Now that Homer Williams's condo development scheme for Lake Oswego has been trashed, his admirers in that burg's City Hall are jumping ship. Today the city manager quit, and the mayor and one member of the City Council say they won't run for re-election. "Love me, love my boondoggle," apparently. A fond farewell to that crew -- and a chance for saner minds to take the reins down there. Like this one, perhaps.

Was she really a "founder" of New Seasons? Willy Week reporter Nigel Jaquiss puts his Pulitzer back in a drawer and spends some of our time splitting hairs about the meaning of that word, in an obvious hit piece. It's not their first.

For a publication that's enamored of Brady's rival, Jefferson Smith -- a classic half-truth-teller whose past is full of frightening incidents, and whose sole claim to fame is founding a PAC-charity-501(c)(4) machine -- it's truly ironic. The more they try to beat up on Brady, the more likely it is that we'll vote for her.

Corporate media like Disney want the power to shut down websites they don't like without a trial or a court hearing. They've got plenty of toupees in Congress bought and paid for, and they're making their big move. Gatsby Wyden is fighting back -- he's good for a few things -- and outfits like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Mozilla are joining in with online demonstrations.

There's a lot of damage being done to free speech in this country in the name of copyright protection. Everybody who uses the internet -- and these days, who doesn't? -- should be concerned.

We're due any day now to be getting some news about the City of Portland's biggest financial scandal -- its completely unfunded police and firefighter disability and retirement "system." Portland puts nothing aside for this purpose; cop and fire pensions and disability benefits are paid out of current property taxes. The pension hit eats up about 25 cents of every dollar in property taxes that Portland property owners pay to the city. Members of the public safety bureaus hired in the last five years or so are under a different system, but the vast majority of the forces, active and retired, are under the old, unfunded jalopy. Other cities freak out when their pensions are only 70 percent funded; here in Portland, we party on at zero percent.

The city tries pretty hard not to do a serious calculation of its unfunded liability for the police and fire pensions unless it absolutely has to. That means that it brings in an outside actuary to take a thorough look at the numbers only once every two years. In the meantime, the city has the actuary merely warm over the numbers from the last complete review, which doesn't give a highly reliable picture. Another game that's been played in recent years has to been to switch actuaries and switch the assumptions on which the liability calculation is based. That makes it hard to compare apples with apples.

One thing we do know is that the amount of benefits paid out each year under the system, currently about $100 million, is expected to double over the next 20 years. That is scary. It means that the pensions will probably eat up a greater percentage of the city's property taxes than they do now, and it's already obscenely high. Portland is getting near the point at which it will be paying more for retired public safety officers than for currently active ones.

Anyway, the city's due any day now for a new hard look at the public safety pension liability -- to be calculated as of last July 1. The bureaucrats have stalled for more than six months, but surely they have at least tentative numbers. They'll have to break the news to the public pretty soon. The last estimate the actuaries gave, as of July 1, 2010, was $2.549 billion. Heaven only knows what it will be this time, other than way too much.

In a related story, we see that the City Council is going to appoint a professional actuary, rather than a low-level politician, to the vacancy on the city's pension and disability board. That's a relief. But that deal is nothing but trouble for the future of the city.

The heavy snow has turned to heavy rain outside Blog Central, and the accumulated white stuff on the ground is being turned into some ice cold, dirty slush puddles. The snow's stopping the flow to the sewers, and the rain's really coming down. Should be one heck of a sloppy mess to schlep around in this morning. Thank goodness we don't have to.

The scene on the street at the moment reminds us of our days growing up in urban New Jersey. After a big snow and a thaw, the slush hung around for weeks. When you stepped in one of those gray-brown puddles, you could never quite be sure how deep it was. If all you had on over your Buster Brown shoes were rubbers, and you guessed wrong about the depth, you'd be in for a rude awakening. Your Ban-Lon socks didn't do much against dirty, oily ice water.

