[August 27th, 2008]

WINNERS

1 The worst-kept secret in the presidential campaign wasn’t Edwards’ affair, but the identity of the Oregon Peace Party’s mystery candidate. Last week, the party dropped the coyness and finally confirmed it would be nominating, for president of the United States…drumroll, please…Ralph Nader. This is good news for [b]disillusioned Obamaites and die-hard Naderistas. For everyone else, it’s pretty much irrelevant.

2 File under silver linings: The Oregonian plans to cut its staff by 100, with half from the newsroom. That sucks. But the buyout employees were offered last week—two years’ pay plus health bennies—is undeniably generous, especially for the paper’s veteran reporters. So the question is: Ship off for the tropics with two years’ salary, or stick around and watch the walls fall down from the inside, in slow motion? Answer after the jump.

3 Whoops. Portland officials revealed last week about half of the 1,800 pensioners enrolled in the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund have been overpaid since 1995. The $3.1 million mistake was apparently caused by a spreadsheet error. The city isn’t yet sure whether it can reclaim the overpayments. Beneficiaries include Mayor Tom Potter (former top cop) and Commissioner Randy Leonard (former firefighter).

LOSERS

1 Portland Auditor Gary Blackmer’s proposal to write the city’s ombudsman position into the city charter backfired last week, after Commissioner Dan Saltzman raised objections and The O’s editorial page questioned whether the city needed an ombudsman in the first place. Blackmer’s plan would’ve referred the idea to voters in November. He’d be smart to spend the next year explaining to people what it is an ombudsman does.

2 Metro councilors are cringing—or should be—after the release of an auditor’s report on the $3 million-a-year transit-oriented development program. The scheme, originally intended to encourage development along transit lines and boost ridership, had strayed into funding rooftop gardens. It kept poor records and couldn’t demonstrate whether its projects actually encouraged people to take MAX.

3A pendulum swings over the head of Reynolds School District Superintendent Terry Kneisler, who was put on paid leave last weekend by the school board. Board members are not saying why, but the 6-0 vote followed a performance review. Kneisler previously told the Portland Tribune he had “philosophical differences” with the board.