We'll bet you lira to lingerie that at least once this Valentine's Day some hapless romantic will gaze deep into his true love's eyes and proceed to follow this script (roughly):

"You know," he'll whisper, as Barry White's baritone washes over them, "they say that one plus one is two, but in our case that's not true. It's so much more."

This sappy stuff is best reserved for the scribes down at Hallmark, but there are examples of the power of an individual rising exponentially when coupled with another. Consider Portland's original power couple, Harold and Arlene Schnitzer. Either one, alone, is a dynamo. Together, they are a virtual power plant.

In honor of the city's 150th Valentine's Day, WW has painstakingly compiled a list of Portland's top 50 power couples (a key to our sophisticated mathematical formula appears on the facing page). To meet our strict standards, each partner needed to demonstrate his or her own influence. That's why big shots such as Oregonian Editor Sandy Rowe, the Rev. Dr. Bob Pamplin and state Senate Minority Leader Kate Brown don't make the cut. Their spouses, while nice enough folks, fail to register on the power scale.

Despite our grueling criteria, we had no shortage of candidates in this town. We ended up with a list of the top 25 power couples, five up-and-comers and 20 honorable mentions. The names on the list are revealing:

1. Money still counts. After feeding the data into our computer, the results were clear: Couples with a lot of cash did well--especially if they give it away.

2. Portland's elite couples, not surprisingly, tend to be white, though our list of up-and-comers indicates that may be changing.

3. The road to Splitsville took a heavy toll. A few years ago, this list certainly would have included Kris Olsen and Jeff Rogers (once the local legal world's ultimate power couple) as well as Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes (who took the indie music world by storm as Quasi). In fact, in the midst of compiling this list, we had to drop a prominent arts couple when one partner confided that the duo had gone its separate ways earlier in the month.

Some may quibble with the rankings that follow--after all, power and love are hard to measure. But any way you slice it, it's an impressive list of influential folks who've managed to stick together while leaving their marks on the city.

NEIL GOLDSCHMIDT & DIANA SNOWDEN

Top dogs run together

NEIL: Whether it's Bechtel looking for cheap real estate or a New York toxic-waste king hoping to site a dump next to the Columbia, Big Dog is the man to call. The former mayor, governor and U.S. transportation czar, Goldschmidt remains Oregon's most influential private citizen. He's back in the news in a big way with his controversial plans to extend the Park Blocks--a project so dear to his heart that he's put his lucrative consulting business on hold. But don't start passing a charity basket. Goldschmidt was a director of Renaissance Bankcard Services when Household Finance bought it from his pal Irving Levin in 1999. SEC records show Goldschmidt walked away with more than $8 million in the deal.

DIANA: When she married Goldschmidt, Diana went from being an obscure utility executive to temporarily heading Portland Public Schools. In heavy demand as a board member, she also started an Internet company that hasn't done much. But don't cry for her, either. She's got a seat on the Oregon Investment Council, which oversees $50 billion in state retirement funds, giving her a springboard back to the bigtime.

LUCY AND JOHN BUCHANAN

For the love of art

LUCY: In the Portland art world, the Buchanans form the ultimate power couple. Since hitting town with her hubby in 1994, Lucy has provided the marketing muscle behind the Portland Art Museum's financial successes, daisy-chaining marquee exhibits and sucking down tens of millions in funding. Her power-babe style isn't universally adored, but no one can argue with the bottom line.

JOHN: Playing the role of smooth-talking Southern dandy, this courtly Tennessean has his eye on the curatorial side of the museum racket. While some disdain the blockbuster traveling exhibits, John gets kudos for PAM's wildly successful expansion.

PETER & JULIE STOTT

Portland's Jay Gatsby and Martha Stewart

PETER: Stott, who made fortunes in trucking and timber, is giving away money like there's no tomorrow (recently: $2 million to the Portland Art Museum and $1.5 million to PSU) and investing in high-profile local projects such as Portland Family Entertainment and the Brewery Blocks development. The raw-edged tycoon has taken a couple of hits lately with the downfall of his mentor, fund manager Jeff Grayson, and the plunging share price of Crown Pacific, where Stott is CEO, but his profile has never been higher.

JULIE: Before marrying Stott, Julie was best known as a decorator to the West Hills gentry; her signature touch is blue-and-white porcelain. Most recently, she snagged the plum assignment of redoing Mahonia Hall, the governor's residence. Like Martha S, she sometimes forgets that she isn't royalty.

