Source: Gay Financial Network, Oregonian

Portland's mayor-elect Sam Adams talks to cheering crowds Tuesday night at Jupiter Hotel photo: Oregonian

Running on an oft-used slogan of "get it done," city commissioner Adams defeated 12 other candidates Tuesday to assume the top office in the city and one of the most visible bully pulpits in the Pacific Northwest, reports The Oregonian in what may most aptly be described as a glowing tribute to the 44-year-old mayor elect.

Adams avoided a possible runoff race in November by capturing 59 percent of the vote in yesterday's primary for the non-partisan post.

Qnews update: 'Mayor Sam' takes the reigns in Portland; nation's first out gay big-city leader 1-Jan-09 

Adams, 44, a first-term city commissioner who spent 11 years as former Mayor Vera Katz's chief of staff and right-hand man, said he was shocked by the early results and waited a bit before accepting his new mantle.

The Oregonian reports that he won by stressing specifics: He promised to work with school leaders to cut the dropout rate, make Portland a leader in environmentally friendly businesses and use the Portland Streetcar and better planning to spur urban renewal. 

"I will work hard with all of you, and believe me you're going to be working hard as well," he told a crowd at the Jupiter Hotel, which included his mother, grandmother and two sisters. "Together we can make Portland cleaner, greener, more sustainable, smarter, more equal, better educated, said Adams, whose family once relied on food stamps and public housing when he was a boy.

Travel agency owner Sho Dozono became Adams's primary competitor in the crowded field, but managed to draw only 33% of the vote. He was recruited by a collection of business leaders who disliked Adams' frenetic, sometimes abrasive style.

Dozono, a rookie candidate at 64, huddled with his supporters, including outgoing Mayor Tom Potter, at Los Baez restaurant in a party that quickly turned into a political wake.

"The city certainly has challenges ahead of it," he said. "The citizens have spoken firmly and loudly."

That Adams is gay raised barely a ripple in the city. Except for a brief flurry of mudslinging before the campaign started, it never became an issue in the campaign.

The top two candidates presented a stark contrast for voters: Adams is a self-professed policy wonk who wades deep into the details of government operations, and Dozono is a businessman who promised to provide an outsider's overarching vision and talked more in big sweep than specifics.

But, unlike Adams, Dozono never seemed able to articulate why he was running and never seemed entirely comfortable trading the private life of a businessman for the glare of the political spotlight. The Oregonian noted that Dozono struggled, for example, to explain why his Bush Garden restaurant was late paying $18,000 in rent and taxes to the city.

A savvy campaigner, Adams avoided similar troubles having spent almost his entire adult life in politics. He dropped out of the University of Oregon to work for future U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and served as Mayor Vera Katz's right-hand man for 11 years. He earned his city commissioner's seat in 2004.

Mayor Tom Potter stopped by Adams' party briefly, shook his hand and offered congratulations. Potter, who had endorsed Dozono, pledged to help Adams make the transition over the next seven months and prepare him for the challenges he'll face in the city's top job.

Full article: Sam Adams Becomes Portland's First Openly Gay Mayor | Gay Financial Network
Adams wins Portland mayor race | Oregonian
No runoff -- Adams is city's next mayor | Oregonian

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