Hales, and Supporter, Hit Back at Harsh O Column

Portland Mercury:

In an email sent to supporters last night, Portland mayoral candidate Charlie Hales had some choice words for a column by Dave Lister, published yesterday by the Oregonian, that said Hales' residency problem was just one damning flaw in his quest for the 2012 mayoralty. Hales called the column "mean-spirited and untrue" and said, basically, that's what happens when people consider you the front-runner. An exceptionally blistering snippet from Lister's piece: Hales is the poster child for what's gone wrong in Portland, rather than what's gone right. Before going AWOL for many weeks and then abruptly quitting midway through his last term on the City Council, Hales was one of the principal architects behind transforming the Portland I love into a cheap imitation of San Francisco. Now Hales wants to be the next mayor so he can continue on that course. Hales' letter—in which he also says "enough already"—is accompanied by a response sent in by one of his supporters, longtime environmental wonk Gail Achterman. I'm not sure how spontaneous it is—it reads like a detailed restatement of Hales' campaign talking points. (Hales and I sat down yesterday, and touched on many of the same ideas. Expect to read more in the coming days.) Dave Lister's column about Charlie Hales was a bit over the top. I find his personal attacks on Charlie's integrity to be both misplaced and distasteful.... This is a non-issue. The exchange has already gotten some attention. Blue Oregon, earlier this morning, featured the letter, asking people to weigh in on whether Lister is running with a serious issue—or just taking cheap shots. Me, I'm not sure anyone actually sees Hales as the front-runner yet—or that anyone is, given that the primary is all the way in May, and that a likely runoff between whoever wins among Hales, New Seasons co-founder Eileen Brady, and current Mayor Sam Adams (yes, he'll run again) will wait until November 2012. But I guess that's part of what Hales has to say to explain—beyond the fact that he lived in Washington, no matter the reason, and then was fuzzy about it in the initial telling to WW—why he's still under the microscope. Not that Hales personally sees himself that way. Oh no. When he talked to me about Adams yesterday, Hales had this to say: "To quote Monty Python, 'he's not dead yet.'... The incumbent is the front-runner until further notice." Read Achterman's full response after the jump. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

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