One really nasty phenomenon was the refreezing of the slush, which made it pure death to try to walk or drive a car on. Fortunately for us here in Portlandia, we'll be having none of that. It's 37 degrees Fahrenheit and climbing now, and the temperature is supposed to be in the low 50s before the day is over. Such is winter in these parts.

It's a thrill a minute here at bojack.org StormCenter 9000.2. It's still snowing, although not as hard it was an hour ago, and the temperature on the front porch has plummeted to 34.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow is sticking to the streets now. Our worst fears are realized! Hang on tight, and stay tuned for further updates. Do not go outside for any reason. Check your supplies of canned food and candles.

It has been snowing for the better part of an hour here at Blog Central. Steadily and pretty hard. Big, wet snow.

It's warm enough (35.6F) that nothing is really sticking, but there's a thin layer of white on the rooftops, the cars, and the grass. Cancel everything! Stay indoors! We'll have all the latest updates here all night. Team coverage! Of the brutal storm of '12.

Metro councilor Rex Burkholder, whose bid to become Metro president failed when voters realized what a flake he is, has come out in support of the proposed Multnomah County sales tax on soda. He says it should fund the Outdoor School program. But come on, you know he's really aroused by the tax because it represents more government-compelled "behavior change." He wants to Blumenauer you.

It might snow in Portland tonight, and the weather guessers are pulling out all the adjectives. Depending on which hype one reads, we could have 10 inches of snow on the ground in the morning.

Or we might have nothing. It's 38 degrees Fahrenheit right now.

Stay tuned to bojack.org StormCenter 9000.2 for all the latest. And every time you hear someone say "wintry mix," drink a shot.

A faithful reader of this blog with a wealth of first-hand experience in interstate and international tax matters wrote us with a brilliant insight over the weekend. As illustrated by the recent case involving the demise of the Mattress World store empire, the State of Washington is getting aggressive with Oregon businesses about collecting its state sales tax on sales to Washington residents. We're not sure whether Mattress World had that decent a case, but we've heard stories about other Oregon companies who are being subjected to intense sales tax scrutiny from Washington State, all of a sudden and without good cause.

Even if an Oregon business doesn't deliver into Washington, lately the revenue folks in Olympia are seeking to force it to collect sales tax. The federal constitution (as interpreted by the courts) says Washington can't do that unless the Oregon business has a "nexus" with Washington, but the tax-hungry revenuers up there are asserting "economic nexus" in cases in which the seller's contact with their state is minimal.

Well, as the reader points out, two can play that game. When they audit Portland businesses on sales tax issues, Washington revenue agents often visit the businesses' headquarters on this side of Columbia. Indeed, for complicated audits, the agents sometimes spend many days in Oregon. And they come from all over the country. "The auditors generally spent a week or longer in our office while gathering information," reports our reader. "Many states also schedule audits with other Oregon-based companies at the same time to lessen their travel expense. That means that some must have spent two or three weeks in Oregon during the year."

Now, under the Oregon income tax system, nonresidents must pay income tax to Oregon on their Oregon-source income. And any money they make by performing services in Oregon is treated as Oregon-source, regardless of where their employer is and regardless of where their home office is. Just ask Kobe Bryant, or Charlie Hales, about that. And so when the Washington state tax folks drive down to Oregon to conduct their investigations here, they subject themselves, personally, to Oregon income tax.

How many of them do you think are paying it? Maybe it's time for the Oregon Department of Revenue to find out.

A comment came in to this blog late last night that deserves a post and discussion of its own. A reader writes:

My Portland story isn't all that different from those of many others who have left, but I feel it's worth telling. Over the years, my political and philosophical values have been re-shaped by living in this city. I'm thankful.

My spouse and I have lived in the Portland Metro Area for most of our lives, including the last couple of decades. We have owned a home in the City of Portland for nearly that long. Now we are selling and leaving for good.

We were happy to move back to this area twenty years ago when the economy was relatively better here. Back then, the cost of living in Oregon was markedly lower than it is now, and there was less government overhead.

