Citizen Sam
Continued from page 33
to resign was disappointing, I had to be respectful of everybody’s re-
sponse [in January 2009, Adams admitted lying to the media about
an affair he’d had with a young state legislative intern, leading to a
public
outcry
which
included
some
of
Portland’s
LGBTQ community].
JO: Two failed recall attempts and you’re still the mayor. What does that
say about Portland?
SA: I think Portlanders are fair-minded people. That’s another reason I am
so bonded with this city. Even before I ran for office — we’re not perfect,
no city is perfect - time and time again I saw this city rally around what
is fair, what is right, and do so in a progressive way that other cities might
aspire to, but do not deliver on as often as Portland does.
JO: What has been your proudest moment as mayor?
SA: I am most proud of my work on education. There are very few pana-
ceas in life, but a good education is pretty darn close. If you’re better edu-
cated, you make more money. You’ll be healthier. If you have an education,
the numbers show you’ll be happier. Education comes in many ways: skills
training, entrepreneurial risk, college, but not just college, by any means.
There are four kids in my own family. Two dropped out of high school, and
two of us graduated. So I’ve personally seen behind the statistic of a high
school drop out, watching my siblings suffer mightily. So, I know educa-
tion is good for the city, but for me it’s also personal.
When you come from a hardscrabble or poor background, it’s really hard
to get through school. It’s really hard if your parents are doing what they
can to stay afloat, but they’re not there emotionally, or even physically, to
encourage you through inevitable tough times. I’ve seen what happens to
very smart people who drop out of high school, and don’t go on to get a
trade or skill, or get to college.
So, we’ve had a major uptick in high school graduations, after four years
of concerted effort with our Future Connect program, and after All Hands
Raised, which is the new county-wide foundation for all the school dis-
tricts in the city, plus enhancing our scholarship program, and doubling
summer school. These things are about human potential and human in-
frastructure, so that young people can meet their full potential. And, we’ve
done all this in a way that does not depend on a mayor for it’s future suc-
cess. It’s built into the community, institutionalized in the public and pri-
vate sectors, and inculcated in the community. That’s what I’m most proud
of, because all of that will live on long after I’m gone.
JO: What does your gut say? Will we have marriage equality in 2014?
SA: Yes! I think so. I think that Oregonians are coming to realize that mar-
riage strengthens society for everyone. Loving couples who have legal sup-
port and legal rights strengthen every community in the state, and there
are LGBTQ couples in every one of Oregon’s 36 counties. We will be a
stronger state when marriage is available for everyone.
JO: What does Portland need to do better?
SA: Our Achilles’ heel is that, as great a city as we are, our “greatness” is not
accessible to everybody. We’re not living up to our progressive values when
it comes to equity. When you compare Portlanders of color to Seattleites
of color and San Franciscans of color, and you look at the economic and
academic disparities that have existed in all three cities; in Seattle and San
34
JustOut.com
Francisco they’ve gotten more equal, while in Portland we’ve gotten less
equal. So that’s our biggest challenge.
Our second biggest challenge is that we need to continue strengthening
the economy for everybody. Our quality of life is not matched by our qual-
ity of economy. So, my service as Portland’s mayor has been focused on
the “meat and potatoes” of business development. It’s not sexy work, but
helping local business expand, succeed, and export around the world is
what we need. Recruiting other businesses where we have gaps in our eco-
nomics and ecosystem is what we need. So, I’ve focused a lot of work on
that. It’s hard work. It takes a lot of time and a lot of patience. It’s behind
the scenes work, because every company wants their secrets kept for pro-
prietary reasons.
Our City Council report on economic development strategy, though,
shows this hard work pays off. Our goal is to double our exports in the
next five years, and we can do that. What’s imagined and designed and
made in Portland is unmatched in terms of products and services around
the world.
JO: What would you say to other elected officials about the experience
you’ve had working with the transgender community, and Portland’s ef-
forts towards equity for this community?
I expect the next
mayor to be a
huge champion of
marriage equality.
SA: I am very passionate about this issue, because we are all unique. If
you are lucky enough to grow old, you will probably experience age dis-
crimination at some point. Issues of equity and fairness should matter to
everyone.
The transgender community has been marginalized even within the les-
bian and gay rights movement. [Longtime leading local transgender activ-
ist] Lori Buckwalter really educated me. She was just a great gal. She and
her partner and I would go to coffee or something, because I wanted to get
educated. And, the amount of abuse that they used to take just walking
down the street was so shameful and so hurtful ... I felt embarrassed that in
this city I love so much some would say such incredibly nasty and hurtful
things to Lori and her partner.
So I am very proud of our work to provide opportunities and equity, in-
cluding transgender healthcare benefits, here in Portland. I can’t believe
that so few cities in the U.S. do that. This needs to change. I’m also very
proud that when the Portland Police Bureau did an “It Gets Better” video,
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November 2012