Foul or Fair Ball
Is Bob Ball politically finished? Did Sam Adams use bad judgment? Read more about the story that broke on WWire.
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[September 19th, 2007] The first major skirmish over next year’s Portland mayoral race raises questions about the judgment of the two men at the center of the nasty exchange—City Commissioner Sam Adams and Pearl District Developer Bob Ball.
Both would-be mayoral candidates emerge with wounds, say two longtime Portland political observers.
“Neither of these guys is all that well-known, and both of them have created problems for themselves in explaining who they are to the public,” says Len Bergstein, a political consultant and City Hall insider.
Adams and Ball both said they were considering a mayoral run after Mayor Tom Potter announced he would not seek a second term.
On Monday evening, WW first reported the “problems” to which Bergstein refers (see “Mayoral Race Off to Brutal Beginning”). In that story, WW reported that Adams met with a 17-year-old legislative intern several times in 2005, and exchanged regular text and cell-phone messages with him.
The intern’s age, and what Adams’ staffers perceived as his romantic interest in Adams, concerned Adams’ aides to the point that they raised the issue to the commissioner, according to former Adams scheduler David Gonzalez and current Adams chief of staff Tom Miller.
Both the former intern, Beau Breedlove, now 20, and Adams are gay. And both have strongly denied that their relationship was anything other than platonic. No evidence has surfaced to contradict their characterization.
Adams says he was merely mentoring the young man, a service he has provided to numerous others throughout his career. In a two-hour-long interview Monday, he dismissed questions about whether he should have been concerned about the appearance of a then-42-year-old elected official meeting with a 17-year-old intern.
Adams, now 44, instead focused his comments on Ball, whom he blames for spreading rumors about him and Breedlove.
“I have been the target of a nasty smear by a would-be political opponent,” Adams wrote in an “open letter to the community” he emailed on Tuesday morning.
Bergstein says Adams is doing a masterful job of diverting the public’s attention from questions about his own decision-making.
On Tuesday, The Oregonian , and local network-affiliated television stations, quickly adopted Adams’ talking points.
“He and his team are making this about Ball, when it should really be a question about Sam,” Bergstein says. “An elected official having a series of contacts with a juvenile gets close to the line in terms of judgment.”
Story continues below
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Reed College political science professor Paul Gronke was surprised Adams was seemingly so oblivious to how the public might view such contacts, whether the two people are gay or straight.
“I would have advised Sam to hand off the young man to another colleague on the Council,” Gronke says. “For a gay public figure, I would assume part of the advice and mentoring process would be how—fairly or unfairly—unmarried politicians of either sex have to be extremely careful about public appearances.”
Bergstein and Gronke also say Ball made serious and possibly politically fatal mistakes.
Both expressed surprise that Ball chose to take the story he had heard about a possible relationship between Adams and an intern to City Commissioner Randy Leonard and former Mayor Vera Katz, for whom Adams worked for more than a decade.
“Bob Ball’s story is another study in almost purposeful naiveté,” Gronke says. “To share such a story with two of Sam Adams’ self-identified supporters, including his ex-boss, is beyond foolish.”
(Ball, a reserve police officer, says he followed advice from lawyer Mary Overgaard, who served as counsel to the Portland Police Bureau for nine years. “Bob was given information concerning a minor, and we determined that he should tell a public official,” Overgaard says. “I think he was trying to do the right thing morally and legally.”)
Others say Ball could have shared his concerns with legal authorities or Adams himself.
“It looks to me like he let his interest in elected office overwhelm his judgment,” Bergstein says.
While insiders wondered Tuesday whether Ball’s campaign ended before it began, Adams, a veteran of numerous campaigns, took the fight to his would-be opponent. He vehemently protested his innocence in front of television cameras.
“The whole incident is disturbing,” Bergstein says. “I’m not sure where we go from here.”
* * * * *
Read the original WWire post—and readers' many, many comments—here.
In Nigel's follow up, he quotes two guys who 'believe Sam had poor judgement' which further attempts to cast doubt over Sam's actions. C'mon, where are the other two guys saying, 'Sam used FINE judgement'. The guy is an approachable, clean, and nice GAY man in public office. He's someone a young person can identify with, and I'm sure Sam knows that. He's not a stuffy old politician. He's a good guy helping others. This is all because he's gay and being gay still means 'you're a sexual deviant incapable of not having sex with every other gay man or boy.' BS. Black people call this a DWB, driving while black. I call it it a DWG. This is such a non-story it makes me ill.
