News An environmentally themed Portland mayoral debate on Wednesday night saw two foiled gatecrashing attempts by lesser-known candidates on the ballot. The most surprising incident of the night came when moderator April Baer called the candidates onto the Benson High School auditorium stage, where a podium each was set aside for the three leading candidates: Eileen Brady, Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith. ...   More

News Tuesday night's Candidates Gone Wild featured mayhem and embarrassment: political hopefuls belted show tunes, answered questions on Portland history, and built a mini-Columbia River Crossing for a dog. But with the three mayoral candidates locked in a tight race, the show was more tense and barbed than in past years.Jefferson Smith and Charlie Hales both took pointed jabs at a "$4 tomato"—a not-especially-veiled ...   More

News Mayoral candidate Eileen Brady paid a big bill for her television ads today—$112,500 to the Snyder Pickerill Media Group of Chicago—and also disclosed lending her campaign $40,000. As WW reported in its print edition today, Brady has far outspent her two principal competitors, former City Commissioner Charlie Hales and State Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-East Portland). The television expenditure brought ...   More

Elections There’s a little more than two weeks before May primary ballots go out, and the contest for Portland mayor remains wide open. The most competitive mayoral primary in 20 years comes down to this:   More

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News All three of the leading mayoral candidates released their income tax returns to WW this week. Their decision to do so was a gesture of  transparency because, unlike property taxes, income tax information is private and candidates in city races have not typically made such information available. (The candidates released their returns to other media only after WW put in its requests.)The returns ...   More

Elections If a candidate for mayor knocks on your door and asks for your vote, you probably won’t try to pin him or her down...   More

Cover Story It’s dawn on a Tuesday, and 30 women have gathered in a 15th-floor conference room in the Standard Plaza at a sold-out breakfast of coffee, melon and bagels. They’ve come to hear Portland’s    More

News Earlier this year, mayoral candidate Eileen Brady rejected a campaign contribution from former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.), who resigned office in 1995 over a sexual misconduct scandal. That was an awkward move, because Brady had personally solicited a contribution from Packwood's wife, the political consultant Elaine Franklin. But while Packwood's money may not have been acceptable to Brady, her ...   More