Even after the allegation I still feel he is the best person to hold the job of Mayor of Portland.
I just wish he would have been truthful about his relationship from the beginning.
He might not be Mayor now if he had.
_______________________________________________________
I tried not to count the days, but it was so hard!
I grew up with another Bush in the White House ruining our country.
When "W" was sElected, I knew they would screw up so bad they might never get another chance.
We will see...
________________________________________________________
January 5, 2009
Thank you Portland! My name is Sam Adams. I am honored to be your
mayor.
Thank you for the introduction. And thank you Parkrose High School
Broncos for your hospitality!
What a glorious and quirky city we have. Where else can you buy a
donut designed to look like ?dirt?? Or browse one of the world?s
largest bookstores and then walk a couple of blocks to the world?s
smallest park. There is a reason experts always seem to rank us so
high. As the nation?s most livable city, the best city for seniors,
the best city for walkers -- a city known for its bikers and hikers;
food and flowers; beer and bridges.
The reason for all this is clear: That reason is you. Us. All of us.
Because we have created this think-different, keep-it-real,
improve-the-world kind of culture; a culture of sustainability, a
culture you can?t find just anywhere else. It is the reason why
Portland is a city we can love. And it?s those values that position
us to thrive at this moment of transition and transformation.
Portland has also become what it is, in part, because of our leaders.
Like Mayor Tom Potter. He brought youth, immigrants, Portlanders of
color into civic decision-making. Like Mayor Bud Clark. He boosted
the city?s rainy day fund from a few thousand dollars to $20 million.
And like my dear friend, Mayor Vera Katz. She created beautiful
Portland places like the esplanade that circles the Willamette. Thank
you. We are better people and a better place because of you.
And before I go further, I want to thank my family, like my brother
and sisters, my Mom and Dad; my boyfriend, Peter; and all the friends
who keep me grounded and accountable. I love you guys.
It?s a new year, and now Portland has new leadership. The 2009 City
Council brims with fresh ideas. Please stand up. Auditor Gary
Blackmer; Commissioners Nick Fish, Amanda Fritz, Randy Leonard and Dan
Saltzman: I am excited to work with you. We are a small team with big
plans, a city council willing to take on smart but unconventional
ideas that give Portland its standout innovations. Also: Portland has
strong bureau management and dedicated city workers. You will help us
steer a constructive course. I have a tremendous team: perhaps the
best mayoral staff in public service today, anywhere. Will my team
please stand up.
Together ? with all Portlanders ? we will make the city even better.
Because Portland is better together and because Portland belongs to
all of us.
We will do more than just push back on the problems that confront us.
Together, we will push ahead. Our goals are tough but doable. Make
Portland the greenest city on earth. Stoke our capacity for
creativity and groundbreaking innovation. Brand and sell
Portland-made products and services around the globe. Find more of
our people family-wage jobs and affordable housing. Keep Portlanders
safe. And, regardless of neighborhood or race or household income,
educate all of our kids to world-class standards.
As mayor, I will take risks to innovate. I will be grateful to those
who help. If things don?t work out as expected, I will take
responsibility for failures. To those who disagree with me, let?s not
be disagreeable. I promise to listen to you. Your ideas may be better
than mine and your participation makes us stronger. Because Portland
is better together.
Our community, of course, has problems -- big problems ? and fixing
them will be tough. The work might go slow. This will be
frustrating, at times. But we need to recognize that our problems can
also offer us opportunities. One thing is absolutely certain:
Despite the worst economic recession in 60 years bearing down on us,
Portland cannot wait; the time to move is now.
To set a standard of action, in coming weeks I will announce my plans
for the first 100 days in office. To set a standard of inclusion, I
will soon announce my citizen mayoral cabinet members.
In addition to supporting the work of my council colleagues, as mayor,
my focus is on jobs, education and sustainable planning.
Let?s talk about jobs first.
Jobs
Almost three out of ten Portlanders are unemployed or make so little
they can barely afford basic essentials like food. This means the
city needs more family-wage jobs. Good jobs that come from successful
and ethical businesses. The City Council will work to support such
companies to open, expand and stay here. And we have already started.
The resurgent Portland Development Commission and Governor Ted
Kulongoski last month helped us attract the proposed North American
headquarters of Vestas Wind Systems. That?s 850 more jobs and a
quarter of a billion dollars in a private-sector investment in
Portland. Now we need our legislature to approve the deal.