For Bergstein to blame a manipulative Adams for the public not distrusting him shows a serious underestimation of the public. Not even Ball believes anything happened, so why should the public? The mother was in the picture, both their boyfriends were in the picture, the two were never alone save for one five-minute walk, where is the scandal supposed to be? And for Gronke to say Adams should have been afraid to mentor the kid and should have handed him over to a straight council member also deeply underestimates the public. It also defeats the purpose of any mentorship, which is to show how a gay man can work openly in politics, something Adams has demonstrated beyond the narrow constraints of what Bergstein, Gronke and Jaquiss seem able to handle. This quote parade is far more disturbing to me than what you reported yesterday, Jaquiss. This now equates an issue of keeping up appearances with Ball's spreading rumors of statutory rape that he does not believe. If you need a story about poor judgment, Jaquiss, you might consider a reflective lens.
Hm, for clarification, I might append "as it relates to Breedlove and Adams" to my "any mentorship" phrase. Also, the five-minute walk was in public, so I was wrong there, too: the two were never alone.
Are you Sam's brother or something?? Jesus, I've never seen someone spend so much time defending an elected official unless he/she was on their staff or a member of their family. Perhaps you're on his staff.
Like I've said before (and to which you have responded), I doubt that Sam had sexual intercourse with this kid. And I think it's wonderful if Sam was mentoring this kid. But if you are just accepting Sam's word and this kid's word as the absolute truth, then you are as naive as Sam was to think that this wouldn't look suspicious to some people. Both of them have a reason and motive to say that the relationship was platonic. It probably was. But just because they say so doesn't mean I think that's the end of the story. Mark Foley made lots of denials, so did Larry Craig, so did Bill Clinton, etc.
I mentioned the text messages in my last post and you said that they probably don't exist anymore. You're probably right. But wouldn't you want to see them if they did exist?? And do you really think you can mentor a kid via a text message? Seriously?
Just because Sam says that they were never alone but for the 5 minute walk to the Lotus, do you just take that as the gospel?
Sam said that he didn't even know this kid was gay until they had lunch, which was several days AFTER they exchanged contact info down in Salem. Sam's a busy man. I find it difficult to believe that he would be inviting 17 year olds to lunch just to get to know them, especially if at that time there was nothing about mentoring or helping the kid come out of the closet. The kid wasn't a constituent. Would Sam have been so gracious to a 17 year old girl? "Sure, come up to PDX and have lunch on me. I'd love to get to know you better." Right.
Again, let me be clear in saying that I doubt Sam and this kid were intimately involved. And Bob Ball should have kept his mouth shut if he didn't believe it was true, and if he did believe it there were better ways to handle the situation. But Sam's story just doesn't hold water with me. I'm a gay man that knows Sam and I know how the gay world works. I think this kid had a crush on Sam and I bet that Sam was flattered by it and liked being around this kid. He also probably did want to help Beau, but I truly doubt he would have been as involved if it was a young girl or, even, a straight guy.
Look, I've said many times before that I'm a nobody, yet you have a conspiracy theory about it with no evidence. Is this a pattern? If someone on Sam's staff wants to defend their boss, they have Sam's blog, they have reporters, etc. This issue resonates with me because someone who doesn't believe his own rumor went around trashing someone without evidence. The fact that I have met Sam and have a good opinion of him probably increases my interest in the story. So if people are going to start calling Sam "suspect," I'll challenge them on it.
Your position that something nobody alleges, believes, or has evidence should be considered in a "jury's still out" manner is beyond reasonable. Why should a jury be out when nobody was ever even charged with anything?
Also, how else is someone in Portland supposed to communicate with someone in Salem but by some electronic means?
As for having lunch, that's something busy politicians do all the time, and I don't see the suspcious nature of having lunch with someone who, as the article states, was considering moving to Portland and was interested in the internship program. As for the hypothetical about a girl, who knows? You? How?
Also, portlandlib, it's not like this is something unusual that Sam does:
"As an openly gay former elected official ... I can sympathize with the unique position Adams is in ... I too availed myself of the opportunity to mentor young people, and I too understood that there was always the risk of it being rumored to be something more than it was."