At first we rented in the suburbs. When the time came, we wanted to own in the City of Portland. I didn't think much about the political or financial implications at that time. It just seemed like fun.

We bought our first home on the east side, just after the last drug house left an otherwise nice neighborhood. We soon learned that we had squirrelly neighbors. Although generally quiet, bullets occasionally whizzed by.

One round broke the window of my car while it was parked out front. People sped by at all hours. Hmm. Even locals didn't respect the neighborhood. Families dumped their picnic trash right in the park's grass.

My commute was by car at first, but then I started busing downtown. Long bus rides, but I was still willing. Bus problems slowly ramped up. One fight at Lloyd Center had me trapped in the back, with nowhere to go.

The Multnomah County income tax was a real thorn in my side, but still I did not leave the city or county. Even when we were ready to move away from the first house, I chose to stay in Portland proper. Why?

We moved to a closer-in (and arguably nicer) neighborhood. We hoped to improve our lot, and it was exciting. The new neighborhood was even more walkable, convenient to downtown, and otherwise full of activity.

I replaced 7-gallon toilets with low-flush. There was no rebate or incentive; I paid for it because I felt like saving water. I would have made more upgrades, but the cost of living soaked up money that I would have used for improvements.

We donated our second car, and I committed to the bus. Then Frequent Service became rather infrequent. Even at that, scheduled runs frequently went missing. This route is frequently at crush capacity at 9AM.

TriMet removed the trashcan at my stop, and now there's a drift of garbage around the shelter, which is vandalized frequently. Meanwhile, sketchy guys ride by slowly on stolen bikes, peering up my driveway. They don't seem worried about arrest.

We were never allowed to plant street trees (parking strip was too narrow), but we were aggressively billed for leaf pickup. CoP built lovely bioswales all over the neighborhood, reducing street parking. The road surfaces are always in need of repair.

There's still one of those WiFi cans hanging from a light post. I never was able to connect, although it's only 100 feet away. The main street into our neighborhood is closed for many months, and many narrow stretches are effectively one lane.

Remember, this is a "nicer" neighborhood. We are paying IMHO high property taxes (over $1/sqft) on a very modest lot. Taking out the trash has now become a trial. The slop bucket is terribly messy, and the price is far too high for half the service.

The neighbors have turned out to be mostly shrill, judgmental, and dismissive -- they are reflexively political on every issue. In Portland, taxpayers and homeowners are held in contempt -- even by taxpayers and homeowners. I never understood that.

Plastic bag bans. Mandatory ethanol in the gas (terrible for my mileage, causing me to burn more). Cigarette butts in my grass. Solicitors nagging me all the time (the sign is useless). Normal city life? Sure. The shiny happy Portland image? Heck no.

The Portland and Multnomah governments are an embarrassment. The thought of them representing me is a joke. I give up. We're buying in a smaller community, in another county. Feel free to conduct your social experiment without us.

For now I still work in the city, but my goal is to remedy that as well. I used to love just being downtown, but no longer. I enjoyed walking through downtown, PSU, Riverplace, and using MAX to visit the Zoo area. It just seemed safer.

Now I wouldn't ride MAX at all, and it's neither safe nor enjoyable to walk many places in downtown during the nice months. People have been assaulted in the secured office building where I worked. Folks will move in if you don't constantly patrol.

Lasting image: A smug junkie taking a big dump in the rose bushes in the Park Blocks, right in front of the Art Museum. This was mid-day in summer -- tourists, grandparents, children, &c.; everywhere. The police can't do a thing about it.

Continue reading "Portland burnout" »

The folks who write up the news at Portland's daily newspaper are really bending the line between fact and opinion these days. They all want to be columnists, in an era when their employer has no more money for columnists. So their biases bleed all over the paper.

