News Observers at Multnomah County headquarters this morning witnessed a remarkable scene, as officials who have been feuding publicly for months over funding a new Sellwood Bridge met to congratulate one another over finally reaching an agreement.For a few minutes, the players managed to bury their mutual mistrust and make nice in a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination.First to deliver his lines was ...   More

News Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler wants the Portland City Council to give up part of its potential state transportation funding to replace the rickety Sellwood Bridge. The money is expected to come if the Legislature passes Gov. Ted Kulongoski's proposed Jobs and Transportation Act. In a letter [PDF] sent to city commissioners today, Wheeler asks that $8 million which would have been shared ...   More

News Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler got a response from Mayor Sam Adams today on whether the city would help the county get federal matching funds to replace the Sellwood Bridge, as Wheeler proposed in March [PDF]. The City Council has now had six weeks to consider that request. According to Wheeler, who met Tuesday afternoon with Adams, the mayor told the county chairman he would support funding ...   More

News When Multnomah County commissioners wanted to raise vehicle registration fees last year to help pay for a new Sellwood Bridge, their plans were shut down by the city councils of Gresham, Troutdale and dinky Maywood Park. Their support was required under state law, and when county Chair Ted Wheeler failed to convince them to go along with the plan, the episode again raised questions about whether ...   More

News Among the many announcements from Mayor Sam Adams in his "State of the City" address last week was one related to sidewalks. Specifically, Adams announced last Friday he was going to devote $16 million to building new sidewalks in parts of the city that still lack them. "If I'm talking innovation and greater resilience through transportation, I gotta talk about sidewalks," Adams said in his ...   More

News First comes Christmas in July. Now we have Valentine's Day in October. Commissioner Randy Leonard is in Scotland this week, but he blogged from abroad to give big props to Mayor Sam Adams for "getting the most out of Portlanders' tax dollars." He's referring to the financial deal detailed in The Oregonian this morning regarding funding for the Sellwood Bridge and Milwaukie Light Rail. Leonard's ...   More