I'm a little confused about this part of the story:
"(Ball, a reserve police officer, says he followed advice from lawyer Mary Overgaard, who served as counsel to the Portland Police Bureau for nine years. “Bob was given information concerning a minor, and we determined that he should tell a public official,” Overgaard says. “I think he was trying to do the right thing morally and legally.”)"
This suggests that Ball believed, as a reserve police officer, he was a mandatory reporter under Oregon's child abuse reporting laws (which includes sexual abuse of a minor).
I've never understood that requirement to include passing on unsubstantiated rumors, but if it does apply in this case, his responsibility was to report to either the Department of Human Servies or to a law enforcement agency, not to a member of the city council or former mayor.
Something here doesn't make sense.
Len Bergstein is an idiot when he says that this is really an issue about Commissioner Adams and that "an elected official having a series of contacts with a juvenile gets close to the line in terms of judgment."
No, it doesn't. Elected officials are around juveniles all the time -- working with high school interns, as mentors, etc. It's not only appropriate, it should be part of their job to reach out to young people.
The idea that an adult who befriends a minor is showing poor judgment reflects an unhealthy sexual fascination on the part of Bernstein. Jaquiss' slanted reporting of this story shows that he shares that sexual fascination.
Where's the investigation of the high school interns who work in the Mayor and Commissioners offices every summer? Where's the investigation of every young person who is mentored by an elected official? Where's the investigation of how many times Commissioner Sten takes the babysitter home alone?
Or is this just a gay thing for you?
It is a gay thing and I find WW's coverage very offensive. If they were two straight guys there would be no story. If it were two members of the opposite sex there would be no story. Elected or not. Mentorship like this is very important. However when two gay guys get together it becomes sexual. Why doesn't WW write about the
scandalous Big Brother/Big Sister program? It actually ENCOURAGES adults to mentor youth. My God, let's trash someone's image because of that. WW has clearly shown that it is homophobic through this story and has certainly lost my queer respect.
I think exposing Ball is a story. I could very well have voted for him if I hadn't known about this. But telling a bunch of public officials and media outlets that your opponent engages in statutory rape and then telling them not to tell anyone is absolutely repugnant behavior that should not be allowed near City Hall. Having a mayor who uses such corrupt tactics would have been devastating for the functioning of the city, and God forbid he have gotten his way with a "strong mayor" form of government.
But outing Ball is not what WW did, or at least not what it intended to do. WW has tried its best to blur the lines, equate Ball's corruption with Sam's unquestioned innocence (again, not even Ball questions his innocence ... now), and generally help Ball continue his FUD campaign long after it has died. It's very disappointing.
Do we have any evidence that Sam is mentoring kids all over the place? Have any others been interviewed or come forward to say what a great guy he is and how he helped them, etc? Or is this the one and only mentoring project he's had since taking office. And I don't mean interns who volunteer. I mean who else has he "mentored"? Anyone? Anyone that's not a young gay male? Anyone? Even if nothing sexual happened, I just can't believe how everyone thinks Sam's story seems so believable and forthright. It doesn't add up.
This is a story because one person in a political race has raised questions about another person in the same political race. I know that neither of these guys has officially stated their candidacy but it's assumed and has previously been reported on in all local news outlets. That's the story. If Ball had accused Adams of money laundering that would be the story. It appears that people read Nigel's story as being pretty salacious and eager to jump on that. That's not my reading of these articles, but all the same: the story is Ball and Adams. Whether or not Adams has mentored other people - youth or not - I don't know. I do know that Adams has made an attempt to make Portland politics and city hall more open to the younger people in Portland (meaning youth through 30's) and I really appreciate that. This is a young town and we need more young people involved, voting, and trying to make a difference. The various functions that Adams's office has held at city hall (skateboarding, art shows, music shows) have been great and well attended. It gets people involved and gets them thinking that city hall is not just old guys in suits trying to take their money. As a local in my 30's I appreciate that about Adams.
"I mean who else has he "mentored"? Anyone? Anyone that's not a young gay male? Anyone?"
Well, yes. Per the Oregonian:
Adams acknowledged that someone with "a cynical view of the world" could read sinister motives into the active role he played in counseling Breedlove.
But that won't keep him from helping other men, he said. "When men come to me for advice, I listen, I provide whatever guidance I can, and I tell them my own background," he said. "I'm not going to be someone who says, 'I can't talk to you, it might look bad.' "
Joe D'Alessandro, the former head of the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, was married to a woman when he approached Adams several years ago for help coming out of the closet. They dined together and talked on the phone many times, D'Alessandro said, as he divorced his wife and rebuilt his life as an openly gay man.
