9.5.2003
Summer segue
When does summer end? Technically, of course, summer's not over until the autumnal equinox on September 23, when the sun will appear to "stop in the sky" and align with the earth to give us a day of even parts light and darkness, and after which point our days will then be shorter than our nights. But already, the sure signs of autumn abound. Leaves are turning colors in the higher elevations. Children are back in school. The state fair has come and gone. [Even the legislators have left town.] Most of the other markers have occurred or are upon us, as well: Labor Day, the first Sunday of the church year, the approaching Jewish holy days, the annual harvests, and of course, the forest fires [be sure to check out these terrific photos] and smog alert days.
But it is the weather, and the subtle change of light, more than anything that is signaling summer's close. The meteorologists predict that soon, either tomorrow or Sunday, the first rains will come. And as everyone knows, that means we're not likely to see another 90- or 80-degree day for months. Oh, but today! How wonderful to have just one more day to remind us why we revel and rejoice in this Eden we call Oregon. Jack Bogdanski today aptly describes our summer-to-autumn segue:
Dalene at Terra Firma Diaires compares August to lazy Sundays, and September to work-like Mondays. The transition from August to September, like Sunday to Monday, takes some getting used to. And it'll be a while until the next "weekend" arrives, she says:
For Worldwide Pablo, it has been his own summer to remember. This humble web log was born this summer. There was also a rewarding high-school reunion, touching times with a father in failing health, a flirtatious date or two, and the satisfaction of meaningful employment and loving friends. And history will also record that this was a "big fat gay summer," with the legalization of gay marriage in parts of Canada, the decriminalization of same-sex relations in the U.S., the appointment of a gay bishop in one of the nation's most enduring denominations, and the emergence (or "coming out," if you will) of gays and lesbians in the media and entertainment as never before.
We end summer with some discordant notes. Social conservatives are plotting to thwart the equality of marriage for gays. A spineless nincompoop remains in charge at city hall, as the drive to oust same has apparently failed, no thanks to stolen petitions. And our nation seems strangely adrift, lost and confused in its jobless economic recovery, an errant nation-building strategy in Iraq, and the erosion of civil liberties upon the altar of national security. [Still, there are worse ways to remember Summer 2003: Madonna and Britney Spears in a headlock kiss comes immediately to mind.]
In bidding summer farewell, we are reminded of and take comfort in the promise of autumn's yield. And yet, in autumn we find mystery as well, as John Greenleaf Whittier [with a wink and a nod to Mrs. S.] hinted:
But it is the weather, and the subtle change of light, more than anything that is signaling summer's close. The meteorologists predict that soon, either tomorrow or Sunday, the first rains will come. And as everyone knows, that means we're not likely to see another 90- or 80-degree day for months. Oh, but today! How wonderful to have just one more day to remind us why we revel and rejoice in this Eden we call Oregon. Jack Bogdanski today aptly describes our summer-to-autumn segue:
"It's been a beautiful summer here in Oregon -- bankably dry and sunny, nearly every single day since late June. But the season's showing its dark side before heading out of state. Mean as cat manure, and twice as nasty."Soon, he says, "we're going to miss the sun when it's gone for the long, dark western Oregon winter."
Dalene at Terra Firma Diaires compares August to lazy Sundays, and September to work-like Mondays. The transition from August to September, like Sunday to Monday, takes some getting used to. And it'll be a while until the next "weekend" arrives, she says:
"We will not experience, metaphorically, another Friday until next June."Sigh.
For Worldwide Pablo, it has been his own summer to remember. This humble web log was born this summer. There was also a rewarding high-school reunion, touching times with a father in failing health, a flirtatious date or two, and the satisfaction of meaningful employment and loving friends. And history will also record that this was a "big fat gay summer," with the legalization of gay marriage in parts of Canada, the decriminalization of same-sex relations in the U.S., the appointment of a gay bishop in one of the nation's most enduring denominations, and the emergence (or "coming out," if you will) of gays and lesbians in the media and entertainment as never before.
We end summer with some discordant notes. Social conservatives are plotting to thwart the equality of marriage for gays. A spineless nincompoop remains in charge at city hall, as the drive to oust same has apparently failed, no thanks to stolen petitions. And our nation seems strangely adrift, lost and confused in its jobless economic recovery, an errant nation-building strategy in Iraq, and the erosion of civil liberties upon the altar of national security. [Still, there are worse ways to remember Summer 2003: Madonna and Britney Spears in a headlock kiss comes immediately to mind.]
In bidding summer farewell, we are reminded of and take comfort in the promise of autumn's yield. And yet, in autumn we find mystery as well, as John Greenleaf Whittier [with a wink and a nod to Mrs. S.] hinted:
We lack but open eye and earAh, the remains of summer. Enjoy.
To find the Orient’s marvels here;
The still small voice in autumn’s hush,
Yon maple wood the burning bush.