To help businesses more immediately, the Portland City Council this
month will unveil the city?s first local job creation and economic
stimulus package. I intend it to include scholarships so people
recently laid off can get training at our Worksource Centers and
community colleges. Also, I want provisions in the stimulus package
to give local companies ? and companies that hire local workers ? ?buy
local? preferences in awarded city contracts.
To build our local economy on a firm foundation of accountability, we
aim to integrate these and other efforts into an economic development
plan. And, as Mayor, I am putting out the city?s ?welcome mat? to
businesses.
Schools
Another area of focus for me is schools.
Here?s one figure that scares me. Count off four eighth graders. One.
Two. Three. Four. In Portland, chances are that two of them will
drop out of high school.
Making sure our children graduate high school is more than an ethical
thing; it is a smart investment in our future prosperity. Our economy
hinges on an educated workforce.
So, Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and I have created a new
education improvement partnership with local school districts and
local school foundations. We are collecting the best ideas on how to
reduce the dropout rate. Here is one idea. Studies show that 8th
graders going on to 9th grade are more likely to excel academically if
they get workplace experience during their summer vacation.
So let?s help our students get the experience they need. Let?s create
the Portland Youth Corps. For the summer of 2009, just five months
away, the Portland Youth Corp would need 250 adults to volunteer as
coaches. These coaches will partner with employers to welcome young
people to the workplace. You will be asked.
Schools make the American Dream possible. We need our families and
teachers to educate our students to first class standards so all our
children can soar. Yes, education costs money. Ignorance costs more.
Let's invest now.
Sustainability
My third priority is sustainability.
Sustainability means meeting our needs without compromising our
children?s ability to thrive. It means economic, social and
environmental justice.
We all know which bad habits that contribute to this planet?s
potential environmental doom. We rely on a dwindling supply of fossil
fuels. Burning them poisons our atmosphere. Our climate is changing
faster than experts expected.
Here?s a silver lining to this toxic cloud: Portland is the ideal
starting place for this nation to get serious about environmental
sustainability. We can show what?s possible, setting an example the
rest of the world can follow. And we can prove sustainability pays
off. Our economy benefits from an estimated $2.6 billion annual green
dividend. Portlanders get money back into their pockets through the
automobile miles not driven, worse congestion not experienced and
pollution not breathed. Our green dividend grew from public
investments in transit and land-use planning.
Portland may be the greenest city in the country. That?s no longer
good enough. We aim to be the greenest city on earth. We can do this
with thoughtful planning that integrates Portland?s value of
sustainability into everything we do. I want to see this philosophy
put into action with the completion of the Portland Plan, a blueprint
for the next 30 years.
The Portland Plan will put density where density belongs and shape our
city so that the necessities of a good life, like grocery stores, are
a 20-minute walk from home.
But we need more than planning. We need more sustainable ?doing,?
too.
So, I am thrilled today to join the Governor and the Oregon University
System to announce the proposed Oregon Sustainability Center, to be
located in the Portland State University district. Governor
Kulongoski has included $80 million of state bonds in his proposed
budget to help pay for it. Thank you, Governor.
A green revolution is about to bloom across America. Let?s make
Portland the hub.
Better Together
In closing, I want to repeat a quote that I used on the campaign
trail:
The Scottish writer Alasdair Gray once wrote, ?Work as if we are
living in the early days of a better nation.?
To me, this means working with a young nation spirit of belonging to
something you can believe in. Even in the toughest of times,
Portlanders never let our ?young nation?? spirit die. At our best,
Portlanders do more than just push back on problems. We push ahead.
If we can channel our collective energy for the common good, there?s
no stopping us, no problem we can?t solve, no opportunity we cannot
seize.
In the coming days, the City Council will announce an initiative that
will make it easier for Portlanders to pitch in. Imagine a Portland
with more people like Matt Todd, a city maintenance worker I met in
December during a late-night ride-a-long on a city plow.
Matt volunteers as a groundskeeper for Jefferson High School. Nobody
asked him to, but every summer, he mows and edges the sports fields.
He keeps the school?s outdated irrigation system functioning. He
spends many, many hours making the fields look better. Matt has
respect, appreciation and fulfillment that come with improving a piece
of Portland. Thank you, Matt.
I will work hard as your mayor to make Portland even better. And I ask
that you work at it, too: because Portland is better together, and the
responsibility for its care belongs to all of us.
We need everyone?s help to move Portland forward, so I will close by
paraphrasing a hero of mine, Harvey Milk, a great city leader, ?My
name is Sam Adams, and I?m here to recruit you!?
Thank you.
Mayor Sam Adams
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