ROCKY DIXON & JULIE STRASSER

Running in the fast lane

ROCKY: Heir to a Midwest fortune, Dixon moved to Portland about a decade ago and wasted no time making his mark, joining boards and writing big checks to Oregon Public Broadcasting and practically every arts organization in town. Dixon runs Endeavour Capital, which has bought stakes in radio stations, Lilly Miller, Michaels of Oregon, Columbia Distributing and Bi-Mart. He's a sportsman who likes to party hard at his palatial ranch on the Grand Ronde River.

JULIE: Before wedding Dixon, Julie was married to Rob Strasser, the huge and hugely talented Nike exec who identified the marketing potential of a kid named Jordan. He left Nike and took a bundle of stock to go across town to run Adidas, a development that didn't exactly endear him to Phil Knight. Rob dropped dead several years ago; Strasser married Dixon. A freelance writer and author of a book about Nike, she is actively involved in Portland State and the Northwest Academy and has a screenplay in the works.

HAROLD & ARLENE SCHNITZER

Portland's original power couple

HAROLD: Never mind Goldschmidt; Harold may deserve the title of Big Dog. Many moons ago, this Schnitzer broke off from his brothers, the owners of a thriving steel business, to strike out on his own. Today, his Harsch Investment Properties owns almost $1 billion in real estate all across the West. One of the biggest charitable donors in the state, Harold Schnitzer leaves his handprints everywhere--there are few politicians who haven't been given checks (though he's partial to Democrats). He's turned over much of the control of the business to his son, Jordan, but he still wields a very heavy hand in the vast Schnitzer empire.

ARLENE: Long before the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall existed, Arlene ran the Fountain Gallery, unquestionably the most influential venue of its kind in this city. While her golden years have sapped the power of this dynamo, few other women have ever cut as wide a swath through the city.

BRIAN BOOTH & GWYNETH GAMBLE

Downtown barrister meets West Hills doyenne

BRIAN: Talk about eclectic interests: the Tonkon Torp law firm partner is the founder of the Oregon Institute of Literary Arts, the former head of the state Parks Commission, one of the central players in Neil Goldschmidt's plan to revitalize downtown and an adviser to a number of political and business leaders.

GWYNETH: One of the doyennes of the West Hills social circuit, Gamble was once married to bottling king Ted Gamble--and has the money to prove it. A major benefactor to the Dougy Center and a multitude of local nonprofits, Gamble is also a member of the PGE Foundation. Her real claim to fame? Her son operates Good Dog/Bad Dog, the downtown sausage emporium.

GREG GOODMAN & SUSAN SCHNITZER

We'd love a cut of their matchmaker's fee

SUSAN: Whoever married these two should have gotten an investment banker's fee for arranging a merger between two of Portland's wealthiest families. The belle of the Schnitzer clan, Susan is the second-largest individual shareholder in Schnitzer Steel and adds some heft to the boards of the Ronald McDonald House and other nonprofits.

GREG: The smarter of the two Goodman sons, he's responsible for maintaining his family's near stranglehold on downtown parking. (You've seen the signs: City Center Cares!) He's also taking a leadership role in trying to revitalize downtown's moribund west end.

RONNA & ERIC HOFFMAN

Building a power base

RONNA: The mother of Geraldine Bidwell Pope, Ronna's big on the social scene and charitable with her bank account. She's partial to OBT (she brought together one of the society world's most influential designers, Mary McFadden, with artistic director James Canfield for the original production of his Degas) and the Portland Art Museum, where a gallery of European art bears the Hoffmans' name. She recently joined the board of the Oregon Historical Society, which is good news for the financially troubled organization.

ERIC: He's the operations manager at Hoffman Construction, the family-owned business that ranks as the second-largest commercial contractor in the metro area. The company is also getting attention up north, where Hoffman hard hats had the job of making Frank Gehry's bizarre design a reality for Paul Allen's rock-and-roll museum. The Portland company has since won contracts to build Seattle's new library, jail and City Hall. Eric, too, knows how to drop a check. He and Ronna are five-figure contributors to United Way.

CAROL TRIFFLE & JERRY MOUAWAD

Frogs' Prince and Princess

CAROL: One of the last hand-picked students of theater great Jacques Lecoq, this demanding artist at the center of Imago is responsible for much of Portland's innovative and intelligent theater of the past decade. She's outraged a few in the theater community, but it's hard to argue with the international acclaim that has come to Imago's Frogs, Lizards, Orbs & Slinkys.

