Wade Nkrumah, who resigned as Mayor Sam Adams’ spokesman in January, has filed a notice of tort claim (PDF) against the mayor and the City of Portland alleging Adams “damaged his business reputation” when he told KATU that Nkrumah resigned because the job was “not what he signed up for in terms of stress.”
Nkrumah, a former long-time reporter for The Oregonian, is seeking more than $162,000 in his claim along with attorney’s fees.
The paperwork filed May 14 by Nkrumah’s attorney Michael Hanlon, puts the city on notice that Nkrumah intends to file a claim. In that notice, Nkrumah says he resigned from the spokesman’s job Jan. 26, telling Adams both in a letter and in person that the reason for the resignation was that the mayor had lied to him twice about Adams’ relationship with Beau Breedlove.
Nkrumah says the first lie came in the Jan. 15 interview WW had with Adams in the presence of Nkrumah and Adams staffer Amy Ruiz when Adams denied any “sexual contact” or “sexual relationship of any kind” with Beau Breedlove.
Nkrumah says a second lie came in a meeting Adams had on Jan. 22 attended by 20-plus staffers at the home of chief of staff Tom Miller. Nkrumah says he asked Adams at that meeting if there had been any “flirting” or “touching” before Breedlove turned 18.
“Adams answered unequivocally no,” Nkrumah says in the claim, noting that Adams’ answer was contradicted by subsequent news stories that quoted Breedlove saying he and the mayor had kissed twice when Breedlove was 17, once in a City Hall bathroom.
Nkrumah’s claim goes on to say that Adams was “extremely nervous” at his Jan. 26 meeting with him about what Nkrumah would say publicly about his resignation. Nkrumah says Miller and he agreed later that Nkrumah would respond to all inquiries about the resignation with a “no comment” and that Miller would say he does “not comment on personnel matters.”
However, Adams told KATU on Jan. 27 that Nkrumah resigned because the job was “not what he signed up for in terms of stress.”
“In fact, when Claimant resigned, and Adams stated that stress was a reason, Claimant made it clear to Adams that ’stress’ was not an issue,” according to the notice of tort claim. “Rather it was Adams’ lying as a public official (with ethical obligations to avoid even the appearance of impropriety and a duty to treat the office of mayor as a public trust) that created intolerable working conditions. Adams’ continued issuance of false statements to the electorate made it impossible to continue in good conscience as his spokesperson. As Claimant informed Adams: ‘The reason I am resigning is because of the lies.”
A message left this afternoon seeking comment from mayoral spokesman Roy Kaufmann was not immediately returned.
- Breaking: Sam Adams Spokesman Wade Nkrumah Resigns (Updated with comment from Adams’ office) Wade Nkru
- Ex-Spokesman For Mayor Sam Adams Files Lawsuit (Updated with response) Wade Nkru
- Adams’ Admission Reaction: The Reason Sam Adams’ Spokesman Resigned WW has le
- Adams’ Admission Reaction: Nkrumah Was Not Adams’ First Staffer to Leave When Sam
- Beau Breedlove Tells KGW That Mayor Sam Adams Lied About What Happened And That He’s Mad About It (UPDATED with comment from Adams’ spokesman) Beau Bree
Tags: Follow-up, Sam Adams, Wade Nkrumah
Interesting claim from someone who i hear did not enjoy actually working for a paycheck and was disappointed to know the pace in City Hall meant hourlong lunches do not occur.
Bet Representative Blumenauer may be wishing he hadn’t gone and invited George Will to the city of neon roses in quite so public a forum, when he reads this.
Yeah, I feel for Wade Nkrumah. There’s a reason I am an ‘ExCityEmployee’. Nkrumah seems like a very decent and ethical person. I’m sorry he found himself muddled in such a dysfunctional and unethical workplace. I also find it shows how smart and professional Nkrumah is since he was the ONLY one in the WWeek interview from the Mayor’s office that new how serious this matter is and that he just just not say anything. Nkrumah, I’d hire you in a minute – you are obviously a communications pro.