Here's a maddening example from Joseph Rose last week. In it, he expresses his opinions that (a) the recent beating incident on the MAX train was not a hate crime, and (b) Tri-Met is a safe mode of transportation. Those are really interesting opinions. We think they're both wrong, but that's not the point. The real sin here is that the same fellow who reports "commuter news" can state them as if they were fact, on a web page that doesn't clearly identify them as his opinion. In fact, it's under the "News" tab, not the "Opinion" tab, on the top of the web page.

Then there's this piece by Brad Schmidt, one of two City Hall reporters. In it, he states as a given that streetcar and light rail projects will continue to expand in Portland, come hell or high water. No matter that there will be two, and maybe three, new City Council members next year. No matter that the city's debt picture is out of control. No matter that opponents of rail are suddenly winning battles in Lake Oswego and Clackamas County. No one is interviewed but a City Hall type, and her spin is offered as an immutable truth.

Then reporter Everton Bailey Jr. tells us that the Lake Oswego streetcar "was expected to foster economic development." No mention of whose expectation that was. No mention that that assertion is open to debate, and was vigorously debated in Lake Oswego. The implication is that the link between streetcars and economic prosperity is proven. It's a given. Don't argue. No skepticism at all.

It's hard to tell which of these guys is actively rooting for the bureaucrats, which is simply having his critical thinking blunted by being around them all day, and which just doesn't fully comprehend what he's writing about. We have our suspicions, but whichever of those is the case, it's not good.

Players in our charity underdog game, here ye be:

7.5 BALTIMORE at New England
2.5 NEW YORK GIANTS at San Francisco

A reminder of our prize structure:

First prize - $510 to player's favorite charity
Second prize - $165 to player's favorite charity
Third prize - $105 to player's favorite charity
Fourth prize - $75 to player's favorite charity
Fifth prize - $55 to player's favorite charity

We still have 10 players with a shot at the five prizes. In fact, all 10 have at least a mathematical possibility of getting a piece of the first prize. But everybody else in the contest, don't give up -- make that last pick just for pride. Folks at the top, good luck with the chess game.

In case of ties, the prizes will be split. For example, if two players are tied for second, we'll combine second ($165) and third ($105) and give their charities each half ($135 each). There are no tiebreakers in the underdog contest.

Picks are due by noon Pacific Time on Sunday.

He issues his usual bleats and Tweets about snow, but then he hops on a plane and heads across country on another junket. Makes sense -- that's probably the best thing he can do to make Portland streets safer.

This time he's off to Washington, D.C. How lovely that he can return to that place to relive where he was when the Beau Breedlove scandal broke. Hard to believe it was three years ago. It feels like 30.

Only 349 days and counting until his time is up -- but how many "business" trips do you think he'll take, and how exotic will they get, before the curtain falls?

And now here's the news you've all been waiting for: the definitive weather forecast for Portland and vicinity. There's a chance of snow tonight, and it may drop below freezing. Then again, neither might happen; it could just rain. Maybe it will snow tomorrow night, but it might not. If it does snow, it might not stick. There could be rain and snow mixed together. If it rains and then freezes, there could be black ice.

So plan accordingly! And stay tuned to bojack.org StormCenter 9000.2 for further updates. Team coverage! We look out the window -- so you don't have to.

Here's an interesting discussion of the real reasons that the City of Portland can't afford street maintenance any more. (Hint: It's not because revenues are declining.)

In our last poll predicting the winner of the Super Bowl, 63% of our readers chose teams that have now been eliminated from the tournament. Only four squads remain. So now what do you think?

The folks in Clackamas County who are fighting the takeover of their turf by the Portland apartment bunker pushers are pulling out all the stops. Not only are they circulating petitions for a ballot measure that would prohibit the county from spending another penny on the insane MAX train from Portland to Milwaukie, but now they're gearing up for another measure that would place the same restrictions on the City of Milwaukie itself. The real estate sharpies who are trying to ram the rail project through in the name of the almighty "smart growth" must be freaking out.

Apparently the disparate groups of rebels are coming together for a first-ever general meeting this evening at an Elks Club in Oak Grove. Let's hope the roads stay dry and clear enough for them to hold their confab.