JERRY: Portland's greatest comic actor serves as Imago's cerebral center. After attending the Hayes-Marshal School of Theatre Arts in Portland in 1977, he co-founded Imago with Carol two years later. His zany stage persona belies his quiet, almost reserved, personality. He's been the recipient of an Oregon Arts Fellowship (as has Carol) and a New York Dance Film Award. Some Imago fans worry that the company's successful formula will stifle innovation and are hoping that Jerry will push the company to the next level.

MARK WIENER & AISLING COGHLAN

Politics makes bedfellows

MARK: One of the most sincere cynics you'd ever want to meet, this former New Yorker has become the wisdom behind the throne for most of Portland's liberal lawmakers. Toiling for M&R Strategies, he dispenses advice and campaign strategies to everyone from Erik Sten to Randall Edwards. In the 2000 election, Wiener, 44, was turning work away. In addition to putting Edwards in the treasurer's seat, he kept Kevin Mannix out of the AG's office and booted Eileen Qutub from the state Senate. And while Gov. Kitzhaber gets the public credit for beating back Bill Sizemore in the last election, Wiener and Coghlan actually planned the battle.

AISLING: Another M&R powerhouse, the 29-year-old Belfast native has the benefit of an outsider's perspective in looking at the absurdity of our electoral ways. Coghlan studied the American way of politics at Queens University in Belfast, then moved here to show us how to do it right. Her work on the local option campaign funneled much-needed money into Portland schools and made her a local hero. (Special announcement: Coghlan and Wiener are slated to be married on St. Patrick's Day in Carnlough, Ireland.)

PAUL KING & WALTER JAFFE

Two on their toes

WALTER: Since hitting town with King in 1996, the 52-year-old former German scholar has become the dean of Portland's dance community, shaking things up in a big way with White Bird. Jaffe possesses a scholar's drive and dedication to his subject, making him the perfect business manager.

PAUL: A former master baker who has become a master of public relations, this 49-year-old ex-New Yorker has used his East Coast connections to introduce world-class dance to Portland. King's genial, avuncular style has not only built up a loyal following for White Bird, but also quelled criticism within the local dance community that the pair didn't pay sufficient attention to home talent.

RANDALL EDWARDS & JULIA BRIM-EDWARDS

James Carville and Mary Matalin do Oregon

RANDALL: Just seven years ago, Randall Edwards was a relatively unknown mid-level aide in the state treasure's office. Now, the 39-year-old Democrat holds the state's third-highest elected office. Edwards used his short stay in the statehouse to angle for the treasury post and last year clawed his way through the door.

JULIA: The 39-year-old lifelong Republican has been a key behind-the-scenes aide for several prominent pols, from ex-Sen. Bob Packwood to former House Speaker Bev Clarno. Fresh from running her husband's successful statewide campaign, she's now poised to burst onto the public scene herself, by running for the Portland School Board. She and Randall have called in some political IOUs, picking up endorsements ranging from GOP congressman Greg Walden to Democratic County Commissioner Lisa Naito.

HOWARD & JUANITA HEDINGER

Power and beauty, with a heart

HOWARD: A magnanimous magnate, Howard is chairman of the board for American Industries and part owner of American Steel. The man of steel, however, has a soft spot in his heart for kids and pets. He gave $250,000 to Doernbecher's new wing. He's been even more generous to St. Mary's Home for Boys and is a big donor to Self Enhancement Inc. Most recently, when Multnomah County ran out of puppy chow at its shelter, he teamed up with Bill Furman to kick in a quick $5,000.

JUANITA: Portland's model citizen has, perhaps, the most recognized female face (and midriff) in Portland. Meier & Frank's main "intimate apparel" model has her husband's knack for giving away cash. In recent years, for example, she and Howard have given $1 million to OMSI (where she stages an annual fashion-show benefit that launches the museum's gala fund-raising event).

GERALDINE POPE BIDWELL & JERRY BIDWELL

Beauty & the broker

GERI: A member of the powerful Pope lumber family, the star-crossed heiress is the former wife of the late Tiger Warren and attended prep school with the late John F. Kennedy Jr. Since the death of Warren and her three boys in a 1999 plane crash, Geri has spent much of her time funding a youth center in Camas, Wash., as part of The Jack, Will and Rob Kids Foundation.

