Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler got a response from Mayor Sam Adams today on whether the city would help the county get federal matching funds to replace the Sellwood Bridge, as Wheeler proposed in March [PDF]. The City Council has now had six weeks to consider that request.
According to Wheeler, who met Tuesday afternoon with Adams, the mayor told the county chairman he would support funding the Sellwood Bridge replacement if the chairman supported the Oregon Convention Center hotel.
By Thursday.
“The mayor had previously stated several times the Sellwood Bridge is the City of Portland’s top transportation priority,” Wheeler told WW after his meeting with the mayor. “In meeting with the mayor today I asked him again whether they were prepared to make any kind of a commitment with regard to a local match on the Sellwood Bridge, and the mayor indicated he would be willing to support it provided that I would agree to support the headquarters hotel by Thursday. As you can imagine I told him ‘no.’ I would need more time to look at a project of that complexity.”
The mayor, Wheeler said, just provided him with information today about the proposed hotel’s financial assumptions.
“I don’t trade votes,” Wheeler said. “These are two completely separate issues. They’re both complex in and of their own right. People can have different opinions on these issues as a matter of policy. I think people need to weigh the issues completely separately and not co-mingle them.”
To consider Adams’ proposal, Wheeler says he needs time to examine the project’s funding. “I cannot possibly do that by Thursday, nor will I try,” Wheeler said.
The two leaders did, however, agree to split the cost of a number of services like the Hooper Detoxification Center, whose funding had been threatened by the current economic downturn, Wheeler says.
Roy Kaufmann, a spokesman for the mayor, didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
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Tags: Convention Center Hotel, Sam Adams, sellwood bridge, Ted Wheeler
I guess “quid pro quo” doesn’t mean a thing in the corrupt town.
Adams should be prioritizing the Sellwood bridge, school funding, and basic city services not expensive, speculative, schemes (convention center hotel or Paulson stadiums). Recall Sam.
Who bought lunch?
Mr Adams has invented an equivalence between the health and safety of the public who use the Sellwood Bridge and a controversial luxury hotel. That is, he has equated the necessary and long overdue replacement of the busiest two-lane bridge in the state with a controversial luxury hotel: replacement of a bridge that is rated a 2 on a scale of 0-100 for structural integrity is called equal — politically, by Mr Adams — to a controversial luxury hotel. That is extraordinary.
Many people continue to use the Sellwood Bridge for lack of an alternative in the south end of the city. Although TriMet buses no longer transit the bridge and large vehicles are formally excluded, I’ve been on the bridge when a double-decker tour bus crossed from the opposite side: not everyone respects how fragile the span has become. This is not extraordinary.
Will the bridge provide a warning prior to its collapse? That would be extraordinary.
Will Mr Adams continue to assert that replacement of the bridge is equivalent to one or another of his personal projects until it does crumble, perhaps during rush hour on a Friday afternoon? That would be extraordinarily cynical.
How can it be argued by anyone that Mr Adams is functioning for the benefit of the public?
Fuck Sam Adams…He’s going to be recalled and he knows it. He’s facing a criminal indictment in the next few weeks and he knows it. So he’s making hay while the sun shines, because the clock is ticking.
Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock…
At least Ted Wheeler seems to want to support and represent his constituents. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Sam who seems to be completely out of touch with his constituents. He appears to be self-serving and seems to be trying to spend as much of the city funds on unnecessary projects before his recall begins.
This is a disgusting proposal for a ‘trade’ by Sam Adams….basic infrastructure needs of our city for a optional hotel that might or might not ever make any $$. If he ever had any contact with reality he has surely lost it now and yet another example of his skewed priorities and thought process. And I voted for him! I feel shame.
As my car is slowly filling with water after the bridge has collapsed, I will use my last breath of air to curse both their names.
Good for Wheeler, I appreciate his integrity. Next desperate Adams will be slipping 20’s to people under the table. Thank you Mr. Wheeler for standing up to him & his bribery attempt. July is almost here, anyone with questions about Adams fitness to lead should be ready to sign up by now. Keep digging Sam, it’ll make it easier to get recall signatures.