Meanwhile, at the other extreme, the Portland "planning" cabal is now sending delegations to Vietnam to export Blumenauerism to the unsuspecting communities there. But they won't be holding a charrette -- no, this time it's an atelier. Wonder if Homer and Dike will be on hand. Those poor people -- as if we haven't done enough harm over there.

Here at Blog Central, the thermometer on the front porch reads a chilly 32.7 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. Whatever is wet out there right now is going to be frozen in a few hours. Frozen -- and slick! Warning! Hazard! You could die! Just to be safe, you should carry chains, even on the bus.

It's supposed to snow somewhat seriously tomorrow evening, and some of it could stick. Sticking snow! Even more hazardous! Cancel everything for Tuesday. It's important to remain hydrated. And don't forget your pets! Stay tuned to bojack.org StormCenter 9000.2 for the latest team coverage.

The New York Football Giants have dethroned the defending champion Green Bay Packers, despite the best efforts of the officiating crew. This creates an unprecedented logjam at the top of our charity underdog prediction game, with just one week to go. There'll be only two games to pick from next week (both on Sunday, first game at noon), which turns our season-long contest into a real chess game.

Here are our standings going into the last week. If neither of the 'dogs wins next week, these will be our final standings, but if one or both 'dogs win, there could still be a lot of movement. Remember, the top five finishers claim prizes for their favorite charities:

Continue reading "Underdog leader board tightens up for finale" »

The Texans fell in Baltimore, leaving three players points-less in our charity pro football game.

We've some serious big white flakes falling in our part of town at this hour. Let the panic begin!

The Maya Hee guy has long since faded into memory, and the Hide-Your-Kids-Hide-Your-Wife guy has too, but this fellow joins them in the pantheon of internet entertainment. We're always the last to see these things, and it appears he's been doing this thing for years. But hey, we're always on the lookout for new experiences. [Via Cousin Jim.]

Here at Blog Central, we're waiting anxiously for the snow-pocalypse that's due here any minute. Current conditions on the front porch: Cloudy, 38 degrees. If anything happens, we'll meet you at the Sylvan overpass.

UPDATE, 1/15, 2:23 a.m.: For all the up-to-the-minute information one needs regarding current winter storm conditions in Portland, you can always go to isitsnowinginpdx.com.

It's the Elite Eight in the pro football playoff tournament, and our players have made their choices:

13.5 DENVER at New England - Tommy W., NoPoGuy, mna, Rudie, Biggest Cubs Loser, Gary, Annie, genop's gal, John Cr., Eric W., Weavmo, Drewbob

8 NEW YORK GIANTS at Green Bay - john dull, Bob, Bayou Baby, PDXileinOmaha, Usual Kevin, Grizfan, Broadway Joe, AKevin, jmh, Michael K., John Ch.

7 HOUSTON at Baltimore - Paul, Larry Legend, Bad Brad

3.5 SAN FRANCISCO vs. New Orleans - Pete Rozelle, Carol, Ricardo, Gordon, genop

It should be a most interesting couple of days in front of the tube. Good luck and enjoy the games, everyone.

UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: A super-exciting first game gives 3.5 points to those who picked the Niners. That includes our leader, Pete Rozelle, who ascends to 49 points.

UPDATE, 9:14 p.m.: The second game wasn't much of a game, and Tebowmania has ended, at least for this year. A dozen underdoggers get zilch.

We were ribbing a friend of ours who's a Packer fan the other day. "You must be worried," we said. "You've got a problem. Drew Brees [the New Orleans quarterback] is playing out of his mind." He was quick with the answer: "But we don't have to play him in the Dome."

A good point. The Pack has home field advantage. And their field has a mystique that most visiting teams simply can't crack. Not to mention the wicked cold.

But despite legend, the Green Bay gridiron itself is neither barren nor frozen, even in the harsh middle of a Wisconsin January. All sorts of steps are taken to keep it green and soft, as explained here and here.