Once again, if Adams had just kept his mouth shut with a simple “no comment” or “we do not comment on HR matters” there would have been no problem. But Adams and his band of merry airheads (Ruiz) just can’t seem to get it through their arrogant, thick skulls that A) lying will come back to bite you one way or another B) that getting others to lie for you is sure to piss people off and is unethical, especially in the public sector and C) running off at the mouth is bad for everyone.
Adams, just resign already. Ruiz you need to go to, if you care about any sort of professional reputation for future work you’d understand how your reputation is pretty much destroyed by continuing to support this sham of a Mayor.
“Interesting claim from someone who i hear did not enjoy actually working for a paycheck and was disappointed to know the pace in City Hall meant hourlong lunches do not occur.”
you heard wrong, “slacker”. Nkrumah, in fact, had the *opposite* reputation.
Nice try, though.
Next up, lawsuits from Beau Breedlove, Merritt Paulson, and the poor schmuck that got rear ended by Sam’s “I thought the gas was the brake pedal” truck on Jantzen Beach.
I am reading the tea leaves here and have to wonder about the timing of this news in the same week we are predicting the AG report release…it’s not clear how there would be any good ulterior motive, (other than picking a moment when it is becoming clear that the end is nigh, just to help with the finishing of the job. Ex-employees can be so vindictive!)
I do find it an interesting coincidence.
I am not dumb enough to reveal my identity but can tell you I had the opportunity to work with Wade on a professional basis on several occasions. I found him to be courteous, prompt, and willing to go the extra mile. It does not surprise me that an ethical person could no longer work for a liar.
What ever happened to Sams #1 Fan and self appointed triage officer — Hollie Teal?
I worked with Wade for eight years at the O and he was one of my favorite co-workers — always extremely courteous, professional and above-board. When I heard the mayor’s version of things I had a good laugh, cuz I’ve never seen Wade sweat anything — he is one of those calm, cool and collected guys.
You know It’s gonna get stranger, let’s get on with the show…
I’m agnostic on this whole situation, but it’s too bad there are SO many opportunist’s out there…regardless of whether someone lied about their sex life…
hmm…who hasn’t? please cast the first stone.
I believe we are all getting caught up in the minutia of this, that, and the other. Distraction is a formidable opponent. We all realize the issue is professional integrity, i.e. Samuel Adams’ conduct. Not all of Portland’s voting citizens believe Sam should resign; however, a majority certainly do. Nkrumah has staked his professional reputation on the line in order to stay true to his ethical belief. Our other elected officials will not even make a stand. The very type of person this city needs is out. And, the devil runs the roost. Would it not be in Portland’s best interest to clean house and get rid of them all. I am tired of elected officials ignoring the majority of the constituents. Or, is this the basic premise of Democracy?
Oh, I’ve been pissed at the City since I left a long time ago when Adams was still a council person and when I witnessed what can only be described as some of the most egregious and blatant cronyism and lack of ethics I’ve seen in my many years in public service. Nothing new there. This was the Mazzotti years at PDC; you know the same guy who suddenly “resigned” over all kinds of icky ethics problems and Oregonian/Willamette Week scathing reports and the same guy that’s now working with Merrit Paulson and negotiating with Adams and Leonard on MLS….hmm, you think that’s a good idea for the City?
And if the City hadn’t treated so many of their employees so badly the past few years(you know such as asking them to do things such as fudge numbers on documents or lie for the Mayor (such as the above example), work with “policy advisory” who are ignorant and non-skilled or educated in complex policy and technical issues, Blowing off employees who have taken serious whistle blowing claims to City Council who ignored them, targeting employees for retaliation when they piped up, etc. There would probably be a whole lot less “vindictive” ex-employees out there.”
It just disgusts me to see Portland fall into such a bad state of public service from our elected officials when there are so many hard working and honest men and women working for the city who want to do the right thing. Adams should be ashamed of his behavior (not his personal life — I could give a rip), but his professional behavior — And a trip to Belgium with two staff people during one of the biggest budget crises the city has seen in decades and while staff people are having hours cut and being layed off. How much did that cost the city and what kind of message do you think it sends to city employees over morale. It says, I Sam Adams come 1st. Everyone else can suck it. Trust me ex-employees and many current employees are JUST LIVID. (as they should be).