JERRY: Although this couple has sought tax shelter across the river (high on the hills above Camas), it was a match made in Portland. The Former No. 2 man at Black & Co., Jerry now runs Portland's biggest locally owned brokerage, Bidwell & Co. (although his former wife is about to take a chunk of it in a divorce settlement). The recent target of a disgruntled investor's bizarre failed assassination plot, Jerry holes up in one of Portland's best corporate suites, inside the historic Bank of California building at the corner of Southwest 6th Avenue and Yamhill Street.

CAPRIAL & JOHN PENCE

Portland's first foodies

CAPRIAL: Since opening Caprial's Bistro (a cozy 26-seat restaurant in Westmoreland) nine years ago, this 36-year-old chef has parlayed her considerable culinary skills into mass-media success. She's got all the charm and perkiness of Katie Couric and flaunts it as the hostess of Cooking with Caprial, her PBS television series, and her latest show, Caprial! Cooking for Friends, as well as the author of six cookbooks.

JOHN: John met Caprial in 1982 at the world-reknowned Culinary Institute of America, where they both earned their chops making chops. The handsome and charming 39-year-old runs the Caprial empire from soup to nuts and was the leading force behind the bistro's major expansion and remodel in 1998.

KARLA WENZEL & FRED MILLER

A young filly joins a thoroughbred

KARLA: Wenzel, an ambitious lawyer from Salem, is half her husband's age but twice as ambitious. One of the bright spots on the Portland School Board, she looks primed to move higher. She's a quick study, remarkably candid and refreshingly unconventional within the city's poli/biz circles. (Name another publicly elected woman with a visible tattoo.)

FRED: From the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement to the Chamber of Commerce, it's tough to find a committee he isn't on or hasn't served in some capacity. The consummate public-spirited executive, Miller segued gracefully from a being Goldschmidt's top bureaucratic operative to being the public face of PGE, maintaining his senior post through two acquisitions of the utility by out-of-towners.

DEBORAH KAFOURY AND NIK BLOSSER

A match made in X-PAC

DEBORAH: A Kafoury has held elective office in Oregon since 1973, and Deborah is the current torch bearer. Her mother, Gretchen, is a beloved former city commissioner. Her father, Stephen, is a former state senator and Portland school board member. Deborah is at the beginning of her political career, serving her second term in the House of Representatives, where fellow Dems have put her on the leadership track. This session she's calling for more money for domestic abuse services and increased salaries for childcare workers.

NIK: When booze and politics mix, it isn't always a good thing, but in this case it worked out well. Nik, of the Sokol Blosser Winery family, met Deborah at a meeting of X-PAC, the post-Boomer political group, in 1995 and began working toward a merger. Nik, too, has political lineage. His father, Bill Blosser, is the former chairman of the Land Conservation and Development Commission, the agency that oversees state land-use laws. His mother, Susan Sokol-Blosser, made a couple of unsuccessful runs for the state Legislature. Blosser the younger has chosen a less visible role. He was the stategist for Democratic House candidates (including Kafoury) in 1998 and worked on the unsuccessful campaign to thwart Measure 7. Last year he also co-founded the Celilo Group, a consulting firm for green businesses. That venture led to last year's launch of the Oregon Business Association, a progressive business lobby group whose members agree that the bottom line shouldn't be the only focus of a business. He's got some heavy hitters--Michael Powell, Fred Miller and Derek Smith (Norm Thompson)--on the board of directors, and former Speaker of the House Lynn Lundquist has signed on as president.

NATHALIE JOHNSON-MCDOWELL & WILLIAM JOHNSON

Playing doctor in a big way

NATHALIE: Once, she was but a public-health officer in the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Then she became Commissioner of Health for the entire island chain. Now, the 41-year-old surgeon runs the Legacy Breast Health Centers and advocates for breast-cancer awareness (ultimately, that would put her out of work). She's got a potent ally in her public-information campaign: one of her patients, Mayor Vera Katz.

WILLIAM: If your insurance company gave you the choice, he's the other half of the marriage of MDs you'd choose. Though less visible than his wife, William, 40, is known as an excellent vascular and general surgeon. Like Nathalie, he's got privileges at Good Sam and St. Vincent's.