"There's nothing like having a mentor, someone you can trust, someone who has been through something similar," he said. "People who are questioning Sam for this have no idea what it's like to be a gay man who is not out of the closet. To criticize him for trying to help other people is just disgusting."
The story here is clearly about Ball -- the liar. When The Oregonian asked him about the rumor he denied knowing anything. Then he admitted telling Katz and Leonard. If his lawyer really told him recently to tell an elected official -- why was he shopping the story to reporters last month. I had a reporter on July 27 tell me that Ball approached him with "dirt" on Sam that would hurt his career. Ball is clearly a liar and this smear effort is offensive.
Just an observation: Not even Bergstein, Gronke or Jaquiss seem to actually believe this rumor. If any reasonable person can see that no statutory rape occured, then the only people Adams would ever need to "keep up appearances" for is unreasonable people. No one should have to be so paranoid as to need to keep up appearances solely for the sake of keeping up appearances, just in case someone starts making ludicrous and wholly unbelieved allegations of felonies. That perspective is superstitious. But perhaps Bergstein, Gronke and Jaquiss can comfort themselves in the knowledge that they are not superstitious, but rather very serious people who are experts in how politics should go while I am just a member an electorate whose attention is being "masterfully diverted." Why won't the electorate listen more to the experts of how politics should go? The electorate must be getting politics wrong.
Hi, my name is Steve X and I'm running for mayor. I've got significant political experience and am well qualified for the job.
I'm a hetero male in a committed relationship. About 6 months ago I met a 17 year old girl who really wanted to get to know me because she had a strong interest in politics. Since then we've had one-on-one dinners, private meetings at various places, sent each other a truck load of text messages, I've been to her 17th birthday party, and her parents are okay with all of this. But seriously, I'm just mentoring her.
Recently (and I couldn't believe this) one of my political enemies brought this information to the press and I couldn't believe that people thought there might be something wrong about this relationship or how it might look. I mean, come on... it's just like the Big-Brother/Big-Sister program -- right?
How dare you people think that there might be any sort of impropriety. In fact, I'd do the exact same thing again.
Thank you and I'm sure you appreciate my rational and intelligent reasoning.
Ball said they were having sex. Ball says he didn't believe that, but he said it to a bunch of media outlets and public officials out of concern for the 17-year-old who he was trashing. Also, Adams and Breedlove were never alone. In addition, it was Breedlove's 18th birthday party, a family function with his parents, where Sam brought his boyfriend. Breedlove's boyfriend was also in the picture. Also, Adams appears to mentor people, young and old, all the time. He's also quick to have meals with acquaintances. I guess that makes him Michael Jackson sleeping with little boys in your eyes, but that's your problem.
Steve X, you are clearly an ass and know nothing aboout what it is like being a gay teen. Go back to your homophobic ways and quit trying to put us in your narrow boxes. We don't fit.
Sam to the Public... aka. The Sheep (utilizing the Jedi Mind Trick): "This is not the scandal you are looking for."
Sam's Public: "This is not the scandal we are looking for.
____________________________
Sam to the Public: "Ball is an evil rat-bastard. He is the one with the bad judgement."
Public to Sam: "Ball is an evil rat-bastard. He is the one with the bad judgement."
_____________________________
Sam to the Public: "I've done nothing wrong or stupid here. Ball is the one you to go after. It doesn't matter if I did something utterly stupid for a politician in a position of power."
Public to Sam: "You've done nothing wrong or stupid here. Ball is the one we want to go after. It doesn't matter if you did something utterly stupid for a politician in a position of power."
Etc. -- Sheep follow biting hard like a starving fish at a worm on a hook.--
Or, Sam says the truth, and the public accepts the truth.
I know, I know, it's so unfair for the public not to convict Sam for something nobody believes or has evidence of.
James and Charles need to go back to the story.
"He seemed to be coming onto Sam," Miller recalls.
"I thought it was not a good thing for someone who was underage to be showing up to see Sam," says David Gonzalez, who was then Adams’ scheduler. "Appearances were everything, and that was not an appearance we would want to have."
If this were two straight men or two straight women or a gay man and a straight woman or a gay woman and a straight man, this would not be a story.
But it is not any of these things.
If this were about a 40 year old man and a 17 year old girl, would it be a story?