You should hear the vile frustration from the people I know still working in the bureaus. People who can’t get any work done because of the mayor’s three ring circus and bad decision making. People who have always worked hard and ethnically, for less pay they would get in the private sector only to be slapped in the face with having to triple their workloads because Sam had to cut their bureau’s budgets (but not their workloads) while he buffs up hazy new hire positions for non-critical things like “arts liaison” and the dozen of unskilled “policy advisers” he just made positions for. Oh yeah, you know, people in the bureaus are just PISSED right now. As they should be. They can’t get any work done and have a “leader” that puts himself first above the needs of the city.
Lessons? Keep the workplace clean, treat your employees with respect and generally people will be happy working for you, and happy when they leave. Treat them like c*a* and well…here we are. Kind of a no-brainier.
Thank you for your post. I for one have been waiting for someone with inside knowledge from experience, to tell it like it really is in that fortress. We can imagine, but you brought it home. The “merry airheads”. I’ve seen this group in action, they gave me the creeps. Felt there had to be an insider name for them. This works just fine.
Much credit to Wade for taking his stance against our lying, unethical, and corrupt Sam. This must take immense courage and integrity, since none of the other city commissioners or civic leaders have been able to speak out against Sam. Their silence has been deafening.
Wade wrote a story on me once..he was honest, professional, and hell…even spelled the name right.
In the time he was around my wife and myself, there was an solid, professional manner about him.
If I bet money on the truth coming from SAM vs Wade…hands down…Wade wins.
I’ve posted some thoughts on this story at:
http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/chuck_currie/2009/05/wade-nkrumah-former-adams-staffer-sues-city.html
Wade wins vs. Sam in the integrity race. i don’t know Wade’s score but Sam’s is zero.
If I had a nickel for everytime Sam won anything I’d have…well, nothing.
Kudos to Wade for being legit and speaking up, the rest of the idiots can say what they want but until they actually speak up as well, we’re going to be stuck with one sorry ass reputaion.
Hopefully this is a start in the right direction
God forbid me from my boss ever telling me the whole truth about his or her sex life! Wade wants to make some cash. whatever.
.Jim says:
May 21, 2009 at 12:20 am
God forbid me from my boss ever telling me the whole truth about his or her sex life! Wade wants to make some cash.
HEY DOC..TAKE A PILL.
Sam is all about Sam. He shows the classic signs of a narcissist: inability to admit mistakes or bad judgment, blaming of others to deflect responsibility, believing rules don’t apply to him. He may say he loves this city but actions speak louder than words. I feel sorry for those who still trust the guy.
p.s. Am I the only person on earth who hasn’t lied about my sex life? I find that hard to believe. (I actually find it a very entertaining subject!)
Good point sosickofit. WHY WOULD anyone feel they have to lie about their sex life, at least here in Oregon, anyway.
Excluding of course those who film having sex with their poor pit bull, and other than that, who in the world else lies about their sex life?
Who in the freak has missed out on the big prominent and sexually suggestive gay billboards around Burnside and Broadway all these years, or the bondage sex costumes openly displayed in the windows on West Burnside, season in and season out, who of us (gay or straight) hasn’t at least once danced their toes into a mini pool of bloody sweat, stuffed into too tight sexy new shoes at The Embers, while glancing over and seeing someone from your Dr’s office, necking with someone of the gender you hadn’t really stopped to considered as their choice, but then it just caught you by surprise for a moment. Who of us hasn’t begged off from joining old college friends here to visit from out of town, when they asked to be dropped off at Mary’s after one two many Edgar Allen Poe martinis?
I mean…when it comes right down to it, who in this town hasn’t slipped into one of those big old antique beds at a compa ny Christmas party held at the Pittock mansion, when they’d mixed too much fois gras with the bubbly, and felt a bit Holiday risky frisky?
Seriously….who lies about their sex life or their friend’s sex lives these days anymore, in good old boring Oregon, the state that believe it or not, has been more accepting of what people do, regardless of gender, in their bedroom– or on some back road in an old filbert orchard under a warm starry starry sky in July….for a very very very long time.
I for one have been wondering since 2007 who is behind trying to brand Portland, an uptight and out of sight sexually repressed, morally oppressed, pious, prurient, witch hunting, bunch of fascist homophobes? This messaging is either coming from out of state, or a group that hasn’t been in state too very long and has something enormously to gain from telling someone else to play victim.
