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Mayoral aide and former Portland mayor Sam Adams is resigning from his position as the mayor’s right hand man.
That’s according to an email Adams sent out to staff on Tuesday afternoon shortly after 4 pm. He cited worsening health issues, specifically chronic anemia, as the reason for his departure.
“For the past year or so, I have been dealing with chronic anemia. It saps my energy and increasingly impacts my ability to do my job the way it needs to be done,” Adams wrote. “I was hoping it would get better, and for a moment it was, but I recently received some new test results. It is back to getting worse. I experience deep fatigue on too many work days, and when I get home from work each day, I am often wiped out. To get better, I need to step aside from working so hard for a while.”
Adams has been the political force behind many of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s policy decisions over the past two years, with a particular focus on homelessness and post-pandemic recovery in the central city.
In a statement, Wheeler said: “I have worked with Sam for many years, and he is a hard worker with a strong vision for Portland. The work he has done during his tenure with my office has helped lead our city in a new direction. My team and I are in a good position to continue moving forward with our ambitious agenda as we enter 2023.”
Adams served as mayor from 2009 to 2013 and ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2020 before joining Wheeler’s staff in 2021.
His time as mayor was damaged by allegations that, while serving on City Council, he had engaged in a sexual relationship with an underage legislative intern named Beau Breedlove. (Adams admitted that he had a sexual relationship with Breedlove, but said only after the intern turned 18. He had previously denied any sexual relationship.) Prosecutors brought no charges against Adams, deeming Breedlove’s allegations not credible.