9.4.2003
Rhapsody in blue
The surprise revelation Wednesday that former police chief Tom Potter is throwing his hat into the mayor’s race [see below] is nothing less than a political thunderbolt. Suddenly, the race that was beginning to look like a routine anointing of the race’s only viable candidate, Jim Francesconi, has now busted wide open.
[Nevermind that at midnight yesterday, a good six hours or so after the Portland Tribune published its well-earned “breaking news” scoop on its website, none of Portland’s other major news outlets, including a certain “newschannel” and one prize-winning daily, could find the time, space or enterprise to break away from droning on about the tired and dull conflagration in Cascade Locks.]
There are many reasons to be excited about Potter’s announcement, not the least of which is that it enlivens what was quickly turning out to be a dull race. Of the major candidates thought to be eyeing this race just one year ago, only Francesconi remains as a viable candidate. Saxton? No dice. Blumenauer? Forgetaboutit! Katz? Thanks, but PERS looks better. Nick Fish? Not ready for prime time. And so on.
But who else? It is hard to imagine that feckless Erik Sten -- well intentioned but so self-evidently unseasoned and so seriously politically tainted by the water bureau billing fiasco -- could enter the race now, unless as a fool’s errand or in a demonstration of boundless optimism (or egotism). Moreover, Potter’s announcement will surely galvanize the support of the city’s minority groups, who were instrumental in outgoing chief Mark Kroeker’s demise but who retain strong and warm bonds with Potter from his days as chief (thus depriving a political base for such figures as Kate Brown or Diane Linn & Co.). Even a business candidate will have to give second thought now to entering a race that includes a figure as popular and well-regarded as the congenial Potter.
But the true silver lining must be the police connection. Can anyone imagine a more potent or appealing solution to Portland’s ongoing woes with the men and women in blue than electing a mayor who once walked the streets with them? And at the same time, who is not afraid to boss them around? For the first time in a long time, the dysfunction, disconnect and disrespect that have come to be the hallmarks of the Portland Police Bureau seem fixable.
Worldwide Pablo can think of hundreds of reasons Tom Potter’s candidacy makes sense. But here are just 10, listed below in reverse order (with apologies to David Letterman).
Without further ado (cue the drumroll, please) …
The Top 10 Reasons Tom Potter could
(and should) be the next mayor of Portland
[Nevermind that at midnight yesterday, a good six hours or so after the Portland Tribune published its well-earned “breaking news” scoop on its website, none of Portland’s other major news outlets, including a certain “newschannel” and one prize-winning daily, could find the time, space or enterprise to break away from droning on about the tired and dull conflagration in Cascade Locks.]
There are many reasons to be excited about Potter’s announcement, not the least of which is that it enlivens what was quickly turning out to be a dull race. Of the major candidates thought to be eyeing this race just one year ago, only Francesconi remains as a viable candidate. Saxton? No dice. Blumenauer? Forgetaboutit! Katz? Thanks, but PERS looks better. Nick Fish? Not ready for prime time. And so on.
But who else? It is hard to imagine that feckless Erik Sten -- well intentioned but so self-evidently unseasoned and so seriously politically tainted by the water bureau billing fiasco -- could enter the race now, unless as a fool’s errand or in a demonstration of boundless optimism (or egotism). Moreover, Potter’s announcement will surely galvanize the support of the city’s minority groups, who were instrumental in outgoing chief Mark Kroeker’s demise but who retain strong and warm bonds with Potter from his days as chief (thus depriving a political base for such figures as Kate Brown or Diane Linn & Co.). Even a business candidate will have to give second thought now to entering a race that includes a figure as popular and well-regarded as the congenial Potter.
But the true silver lining must be the police connection. Can anyone imagine a more potent or appealing solution to Portland’s ongoing woes with the men and women in blue than electing a mayor who once walked the streets with them? And at the same time, who is not afraid to boss them around? For the first time in a long time, the dysfunction, disconnect and disrespect that have come to be the hallmarks of the Portland Police Bureau seem fixable.
Worldwide Pablo can think of hundreds of reasons Tom Potter’s candidacy makes sense. But here are just 10, listed below in reverse order (with apologies to David Letterman).
Without further ado (cue the drumroll, please) …
(and should) be the next mayor of Portland
10. Will redecorate the council chambers on his newly revamped mayoral cable access program, “Straight Eye for the Queer City.”Is it 2004 yet?
9. Already knows the route of the Gay Pride Parade.
8. Can teach the police union president how to read lips.
7. Has learned how to pronounce “protect and serve” -- and not just in English.
6. Knows Katy Potter.
5. Is allergic to Katz.
4. Already collecting PERS!
3. Actually knows all the words and verses to “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
2. Won’t assign the police bureau to Commissioner Sponge Dan Smartpants.
and
1. Looks good in blue -- and the uniform is ready.
9.3.2003
Only in Portland
Tom Potter, the former Portland police chief, friend of the gay community and champion of community policing, dropped a small bombshell today by revealing to the Portland Tribune that he will run for mayor of Portland. No kidding. Even the fertile imagination of Worldwide Pablo could not concoct a turn of events as rich as this.