PATRICIA MCCAIG & TOM WALSH

Playing with blocks and Park Blocks

PATRICIA: Behind every great man... Patricia embodies the old cliché. The former chief of staff to Gov. Barbara Roberts spent a painful stint on the Metro Council, but she's now a message manager for the big guys, working with Gov. John Kitzhaber on Measure 7 and Neil Goldschmidt on selling his Park Blocks vision.

TOM: The longtime GM of Tri-Met gave up his stake in the local construction company to make the trains run. After stepping down from the regional transit post, Tom is now getting back into the developing biz, with a Pearl District office across the hall from Patricia's.

MIKE & JILL THORNE

Mahonia Hall bound?

MIKE: A Goldschmidt crony, this tightly wound Pendleton wheat farmer parlayed his legislative power into the top post at the Port of Portland and, later, seats on the boards of OHSU, Willamette Industries and Stancorp Financial. Despite living in a downtown high-rise, he's still enough of a cowboy to throw the biggest bash at the annual Pendleton Roundup and ambitious enough to be mulling over a gubernatorial bid.

JILL: The architect of well-financed campaigns against expanding the Bottle Bill (she won) and for tort reform and sex-shop zoning (she lost both), she is one of the state's toughest and savviest behind-the-scenes political strategists. Although she still desperately wants to live in Mahonia Hall, her husband may have waited too long.

KAREN & JOHN MINNIS

M-squared is in the House (and Senate)

KAREN: Lady Minnis is the second most powerful woman in Salem (Senate minority leader Kate Brown gets top honors). As House Majority Leader, she is queen of the Republican caucus and, if the GOP keeps control, heiress to the speakership. So be nice. Minnis entered the House having a decade of experience as a legislative aide for her husband, John, when he held her seat (or, should we say, represented the district) for seven terms. In rookie-laden Salem, knowledge is power and Minnis is a young, wizened veteran.

JOHN: In January, the Minnises (or would that be Minnisi?) became the first Republican husband/wife team in Oregon legislative history when John won a seat in the Senate. So far, he's behaved. At the beginning and end of his tenure in the House, John let his temper and mouth propel him into political Siberia. Still, the Portland police detective was welcomed back to Salem like a returning hero and given the plum job of chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee. John's law-and-order credentials also give him influence in social-service funding, where he's been known to push for greater funding if he thinks it's a worthwhile cause.

JIM SAMPSON & GEOF BEASLEY

Docs who like to get their hands dirty

JIM: The executive director of the Research & Education Group, Jim was one of the first MDs to lead the fight against the AIDS virus. In addition to trying to save lives, he and Geof also save the social season: Their annual garden party on their six-acre grounds attracts an eclectic crowd and is always the hottest soiree of the summer.

GEOF: A physician at the Veterans Hospital, Geof is perhaps best known locally for being a gardener. The place he shares with Jim (they've been together since they met, as 17-year-olds on the campus of Atlanta's Emory University) is dubbed Bella Madrona and has been featured in Town & Country.

FRED COLE & KATHLEEN ALICE "TOODY" COLE

Embers still glow inside this Dead Moon

FRED: As hundreds of thousands of Portlanders nod along to KGON and 95.5 in sad ignorance, the brains behind one of THE GREATEST ROCK BANDS ON EARTH chases shots of whiskey and vicious ghosts in Clackamas. Satyricon stalwarts Dead Moon live the art-rock cliché of huge European success matched with relative obscurity stateside. Fred, a 52-year-old grandfather with a skull-faced moon tattooed on his neck, has a ravaging and unearthly vocal quaver and a brutally efficient songwriting style.

TOODY: Also 52, Toody balances Fred's haunted caterwaul with gritty, give-no-quarter vocals and gut-punching bass for Portland's biggest rock power couple. If she's unhappy with Dead Moon's relatively low profile, she's not letting on--though one title being considered for the band's new album (due this spring) gives a clue: 14 Years the Hard Way.

CRAIG BERKMAN & KAREN HINSDALE

Wine, wealth and political aspiration

CRAIG: Credited with staving off the radical right as head of the state GOP in the early '90s, Berkman has run for governor (Denny Smith trounced him in the '94 primary) and is thinking about doing so again. Some of his political juice drips from his pocketbook: He gave $100,000 to George Bush (senior) and perhaps (the reports are due soon) that much to W. Berkman manages money for rich people and has helped nurture a number of companies--from Applied Materials to 800.com. Then there is civic involvement. Berkman has given time and bucks to an extraordinary range of local nonprofits, from libraries to Lewis & Clark to the Historical Society. He may also have the best singing voice among any of Portland's most powerful--he even cut a CD of his crooning.