Its own little piece of the Pearl District. But a good piece.

Players in our underdog game, don't forget that your choice for this week (our next-to-last) is due in to 'dog central by 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time tomorrow, Saturday.

Now that Williams Avenue in Portland has been handed over lock, stock, and barrel to the apartment weasels, suddenly there's a city transportation "stakeholder committee" apologizing to all the black people who have been displaced by "urban renewal." And the remedy?

• We strongly recommend that the City of Portland critically evaluate its public participation efforts and stakeholder input processes to determine who in a particular community is not being heard in the process and ask why they are not being engaged, and furthermore to question how those with little power can be more actively engaged.

• We strongly recommend that the City start future projects from a place of community need with early input and guidance. The City needs to be responsible to all communities, especially those which are under‐served communities, or culturally disadvantaged communities, when considering project sites, and that the history, land use, and prior planning efforts be considered and questioned while engaging in these projects.

• We strongly recommend that the City right past wrongs by studying the North Williams Transportation Operations Safety Project, its success and failures, utilizing a formal facilitated evaluation process, to guide new policy on engagement processes that ensure that all voices are heard.

• We strongly recommend that the City recognize the opportunities and challenges inherent in planning efforts, and to strive for an outcome that is truly sustainable.

There ya go -- more "evaluation," "input," "studies," and "planning." Problems solved!

When Max Williams recently stepped down after eight years as the director of the Oregon corrections department, friends and colleagues heaped praise on him. He did a wonderful job, they all said. But yesterday it was revealed that another 40-something corrections manager recently left, and the circumstances aren't so rosy:

Prosecutors are considering criminal charges over misuse of public funds at Two Rivers Correctional Institution, tied to a prison manager who has resigned....

The focus of the recent investigation is Mike W. Mathisen, 44, until recently the food services manager at Two Rivers. He managed the prison's central kitchen, overseeing about 100 inmates a day who worked to feed the prison population of 1,580.

Mathisen, with a $59,000 salary, was on paid leave from May until he resigned in late November after the agency finished an initial investigation. While working for the state, Mathisen had catering and food-packing businesses in Hermiston, and established two local farmers markets....

His supervisor, Assistant Superintendent Bob Martinez, was put on paid leave in late November after the Corrections Department finished investigating Mathisen. Martinez returned to work last week, taking a demotion to counselor.

Shades of Farhad "Fred" Monem, the prison system's chief food buyer, who fled the country for his native Iran about four years ago while being investigated for corruption. That fiasco happened under Williams's watch as well, although it was then-state attorney general Hardy Myers's office that let Monem get away.

Every report of corruption in the state's prison hierarchy, of course, reinforces many observers' suspicions that the 1989 murder of one of Williams's predecessors, Michael Francke, was committed by someone other than Frank Gable, the petty criminal who was convicted of that killing. Unlike Williams, Francke told his brother that he had uncovered organized crime in the prisons and was about to put a stop to it. The next thing you knew, people were saying nice things about him -- at his funeral.

An alert reader forwards a breathless e-mail message from Portland mayoral candidate "Camas" Charile Hales, in which he proclaims:

I will jump start the Portland economy, with concrete actions like Community Credit Portland, a loan guarantee program funded by the City of Portland. Through this program, the City of Portland will be the first in the nation to make its money available to support local Portland businesses so they can get back to hiring.

I will create opportunities for our schoolchildren, by bringing together businesses, local community colleges, and organizations such as Portland Youth Builders and Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. to create more opportunities for training and apprenticeships, preparing our youth for the jobs of the coming century.

I know I can do it, because I did it as a Senior VP at an engineering firm, helping to set up an apprenticeship programs at Portland schools so that students had the engineering and planning skills to supply my business' rapidly expanding workforce.

That's it? Man, Charlie, you're going to need to do better than that.

It's illegal for the city to lend its credit to private companies. Doing so violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the state constitution.