Suddenly, all bets are off, the dynamics are akilter. How will this affect Portland's politically charged police bureau? Does this unnerve Jim Francesconi? Does it shake out the callow Eric Sten? Is Derrick Foxworth's young grasp of the police bureau helm suddenly outdated? Time will tell. Meanwhile, take WWP's advice: Watch your local blogs for the best commentary on this topic. Other than the Tribune, the conventional media have been, well, bystanders.
The Trib's "breaking news" link is likely to change, so the text of the article is reprinted below. [Be sure to keep checking the Trib website for updates, almost certain to follow.]
Here's the article:
O, Portlandia: You never cease to amaze, or amuse.
Suddenly, all bets are off, the dynamics are akilter. How will this affect Portland's politically charged police bureau? Does this unnerve Jim Francesconi? Does it shake out the callow Eric Sten? Is Derrick Foxworth's young grasp of the police bureau helm suddenly outdated? Time will tell. Meanwhile, take WWP's advice: Watch your local blogs for the best commentary on this topic. Other than the Tribune, the conventional media have been, well, bystanders.
The Trib's "breaking news" link is likely to change, so the text of the article is reprinted below. [Be sure to keep checking the Trib website for updates, almost certain to follow.]
Here's the article:
Former Portland Police Chief Tom Potter has decided to run for mayor next year, he told the Portland Tribune Wednesday.Just when you thought it wouldn’t get any weirder.
Potter, 62, of Southeast Portland, is saying little about his campaign for now. He said he won't discuss specifics until he gets his organization lined up, probably within a few weeks. But he said he plans to mount a serious campaign with the resources necessary to get elected.
"I've decided to run," he said Wednesday. "I've given this a lot of thought since February and made up my mind Aug. 17.”
The date, he said, shows that his decision had nothing to do with the controversy over the resignation last week of Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker.
Mayor Vera Katz said this summer that she wouldn't run next year for a fourth term. Many local officials decided against running and the only prominent candidate now in the race is Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi.
Potter joined the bureau in 1966 and rose through the ranks until Mayor Bud Clark appointed him chief in 1990. He resigned in 1993, a few months after Katz was sworn in for her first term as mayor. He has largely kept a low public profile since then.
He was known during his tenure for his support for gay rights, much to the objection of the more traditional elements in the police bureau. At his 1990 swearing in as chief, he said he wanted to eliminate racism, sexism and homophobia from the Portland Police Bureau and the community. Not long after he became chief, his daughter, Kate, became the first Portland police officer to publicly acknowledge her homosexuality.
Potter was also a strong advocate for community policing, a practice where police work more closely with the community to solve problems.
"By working together, the community and police can keep neighborhoods safer, our children off drugs and our gangs out of prison," Potter wrote last June 29 in a commentary in The Oregonian. "Technology, high-powered guns and well tailored uniforms don't make a police department superior. It's the people."
O, Portlandia: You never cease to amaze, or amuse.
9.2.2003
What a difference a week makes
Let’s see, Worldwide Pablo takes a short, late-summer breather and it turns out to be the busiest news week of the season. Let’s recap:
The Cirque du Salem tore down its tents and sent all its clowns packing, just barely in time to beat the exit of the other carnies and hucksters rushing from town after the closing of the nearby state fair. It’s the first time the legislature has been in town at the same time the 4-Hers and their farmyard menagerie, all the vendors, barkers and fairgoers, and the innumerable Elephant Ear purveyors. WWP thinks it’s unfair to the folks at the Oregon State Fair to have two carnivals in town at the same time. Here’s an idea for next time: In two years, if the legislature is still in session when the fair begins, let’s send the legislators to the fair’s vomit-inducing Tilt-a-Whirl, and exchange them for the Elvis impersonators (10 of them, by WWP’s count) seen wandering the fair on Monday. Dunno. Might speed things up next time, no?
And then, apparently to the surprise of only the city council, Mark Kroeker departs as police chief. You gotta love Portland: Her citizens hated the chief simultaneously for being both too tough and too lenient when it came to time to administer discipline behind the thin blue line. It seems very unlikely these strange bedfellows -- citizens angry over police abuse and unaccountability on the one hand, and the unionists and hard-core police militarists on the other -- can find common ground about the bureau, its chief and its future. Yes, Kroeker is gone, but guess what remains? Yep, what remains is the same good ol’ boy, union-driven, insider network that created, nurtures and makes possible the police agency so richly distrusted by its citizens. One day, Portland will wake up and realize: Mark Kroeker, awkward and unlikeable as he was, wasn’t the problem.