KAREN: A member of the family that used to be one of the chief wine distributors in this state, Karen now runs a personal wine-buying service that caters to enthusiasts. She once worked with PR whiz Wendy Lane as a consultant on various food and wine-related projects.

ERNEST C. SWIGERT & BEAUREGARD, SHERMAN AND POT:

Steeling the hearts of local charities

ERNEST: Long before there was Thomas Lauderdale, there was Uncle Ernie, Portland's original party animal. Ernie inherited a bundle from his family's biz, the ESCO Corp., a steel-plating powerhouse in Northwest Portland. Ernie is president of the Swigert Foundation and serves on the executive committee at the Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society board of directors, the Haven Project and the Berry Botanic Garden. At 75, he's slowed down a bit but can still throw a mean party at his West Hills pad.

BEAU: As a longtime bachelor, Ernie dotes on his dogs, Pot (a toy poodle) and two black labs, Sherman and Beauregard. The rest of this list may be open to debate, but these three are clearly Portland's most powerful pooches: Their two-legged pal co-chaired the campaign to build the Ernest C. Swigert animal shelter at the Oregon Humane Society in Northeast Portland.

Sometimes, as in the case of Rocky Dixon and Julie Strasser, couples burst onto the scene, seemingly out of nowhere. In other cases, they rise to the surface more gradually. Here's a quintet of local couples who are clearly in ascension:

SERENA CRUZ & TOM WALSH JR.

SERENA: Only two years ago, this young aide to Erik Sten shocked local political junkies when she trounced Dan Ivancie for an open County Commission seat. One of the few Latinas elected to high office in Oregon, Cruz, 33, has emerged as a potent force for minorities while demonstrating an eye for the details of law enforcement and the county budget. Look for her to be a presence next year if she vies for the open County Chair position.

TOM: Wed to Serena this past New Year's Eve, the son of the former Tri-Met general manager (and nephew of construction titan Bob Walsh) is considered a nascent force in the local development community. He's currently spearheading the Rosemont redevelopment project in North Portland, a conversion of an old convent into low-income and market-price housing.

TIM & MARY BOYLE

TIM: The son of Gert "Ma" Boyle, he's the president and chief executive officer of Columbia Sportswear, as well as the single largest shareholder of this publicly held company. According to SEC records, Boyle owns stock in Columbia worth, get this, $550 million.

MARY: Given her hubby's business, it's no surprise that Mary, 51, has been an active fund-raiser for Outward Bound. But she also has a thing for the written word; she serves on the board of Community of Writers, a program that brings authors into the classrooms of Portland public schools.

JAMEY HAMPTON & ASHLEY ROLAND

JAMEY: One of the heirs to the Hampton timber fortune, Jamey left his jet-set dancer's lifestyle (he's worked with the likes of David Bowie and U2) to help run the family biz in Oregon.

ASHLEY: One of the most recognized faces in dance today, she is featured in several ad campaigns and continues to be a player in dance. Both she and Jamey will appear in Michael Curry's upcoming Spirits show.

JO ANN & SKIP ELLIOTT BOWMAN

JO ANN: Jo Ann zoomed into the public eye four years ago when, having served as an aide to County Chairwoman Bev Stein, she won a seat in the state House. Active in the NAACP, she's quick to battle any perceived injustice to society's less powerful and has led the fight against police abuse and mandatory sentencing (on occasion, she's also led protests against this newspaper). Termed out of the House after this session, the 43-year-old is angling for a seat--maybe the chair's--on the county commission in 2002.

SKIP: The 42-year-old Portland native is one of the city's busiest musicians. The bassist, steel-pan percussionist and keyboardist has three working gigs: Thara Memory's Superband (jazz), Callaloo (reggae and calypso) and Curare (Caribbean). He's one of the few men in town with the amps to keep up with Jo Ann.

SUSAN SEUBERT & STEVEN JOSEFSBERG

SUSAN: This 30-year-old grad of the Pacific Northwest College of Art, a favorite in the gallery scene for her dark, high-concept photography, has seen her share of kudos lately: nods from the Alfred Eisenstaedt awards, slots in the past two Oregon Biennials and juicy assignments shooting for the New York Times and Saveur magazine. Her stuff doesn't just look cool: It sells. Microsoft bought 13 pieces at once for display at its campus.