It is supersititus maybe but if you want to be mayor or congressman or senators or a president then you have to be superstitions.
Clearly, Sam just has more confidence in your ability to realize nothing happened than others did. And I'm pretty sure Sam was right -- you don't believe something happened, do you? Because you'd be pretty alone on that one.
Why would you guess that? You seem just a bit over-the-top hung up on the whole sexual thing.
Sex or no sex, I don't care.
Sam's just being a complete moron if he believes this type of activity is good for a political career.
Grow up Sam.
Steve, you are the one that needs to grow up and understand that there are people in this world that don't fit into your tidy little homophobic world. You are the moran.
The only thing I want the Samster convicted of is begin a complete and utter moron by acting like his behavior is completely acceptable.
Intelligent political people just don't do this kind of stuff. They recognize that this type of behavior, regardless of motive, is just plain stupid and reckless.
What behavior, exactly? Who but an openly gay politician is supposed to mentor a kid on how to get into politics as an openly gay person? Sam mentors all kinds of people on similar matters, apparently. He's a role model. Like has been said over and over, everybody was aware and on the scene who should have been: parents, boyfriends, staff, etc. The two were never alone. Given the fact that nobody believes anything happened, I think that's pretty solid evidence that Sam had pretty good judgment both of what was appropriate and what any reasonable person would believe about the situation.
First, do you personally know they were never alone? You seem to have quite a stake in this story...
The gay thing gets tiring. When Mike Garvey was the only openly gay cop in Portland, he was continually showing up at crime scenes with at least one young male (usually under 21) with him. If a straight commander did the same thing with a young female, it would have been all over but the tears. Being gay should not be a free pass on dragging around young, sexually attractive people with you when you are in a position of power, but apparently it is. The rules of proper conduct should apply to all.
Mentoring is one thing, but of course rumors are going to start when you start this close a relationship with a kid.
This, "sure, they both agree they weren't alone, and nobody says otherwise, but do you personally KNOW they weren't alone?" burden of proof is unreasonable. It's the sort of "you can't prove there ISN'T such thing as a unicorn" logic that leads to conspiracy theories.
Portlandliberal - If you read the 3,000 posts JamesX has made on the two WW stories, you will see he only heard of Ball recently and has met Sam a few times. Yet through all of this he knows them well enough (and apparently the inner workings of their minds in these situations) to know that everything coming from Sam is the truth and everything from Ball is vicious rumor spreading. Typical internet poster trying to make himself look important by implying he has some type of inside scoop. He's even speculating where Ball lives. I have met both, have allegiance to neither and think both made missteps in this situation, one obviously worse than the other. It's scary reading the comments on these two WW stories and seeing how vested an interest someone has standing up for someone they've met a few times and trashing someone they only heard about a few weeks ago. JamesX, just a suggestion, you might want to step away from your keyboard for a bit and get some fresh air.
TJT, as I've said numerous times before, I'm a nobody. I'm not claiming to be an insider. Yes, I've met Sam a couple of times and shared my experiences, but like I said then, too: I'm a nobody. Lots of nobodies have met Sam. You said earlier that I seemed to have an ax to grind against Ball, so I told you how limited my knowledge of Ball was -- basically nothing, recently met a guy who works for him, and I don't think that's insidery at all. I'm certainly not basing any of my judgment about him on that. Also, TJT, I'm not speculating about where Ball lives. He lives in the Pearl, that's been written before. I have no vested interest in Sam's campaign, either. As I've stated before, I was perfectly open to voting for Ball and looked forward to a fun campaign season. I'm not "standing up for someone" just because I've "met a few times" with him. I'm basing my support and opposition based on the facts of all the reporting: Ball said he heard that Sam raped a kid to multiple reporters and politicians, had been going around with this for months, did not believe it, and had no evidence of it. That's really quite enough for me to join everyone else here in calling out how disgusting that is.
Also, I'm training for the Portland Marathon next month. I'm getting plenty of fresh air, thank you.
This is going to make the next election season very exciting. It is also going to provide people like Lars Larson some additional material in his talk show.
This is just another reason why I would never be interested in running for office. Not that I fear I have any dirt on my that someone could dig up.
My guess is Mike Garvey knows Sam and Robert, and who is fibbing.
