Portland Mayor Sam Adams remained out of the public eye as City Hall work went on without him Thursday, but he said Portlanders should expect a decision "within days" about whether he'll resign or fight for his job. He spent the day on "discussions of a personal nature" with people such as his pastor and his mentor, former Mayor Vera Katz.... "It's important I learn the lessons that need to be learned, regardless of what I decide," Adams said. "That's what I'm talking to folks about right now. Clearly, tell the truth no matter what is one of those. These people I talked with today were blunt. They were brutally honest.
I have to admit that watching the public demise and humiliation of Portland Mayor Sam Adams is tough to take. The man's been in office for 22 days, and already he's staring reality in the face- the reality that he needs to resign. As much as it pains me to say that, Adams needs to face the fact that, like it or not, rightly or wrongly, politicians are held to higher standards than the rest of us. There's a reason I've never run for public office; it's because I refuse to be held to that standard (I'd be found wanting, BTW). Adams made his choice, and by doing so willingly and knowingly accepted the risks and realities of being in the public eye. Now he finds himself having to face the consequences of a very public lack of judgment and integrity.
By now, the story of Adams' involvement with Beau Breedlove has been well chronicled in the Portland media. Personally, I believe Adams' assertion that he waited until Breedlove turned 18 in order to begin a sexual relationship. As for the rest of the story, I'm sticking my fingers in my ear and la la la la la la....
I don't care if Adam's buggers knotholes, and I don't care who he does it with. If we're talking about two consenting adults here, it's no one's g-----n business. I have no interest in the prurient aspects of this sorry tale. What does concern me, and what ultimately and sadly turned me against Adams, is his lack of integrity. If Adams had been honest and open about his relationship with Breedlove during the campaign, it seems unlikely that anyone would have cared for very long. Yeah, Adams is gay. So what? Yeah, Adams boinked an 18-year-old man. So, what? The fact that Adams not only lied about the affair AND asked Breedlove to lie about it? From where I sit, THAT is the problem.
I still think that Sam Adams is the best thing that could have happened to Portland at this point in history. Unfortunately, if he decides to remain in office he'll be hamstrung and pretty much completely ineffective. Adams may now be trying to make up his mind, and seeking counsel from those he respects is a good thing. Facing up to having to submit your resignation after 22 days in office has got to be humbling. Having said that, however, Adams (to use a particularly inappropriate pun) has made his own bed, and it's time to sleep in it. He did this to himself.
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I've been torn about my feelings in this matter. I was excited about Adams' election, secure in my belief that he has a lot of good things to offer Portland. If I possess even the barest shred of intellectual honesty, though, I'd have to admit that if Adams was a Republican I'd be doing my best Mark Slackmeyer impression (apologies to Garry Trudeau):
Portland (indeed, any city) deserves a leader that can be trusted to do the right thing when things get tough. In Adams' case, when things got tough his first instinct was to lie and cover his tracks. Integrity should be assumed; voters shouldn't have to wonder if their mayor is being honest and open with them. Sam Adams has failed his first big test as Mayor of Portland.
I'm the last person to be casting aspersions upon another man for thinking with the wrong head. Lord knows I've been guilty of the same thing a time or two (or six) in my own life. For me, though, this isn't about sex; it's about integrity. It's about the ability of the citizens of Portland to have confidence in the honesty and integrity of their elected leader. Three weeks into his term, Sam Adams has screwed the pooch (no pun intended) on this one. As much as it pains me to own up to this reality, it time for him to do the right thing.
Resign.