Good for Ted Wheeler! Now we know that Sam Adams could fund the Sellwood Bridge if he wanted to. He obviously doesn’t care as much about the safety risk of the decaying bridge as he does about a fancy new hotel.
Remember Sam’s creed folks, “I get things done.”
He’s looking desperate to prove it these days, and failing miserably. Which turns out to be not such a bad thing.
Ted Wheeler is a breath of fresh air.
Private money should fund a ‘luxury’ hotel, as it does in Vegas.
Keeping up with the Jones’ will kill this city. Building a functioning city with maintained means of transportation, low crime, good schools and reasonable corporate tax structure will far outweigh any MLS team or hotel.
This city wastes more time talking about professional franchises, re-naming streets and building outrageously expensive monuments to honor itself than any of us can afford.
If Adams would help fund the bridge, no strings attached, it might be the “win” that would sway my opinion in the anticipated Recall Sam effort. Not a stadium or hotel, but that silly little bridge in SE/SW Portland.
Then again, if Wheeler were to run for Mayor, post recall…Whoo-hooo! Go Ted!
I love Ted Wheeler. I declare myself, from now on, a Wheeler Girl. Unfortunately I am a little too rumpled and creased and dimpled to feel comfortable making a youtube video on the subject, so this post will have to do.
Then again, if Wheeler were to run for Mayor, post recall…Whoo-hooo! Go Ted!
Trouble is, we need Wheeler at the county… Jeff Cogen, anyone?
The County needs Jeff, too…how about Charlie Hales for mayor?
The Sellwood Bridge is not safe for buses or large loads, eventually it will be unsafe for cars. Even now it is a disaster waiting to happen. In addition, it is a traffic nightmare and dangerous to cyclists. To withhold approval and funding for a separate pet project, is shameless.
Any comment from the Timber Army? Has struggling song stylist Storm Large squawked a note? Is her new single “How Great Thou Are” on hold? Has The State of California, changed their decision about how many prison cells they build are partially based on the reading scores of California’s third-graders in support of Sam? Will Pink Martini perform a benefit? Will it be at the Nines? Has Amy Ruiz found something to do in pity hall? Any words of wisdom from porn magazine Unzipped cover boy Beau Breedlove? What’s the writing on the 2nd floor men’s room disclose? Will Portland builders, planners and developers survive? Will Tom Moyer fill his downtown hole with the fallout of this mess? Will Roy Kaufmann ever answer his phone again? Is it true Randy Leonard said Vera Katz traded votes so its OK?
It’s a pity in the Rose City we have to put up with this mayor through July.
Excellent.
I live in Sellwood and travel across this bridge nearly every day. It is obvious that it is crumbling and needs to be replaced immediately. I’m saddened that our Mayor would rather play politics than do anything meaningful for the people of this city. He certainly seems more interested in building hotels, financing soccer and other useless projects that won’t benefit most of us. I’m sorry to say I voted for the guy because he just lost my support for good.
I’ll spring anyone posting here to a drink who comes to the brewhaha, 115 NW 5th, Backspace, on the 28th at 7pm, just ask the bartender to put it on my tab. (Although I’m not exaclty sure what the level of service will be, the ad just said “drinks”). Technically a discussion on urban renewal but I suspect there will be a few people there discussing what to do about finding our next mayor.
gaye harris….perhaps there’s a place on Craig’s List you can hunt for drinking buddies and whatever else you’re looking for here. Be careful though.
Rumor has it that Wheeler will run for Mayor if Adams steps down or is pushed out. Cogen’s next step should be County Chair. The two of them would move mountains for this community.
Like Adams would ever “step down”….or his manufacturers ever allow him. Way too many eggs in that basket.
[...] One week after Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler told WW Adams was making his support of the Sellwood Bridge reconstruction project contingent on [...]