JamesX, WHERE does it say that Ball claims Sam raped a kid? This is exactly what I'm talking about with your posts. With each one you've seemed to ratchet up your accusations and criticism of someone you've only even known existed for a few weeks. Take a deep breath, your life won't end if you don't jump on here every 20 minutes to scream what a vile person he is and how wonderful Sam is. And for the record, Ball does NOT live in the Pearl. Some times stuff people (or the media) tell you isn't always the true, you know, like how all of this supposedly played out. Unless you've talked to someone who can verify Ball shopped this story to them, you're just as guilty as he is...you're spreading rumors. Do you believe EVERYTHING you read in the paper? If so, how's that war in Iraq going? According to the media who are repeating Bush's talking points, it's going just peachy!
TJT, it says so at the very beginning of the Oregonian article: "He'd heard rumors, Ball told Leonard, that the most likely candidate for mayor, City Commissioner Sam Adams, had been in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old legislative intern." That's rape. Ask Goldschmidt.
But I guess I shouldn't believe everything I read in the paper, such as the basic facts of the case.
TJT, do you know Ball? Because you would probaby have more authority than Google, which says that Robert D. Ball, real estate investor, lives at 1001 NW 14th Ave. in Portland.
That's the address to Ball's business, Pearl Real Estate. He doesn't live there.
Fair enough, thanks!
James, this is purely semantics, but it backs up my point of wondering why you're so hellbent on using every opportunity you can get to trash someone you've only known about for a few weeks. The article says "in a sexual relationship with a 17 year old." It did not say "raped a kid," which is what you're now saying Ball was running around town telling everyone. You know that saying "raped a kid," is going to sound a lot more sensational and stir things up more than "a sexual relationship with a 17 year old." That implies some type of mutual consent, whereas saying "raped a kid," paints a completely different picture. So, yes believe that the paper said "in a sexual relationship with a 17 year old," but don't go and twist it to "raped a kid." There has not been one media report that has said that is what Ball was saying. We get it, you think Ball is the most vile, disgusting person in town and Sam walks on water. If you put half as much energy into your marathon training as you have trying to trash talk someone you don't even know, my guess is you could probably set a world record.
And for the record before you accuse me of being Ball sympathizer, I think he handled this completely wrong, but I'm not going to go out of my way to try and paint him out to be some evil villain based on the few pieces of information I know about him and a few news stories.
Did you pay much attention to the whole Goldschmidt scandal, to which Ball referenced this on KOIN? Any sexual relationship with a minor is rape. The Oregonian got into a whole heap of trouble over that. Talking about a "sexual relationship with a minor" and alluding to Goldschmidt all over again is nothing but rumor-mongering that Adams is a statutory rapist.
Sam is acting just like a big-brother in the big-brother/big-sister program.
Personally I'm going to see if, as a hetero male, the program will hook me up with a minor female who is interested in learning more about the business world.
People need to grow up out there. Sam used good, sound, wise judgement in this situation.
I will appreciate you all doing the same for me when you learn that, as a prominent Portland businessman, I'm mentoring and spending one-on-one time with a minor female.
Thank you
So your allegation has been reduced to me being a hypothetical hypocrite? In every minority group, youth seek out wisdom and mentorship from their elders. And I'm sure that if you had a good reason to be mentoring a young woman, out of high school, already interning in your career, with the knowledge and OK of her parents, boyfriend, and your partner, without ever being alone in private and without anyone believing or having evidence of any wrongdoing, and if I had met you, had a good impression of you, and learned that you mentor many people, I would defend you, too, from, well, the lack of any actual allegation.
Thank you James for understanding.
I'm forwarding your fine work onto Sam. I'm sure he can use a good PR man who will defend him to the cows come home.
James, I've met Ball before, in a business environment, and I can tell you without a doubt, he does not live at 1001 NW 14th Ave. Remember just because you read something on the internet or in the newspaper doesn't mean it is true. Instead of breathlessly waiting for the latest lurid detail to post here so you can offer up yet another attack on someone you don't even know, you might spend a few minutes checking the facts before you rush to wow is with your latest discovery.
James, had you taken 5 seconds to type his name and that address into Google, you would have received a whole slew of entries telling you exactly what that address is. For someone who seems to think they have it all figured out, you certainly are naive when it comes to the old "don't believe everything you read on the internet" warning.