STEVEN: Once known as L.A.'s custom framer to the stars, Steven opened his Pearl District photography and framing gallery, SK Josefsberg, in 1993 and hasn't looked back since. His shop (which he was smart enough to buy before the Pearl boom) is the best place in Portland to view the work of internationally acclaimed photographers. A former instructor, Josefsberg, 54, is gifted at attracting quality shooters to his gallery, including one in particular, who joined him in saying "I do" last summer.

 

BUILDING UP POWER

Five couples on the rise

JOHN MARLER & CATHY MARSHALL

KATU's combo could make the most hardened station exec slip off her barstool: Two experienced anchors...award-winning reporting experience...totally rad hair...and they're married.

MARY NOLAN & MARK GARDINER

The former city sewer czar, Mary won a seat in the state House last fall. Mark, the city's former budget guru, now has a host of influential consulting clients.

NAN B. CURTIS & MARTY HOUSTON

The Dada Ball's most dynamic duo, they have collaborated on some of the most provocative visual arts exhibits in town.

DAN NOELLE & ROSIE SIEZER

This is one couple you don't want to piss off: He's the local sheriff. She oversees Portland's detectives.

GREG & JANE DREW

He's the CEO of 800.com, the online electronics retailer beloved by venture capitalists; she's a high-end stockbroker at Smith Barney.

BOB CALDWELL & LORA CUYKENDALL

Can you say media conspiracy? He is the editor of The Oregonian's editorial page. She is the deputy editor of the new Portland Tribune (looks like they'll be going stag to those office parties).

MARY JO AVERY & NICK BUNICK>

She's one of the most potent (if not necessarily likable) real-estate agents in town. He's the second coming of the Apostle Paul. What else needs to be said?

GREG & JUDY KAFOURY

Greg is a prominent plaintiff's lawyer and political activist. Judy runs the Northwest Children's Theater, where she recently won the fight to stay in the 'hood.

MANNY & LORRAINE ROSE

The longtime rabbi for Temple Beth Israel, Manny is one of the most outspoken religious leaders in Portland. Lorraine is a high-powered real-estate broker.

BOB PACKWOOD & ELAINE FRANKLIN

He is the disgraced senator still lobbying in Washington. She is the political mastermind whose campaign skills are now sold to the highest bidder.

PHIL KEISLING & PAM WILEY

The former secretary of state now markets for a software company. Wiley is a land-use consultant with a potent client list.

SCOTT THOMASON & DEBBIE AUTZEN

If you don't know who he is, you're probably comatose. She is part of the famed lumber family whose name graces the U of O's football stadium.

SPENCER & JANE BEEBE

As chair of EcoTrust, he epitomizes the Portland philosophy of marrying the market and the environment. She reigns over PDX Gallery, supporting local artists who might not have commercial appeal...yet.

STEPHEN & MARGE KAFOURY

Stephen left the Legislature in 1979, yet he continues to be a player in Salem as a lobbyist and astute progressive observers. Marge lobbies for the city of Portland.

DIANE LINN & DICK SPRINGER>

The city's former neighborhoods chief, Diane is now a
bright spot on the County Commission. Dick's political star is falling, but the ex-senator is still fighting for salmon.

JAMES ELLIS & ELYSE CLAWSEN

As presiding judge of the Multnomah County courts, James puts 'em away. As head of the county's community justice program, she makes sure they don't screw up again.

LAURA RUSSO & MICHIHIRO KOSUGE

Her gallery represents Portland's premier artists, including Lucinda Parker, Mel Katz and Jack Portland. He's chairman of the art department at Portland State University and an accomplished sculptor.

CAROLYN MYERS & MIKE LINDBERG

Mike, once the undisputed Portland party animal, has kept a lower profile since leaving the City Council but is still an important booster for the local arts scene. Carolyn, who heads the news team at KXL, still regularly scoops the competition.

LUCINDA PARKER & STEVEN MCCARTHY

Lucinda is one of the region's most important visual artists, with an evolving style and consistent vision. Steven, in the midst of the vinicultural revolution, has put Portland on the brandy map with Clear Creek Distillery.

ELLEN ROSENBLUM & RICHARD MEEKER

Damned if we do, damned if we don't, so here goes: She's a local Circuit Court judge and rising star in the American Bar Association. He's the only publisher in town who wears suits and ties with sandals.