Like I said, really, I could give a rip about Sam’s sex life. Trust me, I’ve done enough Craigslist dating in PDX to know who is doing what to whom and where. And hell, The Eastbank Esplanade is an awesome rendezvous spot – like the left bank of Paris, ooh-la-la I tell you, so yes, who cares?
What I do care about is when a public official lies to smear an opponent out of a race. “He tried to rape Breedlove” thus reducing the choice for public citizens in a Public election.
I do care that he lied to his staff, and thus compromised their professional integrity and their choices for knowingly lying to the public. That’s immoral, unethical and wrong.
I do care that Adams chose to put his own emotions first over the city by simply going awol and not showing up to work for three days in January and that his staff could not get ahold of him. This, during one of the worst shootings downtown we have seen in some time. That’s lack of leadership, and anyone else would have been fired for simply not showing up to work without calling in first. In fact, it is clear city employee policy and is written as such.
I do care that Adams hired a completely unqualified “policy advisor” for important sustainability, planning and policy decisions in the city. This, given her lack of education, skills, experience and the amount of truly qualified applicants in the hiring pool. This shows cronyism given her close previous ties to the mayor through his friend Dan Savage and other connections, such as being close to city hall as a reporter for the Mercury. Cronyism is unethical and bad for government.
I do care that Adams has continually shown an egregious lack of leadership during his term in office. From prioritizing work on things like MLS over serious public health and safety budget issues, a crises at PDC over stalled projects, a 40% cut within many bureaus and other day-to-day operations in the city. I do care that he has chosen to go to Belgium on the public dime during a time when the city needs him here instead.
Overall, like I said, who gives a rip about Sam’s sex life? It’s the chronic and continual lying, asking those around him to compromise their professional ethics and not being able to even address the most basic government and professional codes of conduct that bothers the hell out of me. That, and the fact that Adams has shown he can’t lead worth crap.
He needs to go.
Yes. We need him to go.
The City of Portland is more than a playground for Sam Adams and the completely bad joke he has made City Hall into. It’s all an unfortunate mess, completely boggling the mind how much power for screwing this city up that the lying Loony Tune Mayor has.
put his own emotions first over the city by simply going awol and not showing up to work for three days in January and that his staff could not get ahold of him. This, during one of the worst shootings downtown we have seen in some time. That’s lack of leadership, and anyone else would have been fired for simply not showing up to work without calling in first. In fact, it is clear city employee policy and is written as such.
I do care that Adams hired a completely unqualified “policy advisor” for important sustainability, planning and policy decisions in the city. This, given her lack of education, skills, experience and the amount of truly qualified applicants in the hiring pool. This shows cronyism given her close previous ties to the mayor through his friend Dan Savage and other connections, such as being close to city hall as a reporter for the Mercury. Cronyism is unethical and bad for government.
I do care that Adams has continually shown an egregious lack of leadership during his term in office. From prioritizing work on things like MLS over serious public health and safety budget issues, a crises at PDC over stalled projects, a 40% cut within many bureaus and other day-to-day operations in the city. I do care that he has chosen to go to Belgium on the public dime during a time when the city needs him here instead.
ExCityEmployee
Well there you have it, so well written, so honest, sounds like a person that should not be ex-anything but still working for us all.
I think “KARMA” is here,or so close you can almost smell it from Sam’s vantage point.
Working against his EX-BOSS,an a host of others just like him, you learn pretty quickly, the rare, and I do mean RARE, public offical,that works for the basics of goverment, instead of these so-called…stupid, vision/nightmares he has gotten behind.
If July 1, rolls around and he hasn’t resigned, the recall must go and take him out or SAM, and Randy will be all our nightmares for along time to come…UNACCEPTABLE!
[...] Nkrumah, who resigned in January as Mayor Sam Adams’ spokesman, has followed through with his promise to file a lawsuit against Adams over comments the mayor made right after Nkrumah announced his [...]
THE RECALL OF SAM ADAMS:
The recall will have a table at the upcoming Gun Show at the Portland EXPO center starting Friday at noon, for 3 days.
It’s time to end this crap once and for all.