And a handful of apprenticeships? Charlie, the teenagers all over the east side are now literally shooting and stabbing each other day and night. Do you ever get real? And how much of your company's "rapidly expanding workforce" came from local government pork spending?

Portlanders who liked Vera Katz as mayor will love Camas Charlie.

Neighborhood associations are there to protect the interests of the neighborhood. No matter how much sentiment there may be in the neighborhood about external matters, it really dilutes the credibility of the association to get involved in them. Apparently, the Irvington neighborhood association does not understand this, as it's about to inject itself into the debate about the new interstate freeway bridge. Bad move.

Hey, busybodies, form a separate group called Irvington Against the Bridge, Irvingtonians for Green Transportation, Yuppies for the Whales, whatever you like. But please, stick to the knitting and keep the neighborhood association out of the bridge morass. It's like the City Council passing infantile resolutions on Supreme Court jurisprudence and the war in Afghanistan -- you just look silly.

For those of you who just can't wait for the 'round-the-clock disaster reporting on local television regarding the forecast snow in Portland, here's a chilly Pacific Northwest story to ponder: ice worms!

 
 

The Portland police have hauled in several young suspects in connection with two recent attacks on innocent passengers on Tri-Met. In both incidents, suspects' mothers have also been arrested -- one on charges of hindering prosecution, and the other for allegedly holding a victim by the hair while the daughter punched her.

Maybe the circuit court judges need to ride the MAX train in the afternoons for a few weeks so that they can better understand what they need to do in these cases. Laughing them off would be a bad moment in Portland history.

On top of today's bad news about Vestas comes this depressing forecast for Portland's other "green economy" pipedream, SoloPower. The city's economic development record slides deeper into the laughable zone. Go by streetcar!

A third candidate for Oregon attorney general has emerged: Katherine Heekin, a Portland attorney. With zero name familiarity, she'll run a distant third to Ellen Rosenblum and Dwight Holton, but the question is, whose votes will she steal? She's connected to the Old Boy Network, but they'll all be behind Rosenblum. She's sends out a crime victim vibe, but she can't hold a candle to Holton in that image category.

Which reminds us: This is another race in which the Democratic Party nominee should be a shoo-in in November. Better re-register as a Democrat if we want to cast a meaningful vote.

Soda tax, library tax, school construction tax... now an arts tax. When they pile on like this, it's easy to say no to all of them.

And once again the Portland police look like a bunch of grifters.

The main reason appears to be that the state crime lab is inadequate, but City Auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade has a few suggestions for improvement at the Portland police as well.

Maybe we should take some of that $250 million in lottery money that's going to be blown on the Milwaukie MAX train and... nah, never mind.

The head federal transit honcho is scheduled to walk around the SoWhat District in Portland this morning. The mayor's going to be "showcasing the economic development made possible by the stimulus-funded work." Does the future bankruptcy lawyer work count?

One of the supposed "green" saviors of the Portland economy, which has been handed several taxpayer mega-subsidies to move to a Mark Edlen-renovated warehouse in the Pearl District, broke the news this morning that it is shrinking in a major way as an employer:

Vestas A/S, the world's biggest maker of wind turbines in terms of revenues, said Thursday it will lay off around 2,300 employees, mainly in Denmark, because of a market downturn caused by the financial crisis.

The company, headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, said a potential slowdown in the United States could also result in the layoff of an additional 1,600 employees there.

It said the U.S. layoff plans would mainly depend on whether the Production Tax Credit — which gives a favorable low tax rate to makers of renewable energy — would be extended or not. In 2010, Vestas was awarded about $51 million in tax credits through the U.S. federal stimulus program.

Although its U.S. operations are headquartered in Portland, Ore., Vestas has invested more than $1 billion in four facilities in Colorado.

Will Vestas still be around for a ribbon-cutting in Portland? There's a good chance not. Even if it is, that new headquarters was a bad, bad bet on the part of the city. That company doesn't seem likely to make it in the long run.

So's her gun.