It's becoming harder and harder to escape the sense that we're all bearing unwitting witness to Sam Adams' self-destruction. And I'm not even talking about news that two people at the scene smelled alcohol on the mayor's breath Sunday after he T-boned another car with his pickup.... Talent plus hubris plus human frailty equals misery for everyone.... Please note: The issue here is not and has never been sex. Responsible adults fib their way out of poor relationship choices all the time. The issue here is a man whose immense intelligence and charisma go hand in hand with secretive and self-destructive tendencies, a man who lied to win election and responded to that one mistake by making many, many more.
Time was when I suspected that maybe, just maybe, Portland Mayor Sam Adams possessed the wherewithal to survive his own arrogance and hubris and actually lead Portland into something resembling the future. That was then...and yet the reality now is far different. It's simply no longer possible for me to delude myself into believing that Adams any longer possesse even the barest shred of credibility. Adams lied, not once but numerous times, in an effort to win election to the Mayor's office. Once in office, the lies continued in an effort to stay there. By so doing, Adams has turned both himself and his agenda into running joke.
I could care less about whether or not Adams had sex with Beau Breedlove, Simon Cowell, or the Portland State defensive backfield. Sam Adams certainly isn't the first male to be guilty of thinking with the wrong head (Lord knows mine has led me astray a time or two). The lying, the prevarications, and the willful manipulation of the truth...those are things that no decent, well-meaning person can ignore.
It's not just that Adams lied about his relationship with the then-17-year-old Breedlove. It's the fact that the volumes of lies serve to underscore Adams' complicated and misguided relationship with the truth. It's that Adams has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated a appalling lack of integrity and judgment. Blinded by ambition and his refusal to accept any counsel save his own, Adams now finds himself in an almost untenable position. If he does not resign, it's now virtually certain that Adams will as of July 1st find himself the target of a recall campaign. If he cared about Portland as much as he professes to, he'd save taxpayers the expense of mounting a recall campaign.
Not so very long ago, I thought the idea of recalling Sam Adams to be overcooked. Now I'm beginning to think that it may well be exactly the right thing to do. If Adams will not do the right thing by Portland and resign, then the people of Portland should resign Adams. At this point, I don't see any other alternative.
It's time to go, Sam. You had the chance to do the right thing and tell the truth. Had you done that, odds are that all of this would have eventually blown over. Unfortunately, you chose to lie- early and often- and you've demonstrated that the people of Portland can no longer trust you. While Portlanders tend to be very laid-back, live and let live sorts, they cannot and should not be be expected to tolerate a mayor completely devoid of integrity.
Do the right thing. Resign. Portland deserves better.
