Smackdown! The Portland Business Alliance endorses both Dozono and Adams
Kari Chisholm
Yesterday, the Portland Business Alliance endorsed both Sam Adams and Sho Dozono for Mayor.
The PBA is couching it in "let's all get along" terms, but let's be honest: This is a rebuke for Sho Dozono, who was once the board chair of the PBA and had made his pro-business agenda the primary issue in his campaign.
Now, don't get me wrong: Sam Adams has actually done a lot to help the small businesses that employ most Portlanders - which is why so many small business leaders have endorsed Sam for Mayor.
But make no mistake: When the main rationale for your campaign is your business experience and your business-friendly policies - and yet the big downtown business association (of which you used to be the chairman) doesn't give you their sole endorsement, you're in trouble.
Meanwhile, in addition to small business leaders, Sam is building support from hundreds of progressives all over the city - including the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the NW Labor Council, Bike Walk Vote, SEIU 49, former Governor Barbara Roberts, legislators Tina Kotek and Jackie Dingfelder, and even Storm Large!
Anyway, here's the news story from the Portland Business Journal:
Megan Doern, a PBA spokeswoman, said the dual endorsement of Adams and Dozono isn't that unusual because of the multi-candidate field running in the primary."We have great relationships with both of them, we know them well and they both have a strong understanding of what business means to the Portland region and economy," Doern said.
"The Alliance has a positive working relationship with each candidate and has found that both candidates have a number of attributes that would benefit the city, said Sam Brooks, chairman of the group's board of directors, in a statement.
The PBA analyzed candidates' plans for building a strong economic base for the city and creating family-wage jobs, as well as their commitment to working with the business community.
Full disclosure: My firm built Sam's campaign website, but I speak here only for myself.
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Apr 10, '08
Smackdown? Hardly. Kari, I think your analysis is way off the mark. This is actually huge for Dozono. Despite your disclaimer, I do not think you are being objective.
The PBA is, primarily, the downtown business establishment. Nearly all of them have matters before the city which, in many cases, are make or break for their businesses. Adams, the undisputed frontrunner, is known for having a very long political memory. Most of the heavy hitters in the PBA are scared to death of getting on the wrong side of Adams.
The dual endorsement makes a huge statement. They might be afraid of Adams, but they aren't afraid of putting Dozono on par with him. Second, and more importantly, by endorsing them both they send a message to their members that it's okay to keep their checkbooks closed.
The dual endorsement says the PBA thinks Sho has a good shot. That is a huge loss for Adams.
2:41 p.m.
Apr 10, '08
I do not think you are being objective.
Who said anything about being objective? I am not objective. I am supporting Sam Adams.
I provided my analysis. You think I'm wrong. Fine. Let's argue about the substance, not the meta.
Apr 10, '08
Considering how the PBA handles itself in a lot of cases I consider their endorsement on the same level I consider the endorsement of the NRA. It was pretty much the kiss of death for Francesconi.
Apr 10, '08
Kiss of death?
This is more like kissing your sister!
Apr 10, '08
Kari jabs: "Smackdown! blah blah blah... Full disclosure: My firm built Sam's campaign website, but I speak here only for myself."
Dave Lister counter punches: "Smackdown? Hardly. Kari, I think your analysis is way off the mark. This is actually huge for Dozono. Despite your disclaimer, I do not think you are being objective."
<h2>Kari shucks and jives: "Who said anything about being objective? I am not objective. I am supporting Sam Adams."</h2>Round One goes to Lighting Lister (hey, he was the first to comment, very fast outta the gate). His verbal jabs are no match for the heavy weight (but much slower) Kari.
We shall see if Kari can rebound off the ropes and get his game on.
Larry
ps I have no website, nor dog in this fight, just call 'em as I see 'em, with no financial gain to be had.
Apr 10, '08
How about this? It's a close race and they want to be friends with the next mayor no matter how good/bad he is.
You may want to tweak Mr Adams website since he seems to have blown a 20-point lead rather quickly. I'm just waiting for the dirty tricks and innuendo to start now.
Apr 10, '08
Sam Adams is trying to be everything to all people and that will hurt him in the long run. Nevertheless, I think he will be a quality mayor and perhaps maybe even governor or senator should his aspirations take him that far.
I know this, with Randy Leonard, Erik Sten and Sam Adams all but running the show the last few years our city is doing that bad.
We need however more families in the inner city for this town to thrive long term.
Apr 10, '08
...perhaps maybe even governor or senator should his aspirations take him that far.
Haha. That was a joke, right? That's why you used "perhaps" and "maybe" side by side in the same sentence, right??
Maybe he can build a tram that runs from Umatilla to Roseburg...
Apr 11, '08
We need however more families in the inner city for this town to thrive long term.
Ha! Are you kidding? Not with houses that cost 400k. Say hello to Gresham and Beavertron young people. The old status quo will roll here in inner PDX until the old hippies get bought out by the young Californian Republicans that made 2+ million on daddies home in California when he passed.
Apr 11, '08
Um, every major city that isn't losing people in droves (Cleveland, Detroit) is facing the same problem. Why? It's now cool to live closer to the city core. Keeping families is the question throughout the country, so I don't know that pointing it out as something unique to Portland--or something that is easily solved by government when the real estate market is a private one--is entirely fair.
I think the kind of person who can garner support from PBA, and from neighborhood business associations, and from Stand for Children, and from Bike.Walk.Vote, , and from labor, and from Oregon League of Conservation Voters is EXACLTY the kind of mayor we want. Someone with broad support, the ability the bring groups together, and the ability to get things done. (You don't get endorsements from just saying nice things.)
Full disclosure: I support Sam!
Apr 11, '08
Based on yesterday's poll results, we definitely have a horse race.
12:07 p.m.
Apr 11, '08
Justin,
I don't think that comment is completely accurate, writing as someone who is raising a large family in the City. I have watched family after family leave the city in the last few years because of schools, followed closely by housing.
Keep in mind that Portland is not that comparable to other large cities precisely because we HAVE kept our families in the city during the 1970s and 80s, at the same time most cities saw a tremendous decline in families (and in schools).
If one of our distinctive features is our affordable housing and our thriving public schools, we have to worry if we lose that advantage. In my own opinion, we will never win the competition for creative class professionals--they will ultimately migrate to San Francisco or Seattle, where they can make more money, or to whereever the next hip new urban area arises (SLC, Austin, Madison, RDU, etc).
Can government make a difference in this process? Of course they can.
One way is rhetorical, and when we have city leaders posting comments that the problem is that families have too high of expectations for the size of a house while ignoring the fact that most of the gentrification that is taking place involves non-families buying up (and living in) houses that used to have families.
But there are also policies. Our housing policies encourage lots of density without also providing sufficient green space, yards, parks, and other things of importance to families. Our economic policies discourage large corporations and industries from locating in the city because we don't like the fact that they buy goods from China or they are insufficiently green, which pushes working class folks into Washington. Our transportation policies focus on buses and light rail without recognizing that, for people with families, there is almost no way to live without at least one car (especially when we force all of the inexpensive shopping out of the city limits!).
I can't remember the last time I heard a city councilor say or do much about retaining families in the City other than Sten's long term work on low income housing. Lip service is given to the PPS, but I haven't seen sustained energy or engagement.