Mayor 2012: Chief Reese is out.

Kari Chisholm

Portland Police Chief Mike Reese has announced that he will not be a candidate for Mayor in 2012.

From his statement:

After careful consideration, I've decided that I can best serve the community and the Portland Police Bureau by remaining the Chief of Police. I will not be a candidate for Mayor. I appreciate the kind words of support and encouragement that have been offered to me these past few weeks. It has been humbling to say the least to hear these positive comments.

Running for political office is a time-consuming and daunting task. I wish all the candidates the best as they move forward with their campaigns.

The announcement comes on the heels of a very bad series of news stories, including the pepper-spray photo heard 'round the world, Reese's attempt to blame Occupy Portland for a slow response to a rape victim, and his appearance at an Urban League dinner (in which he stood up, in full uniform, when political candidates were asked to stand). Not to mention the bizarre dance around Reese asking to be invited to the labor debate, and then bailing out on the day of the debate by sending a long letter for debate sponsors to read (though, to their credit, they only read the first few paragraphs.)

It's hard to imagine that Reese would have been a successful candidate for Mayor, after all that's happened in the last few weeks.

What do you think? Good riddance? Or an opportunity lost? Can Reese be an effective police chief after all of this?

By Kari Chisholm Nov. 21, 2011