The latest from mayoral candidate Sho Dozono is either a flip-flop, a preemptive CYA (see definition No. 1) or simply pap.
Last night on KATU, reporter Bob Heye asked Dozono what he’d do if an administrative judge in Tualatin* decides Dozono isn’t eligible for public campaign financing, because of his fudged handling of a Zombie Poll.
Dozono seemed to suggest he’d stay in the race with private financing—contradicting his earlier public statements that he’d only run if he were certified for public campaign financing.
Dozono’s response to Heye, in full: “I think the campaign has already started, you know. Whether I can actually run a competitive race with only the $40,000 I’ve raised, uh—that is money I have available. I would hope that citizens might come to my aid and support me in some other significant way.”
Dozono campaign manager Amie Abbott did not immediately return a call for comment.
Here’s the KATU clip.
* Here’s the details on that hearing:
OFFICE OF CITY AUDITOR
CITY OF PORTLAND
Gary Blackmer, City Auditor
City Elections
MARCH 11, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Three candidates for Mayor have filed Requests For Hearing to appeal the decision of the City Auditor to grant certification to Sho Dozono:
Beryl McNair, Craig Gier, and Bruce Broussard.
The certification hearing has been scheduled for 9:00 a.m., Monday, March 17, 2008.
The certification hearing location will be:
Office of Administrative Hearings
7995 SW Mohwak St.
Tualatin, OR 97062
Presiding Administrative Law Judge David Gerstenfeld will issue notices of hearing tomorrow. When the Auditor is in receipt of a notice, it will be posted on PortlandOnline and issued in a press release.
***
Also on the Voter-Owned Elections tip:
There was a flare-up at City Council today over Commissioner Randy Leonard and Mayor Tom Potter’s push to reduce by nearly two-thirds the $200,000 in public campaign financing that would be available to Jim Middaugh in the event of a June runoff with lawyer Nick Fish.
Here’s why it’s a touchy subject. Middaugh and Fish are the top contenders to replace Erik Sten on the Council. Leonard and Potter’s chief of staff are backing Fish. Middaugh is Sten’s chief of staff.
WWire missed the fireworks today, but the upshot is, Leonard and Sten (and Leonard and Auditor Gary Blackmer) went at it for a while, and in the end the Council kicked the matter back to the Citizens Campaign Commission.
In so doing, Commissioners Sam Adams and Dan Saltzman expressed their reservations about the professionalism of the Campaign Commission, a volunteer body that whose members the Council appoints. The Commission’s meetings are somewhat, as Adams put it, informal.
Mayor Tom Potter wants the matter settled well before the May 20 primary. Of course, if any candidate for Sten’s seat takes over 50 percent of the vote in that election, the point is moot.
- ‘I hope [Dozono] stays in the race,’ Adams says Mayoral ca
- Dozono Pollgate Update The possi
- Dozono Explains the Poll; Auditor’s Decision Tomorrow Tomorrow,
- Dozono Gets the Money! Auditor G
- Dozono Poll Turns Into A Zombie The also-
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This criticism calling this turn of events a flip-flop is nonsensical.
What do expect Dozono to do, when all the opponents want is to have him now qualify for public financing?
It just shows how committed Dozono is to his constituents, and his supporters are backing him to run anyway, so if the author of this post is going to be critical, try being critical of the masses who are asking Sho to run despite setbacks.
Dozono probably wants very much to have the Auditor’s decision confirmed at Monday’s hearing, but in the event that he the Auditor’s decision is overturned Sho should run regardless. There’s no reason Dozono shouldn’t be a candidate.
It’s not just this flip flop that is bothering people — he also flip-flopped on whether he knew about the poll or not. First he didn’t who commissioned it, and it turns out he actually interviewed for it from the beginning. Then he says he’s paying for the poll, then he says the lobbyist paid for the poll. Now it’s I’ll only use public financing changing to I’ll do whatever it takes. I mean – just run your race already, man. Pick a story and stick to it.
I’m glad SOMEBODY is keeping track of Sho’s flip-flops. (The St. Johns Sentinel tracked Erik Sten’s changes of position during the Chavez Boulevard debacle; the count, they said, was "at least" four flips. Sten’s not running for anything, but it would be useful information if he were.)
Who, exactly, are Sho’s "constituents"? If he’s elected, he’s mayor of the WHOLE city — we’re all his constituents. And at this point, his messages to his prospective constituents seem to be coming out of both sides of his mouth.
This is a snap shot of the train wreck we call city hall. The ugly side of poor planning. Tom Potter stop this bad idea and put things right, shelf it. No more crazy ideas please. You non leaders in charge and on the city council just finish out your time and turn in your keys. No more kookie ideas or schemes, no more criminal activity. If you guys want to finish out your crooked carers in style how about doing something about the metal thefts? Put the scrap behind the counter Randy.
And how many lies has Sam Adams told?
"And how many lies has Sam Adams told?": Who knows? Why don’t you make a list and post it? Count up Sho’s lies, too, while you’re at it, so we can be "objective" about it all.
"he’d only run if he were certified for public campaign financing"
He was certified. Where is the flip flop? I don’t see it.
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