Derrick Foxworth is truly a nice guy, experienced in the bureau's ways, and by all accounts an inspired choice for chief. But is he up to the task? Today’s enterprising Portland Tribune asks that very question. [It’s a question, incidentally, which apparently eluded the crack reporting staff over at the Daily O. And no, WWP will not waste your time by linking you to the Internet’s most useless website.]
The whole sorry saga is enlivened only the “he said”/“she said” spat between the chief and the mayor. WWP would suggest these two need a much-deserved “time out.” But Kroeker’s leaving soon enough (mid-October, if not sooner), and Vera still faces a potential recall. [Although the odds seem slight that the latter will occur: The deadline for collecting signatures is Thursday).
And finally, Earl the Pearl has demurred to be enthroned chief potentate of the PRP (People’s Republic of Portland), opting to retain his safe seat in Congress. Earl got all choked up and teary-eyed during his announcement today. WWP did too, but for different reasons: Now WWP is really stuck with that pointy-headed, bow-tied bag-o-hot-air as his congressional representative -- probably for life! Alas. Democrats like Earl Blumenauer actually make Republicans like Karen Minnis look palatable. And don’t think this comparison is an accident on WWP’s part. Minnis lives in Blumenauer’s district…a fact not lost on the national GOP.
The silver lining: It’s beginning to look like Nick Fish just might land a seat on the city council. With Vera departing (by either the front door or the back) and the recent addition of Randy Leonard, there appears the possibility a fresh, new look at city hall. This might herald the new day of a no-nonsense, practical and citizen-minded city government that Portlanders have yearned so long for.
But perhaps, WWP wishes for too much.
The Cirque du Salem tore down its tents and sent all its clowns packing, just barely in time to beat the exit of the other carnies and hucksters rushing from town after the closing of the nearby state fair. It’s the first time the legislature has been in town at the same time the 4-Hers and their farmyard menagerie, all the vendors, barkers and fairgoers, and the innumerable Elephant Ear purveyors. WWP thinks it’s unfair to the folks at the Oregon State Fair to have two carnivals in town at the same time. Here’s an idea for next time: In two years, if the legislature is still in session when the fair begins, let’s send the legislators to the fair’s vomit-inducing Tilt-a-Whirl, and exchange them for the Elvis impersonators (10 of them, by WWP’s count) seen wandering the fair on Monday. Dunno. Might speed things up next time, no?
And then, apparently to the surprise of only the city council, Mark Kroeker departs as police chief. You gotta love Portland: Her citizens hated the chief simultaneously for being both too tough and too lenient when it came to time to administer discipline behind the thin blue line. It seems very unlikely these strange bedfellows -- citizens angry over police abuse and unaccountability on the one hand, and the unionists and hard-core police militarists on the other -- can find common ground about the bureau, its chief and its future. Yes, Kroeker is gone, but guess what remains? Yep, what remains is the same good ol’ boy, union-driven, insider network that created, nurtures and makes possible the police agency so richly distrusted by its citizens. One day, Portland will wake up and realize: Mark Kroeker, awkward and unlikeable as he was, wasn’t the problem.
Derrick Foxworth is truly a nice guy, experienced in the bureau's ways, and by all accounts an inspired choice for chief. But is he up to the task? Today’s enterprising Portland Tribune asks that very question. [It’s a question, incidentally, which apparently eluded the crack reporting staff over at the Daily O. And no, WWP will not waste your time by linking you to the Internet’s most useless website.]
The whole sorry saga is enlivened only the “he said”/“she said” spat between the chief and the mayor. WWP would suggest these two need a much-deserved “time out.” But Kroeker’s leaving soon enough (mid-October, if not sooner), and Vera still faces a potential recall. [Although the odds seem slight that the latter will occur: The deadline for collecting signatures is Thursday).
And finally, Earl the Pearl has demurred to be enthroned chief potentate of the PRP (People’s Republic of Portland), opting to retain his safe seat in Congress. Earl got all choked up and teary-eyed during his announcement today. WWP did too, but for different reasons: Now WWP is really stuck with that pointy-headed, bow-tied bag-o-hot-air as his congressional representative -- probably for life! Alas. Democrats like Earl Blumenauer actually make Republicans like Karen Minnis look palatable. And don’t think this comparison is an accident on WWP’s part. Minnis lives in Blumenauer’s district…a fact not lost on the national GOP.
The silver lining: It’s beginning to look like Nick Fish just might land a seat on the city council. With Vera departing (by either the front door or the back) and the recent addition of Randy Leonard, there appears the possibility a fresh, new look at city hall. This might herald the new day of a no-nonsense, practical and citizen-minded city government that Portlanders have yearned so long for.
But perhaps, WWP wishes for too much.