I am humbled. His address of record, on multiple White Pages sites and in a news report, is not where he lives. All my "maybe"s, "apparently"s, and "you would probaby have more authority than Google"s when I brought up this piece of maybe-tangentially-related-to-anything data in a Merc comment thread was not enough to protect me from your reminder that multiple-sourced information should not be believed, especially when TJT says I'm wrong. But I'm happy to accept that this information is wrong ... because someone actually bothered to challenge it. That's all it took. Like I said before, the reason I believe Sam is because nobody claims to believe, allege, or have evidence of anything that contradicts him, even Ball.
Question: What doe's "fireman Randy" get out of all of this?
Answer: He knock's out two potential rivals for mayor. He is smarter then he look's.
Just a thought.
I don't really care much for Sam Adams, but I really have to ask if any of this would be an issue if the Commissioner in question was Randy Leonard or Eric Sten mentoring a straight student, or Vera Katz or Betsy Johnson mentoring a young woman????
Damned near everybody involved in publishing and discussing this fiasco, Jaquiss and Gronke in particular, are thriving on the stereotype of gay men preying on young flesh like vampires on virgins.
Finally, if Tom Miller actually participated in this "story," Adams needs to fire his ass post haste.
Congrats! Willamette Week is now the "Blackwater" of local media... "spray and pray".
The good news is that I can use this story to teach my many journalism students WHAT NOT TO PRINT.
And what paper to be very skeptical of.
Of course, I was running CNN International on a global basis at the same age these kids were wearing their first training bras, but that's not the point.
The point is just because you buy ink by the barrel, doesn't mean you print unproven, gosspiy crapola strewn around town by a soon-to-be-bankrupt, sleazy part-time flatfoot with a bad haircut.
WW=Blackwater, just more dangerous.
Yeah I gotta say, I don't much like your tone, Mr. Jaquiss. They don't give out Pulitzers for slime like this.
At least we'll get a new phrase for our political lexicon: "bobballed"
"A political IED that blows up in your face."
I don't really care much for Sam Adams, but I really have to ask if any of this would be an issue if the Commissioner in question was Randy Leonard or Eric Sten mentoring a straight student, or Vera Katz or Betsy Johnson mentoring a young woman????
Gee Larry, probably not. But if Erik Sten WAS SINGLE and sent daily text messages and phone calls to an attractive young WOMAN who his staff said was SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO HIM
then yes, I think it might be a story. God, trying to make this a gay issue is so lame.
samx doesn't realize that about HALF of the staffers at City Hall met their mates at... City Hall.
Gay and breeders.
The story about this story is... this is NOT A STORY!
And I'll bet my 1992 A.P. News Producer of the Year (major market) award on it.
The story about this story is... this is NOT A STORY!
Well maybe not, but the reporter who has the guts to look at the WALSH CONST. conflict of interest/ votes from county elected types may win the right to go to a major market, which by the way...this "place" isn't.
"SID SAID.The story about this story is... this is NOT A STORY!
Well maybe not, but what is a story, and not one reporter has the guts to track votes on city council to campain donations, or conflict of interest votes with Walsh Const.
That story would lead to national coverage, and job offers to a major market, which this "place" is not.
After Iran presidents vist, Sam will not Junket trip to Iran to show him all abouy light rail.
why is a sam getting a free ride to mayor. Ball screwed him with a lie, but who wants sam.. is that all we get.
Bob Ball did us a favor slandering Adams. We need to wake up an find a good candidate. Not Ball,Adams or fireman Randy. They are all sleaze balls. This city is a disaster. I need to take the tram to work. for free.
"A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." -Macbeth
Ball told KOIN he doesn't believe the rumor and never did believe the rumor. Everyone WW talked to says they don't believe the rumor, either. The two people involved told WW it's false. No evidence has been provided to substantiate the rumor. The only story left is that Ball went all over town spreading an unsubstantiated rumor that neither he nor anyone else believes. But that's not the story WW broke yesterday. That story began, "Sam Adams ... has been doing damage control in recent days to deal with recurring rumors about a series of meetings he had in 2005 with a then-17-year-old boy," followed by two dozen such paragraphs before a buried mention that all these rumors were spread by Ball. Then today you backpedal by saying they're both guilty. Who all did Ball tell these rumors to? The Merc's Scott Moore says it's far more than Leonard and Katz. How does Ball have any credence in saying this was in the interest of the 17-year-old about whom he was spreading rumors he didn't believe? And why did WW try to make Adams the story? These are all very important questions that I hope someone can answer, even if WW fails to.