might look like. We vote for something with sequins.

OK, the following didn't end up happening, but it's too good to pass up. The Oregon Federation of College Republicans had planned to mount a riposte to the left-leaning Oregon Bus Project by staging a Limo Project that would have canvassed gated communities and McMansions for state Senate candidate Jim Torrey in Eugene and state House candidate Shirley Parsons in Tigard. "Rather than traveling in buses—like our liberal adversaries—we ride in style, baby," federation president John Swanson had written supporters about the project slated for last Saturday. Sadly, Swanson subsequently emailed the federation's 20 chapters around the state that the fun was canceled because "folks were concerned it would give a bad image—you know, the whole GOP 'rich person' appearance."

It's a familiar annual ritual on college campuses: Students get ramped up over who's been invited to drone on at their graduation ceremony. Not to be left out, Portland State University students will demonstrate this Saturday, June 17, in opposition to U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore). A group calling itself the Student Immigrant Solidarity Coalition will protest DeFazio's graduation address at the Rose Garden because they're incensed that he voted for a bill in Congress they say would have criminalized giving food or shelter to undocumented immigrants. The mode of protest: encouraging graduates to wear white hat-toppers at the ceremony to symbolize their support for immigrant rights. DeFazio says he's received many more calls from Oregonians who want him to "stick to his guns."