Street roots
11
Oct. 26, 2012
ADAMS, from page 10
I.B .: Both you and Commissioner Amanda
Fritz have managed to do what very few
electived officials over the past decade have
been able to do — strike a balance on Portland
sidewalks related to issues of homelessness and
poverty. Saying that, it is thought with a
change o f leadership in Portland that there
will be a strong push for the city to crack down
on people experiencing homelessness,
specifically on sidewalks. Are we striking the
right balance, and what’s your advice to avoid
falling into the same trappings that have
historically plagued the community working
on this issue?
S.A .: A couple of thoughts: One, I think it
has been very corrosive to businesses and
retailers downtown, to human service
organizations and efforts downtown to have
a decade of putting something out there on
sidewalk management that then is ruled
Unconstitutional (sit-lie laws). You feel good
about it for four to six months and then you
are back to the drawing board. Whatever
your view on this issue is, I think a lack of
stability on this issue does detract from the
core problems. How do we always improve
downtown Portland for retail and business,
while also doing our best to take care of
folks that are suffering from illness or are
hitting tough times?
I think we struck a balance with what we
had, more importantly, we got off this cycle
of seesawing back and forth that I witnessed
in City Hall and in the community. This
constant seesawing between well-intentioned
groups is more corrosive and harder to deal
with. It is more corrosive for business and
for the folks social service programs are
helping. I have worked two decades on this
issue. Does that mean what we have now
can’t be improved upon? I am not saying
that, but if anyone thinks that the courts are
suddenly going to view any other get tough
scheme any differently than they have in the
past, which is to rule it as unconstitutional,
then I would say those efforts are wishful
thinking.
I.B.: There are many people who believe
that the visible homeless curtail business
downtown environments. What’s your honest
opinion on these issues?
S.A.: It definitely can. A certain
percentage of people visiting or new
workers traveling to downtown and in our
neighborhoods are folks from afar and come
from the suburbs. It can be startling.
There are also people out there who
shouldn’t be on the street. We try to manage
that situation based on reality. It’s also a
reality that the state and federal
government and the counties have cut
the hell out of basic health services for
those who are mentally ill and poor.
There are virtually no affordable
addiction or recovery services in the
city of Portland. There are folks that
are untreated in terms of mental illness
and are untreated in terms of addiction.
I believe in personal responsibility, but
there is also a collective responsibility.
Plenty of people want to make an effort
to have a better life and to get off the
street who are having tough times.
My approach to governing and
leadership is radical common sense. I
can be tough and supportive
simultaneously. When it comes to
mental illness, addiction and folks that
are suffering tough times or bad luck,
the biggest misnomer among the
general public is that that’s exactly
what they want to be doing. We don’t
give people much of a glimpse of how it
could be better because we have cut
the hell out of social services. We have
a lot of work to do on this front.
I.B.: I don’t think people understand
the pressure it must take both physically
and mentally running an entire city. Not
to mention constantly being under a
microscope, while balancing varying
viewpoints and interests. How do you
internalize the work you do day-in and
day-out?
S.A.: I am wired to see opportunities.
My boyfriend jokes that when we go to
see something like a house that may be
viewed as a dump, I say, “No this is an
opportunity!” My brain is just wired to
always be thinking about new ideas.
I surround myself with smart people
who have their own ideas. I delegate a
lot. And I feel this great sense of
responsibility. I try to be very clear
with people.
I got involved in the government
because I saw my mom, a high school drop
out with four kids, hardworking, smart who
made some bad decisions and had some
tough luck, but ultimately wanted to make
her life better for her and her kids. I saw
how important government was. Things like
food stamps, subsidized housing, etc., it
allowed her to earn her high school degree
and college education while raising four kids
in a troubled marriage and then on her own.
At the same time, I saw and valued at an
early age how the government, nonprofits
and the faith community can help. I also saw
how hard it is for somebody who is trying to
make his or her life and community better
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and how government with the best
intentions can sometimes stand in the way.
I take each day and the work I do very
seriously. My roots are a kid from Newport,
Oregon. I’ve been very blessed in my life,
but I also have had to stand in line for paper
food stamps and hold the place for my mom.
I will never forget that and I do my best to
govern with my roots.
Saying all of that, yes, this job can be
incredibly intense. To see Portlanders shot
and lying dead in our city, it’s heartbreaking.
You go from this environment some days
straight to a speech or ribbon cuttings in a
couple of hours. This job can eat you alive,
or it can make you a screaming banshee.
You have to constantly work at stress
management.
I am lucky. I have served eight years as a
elected official and 30 years of service. For
22 years, I was a staff person. I never set
out to be an elected official. I view this job
and will continue until the last day of my
term, as a great opportunity to help people
and to serve Portland. Even on the worst
days, it’s still a great opportunity. I’m not
going to waste a minute of it. Portland has
high expectations and very involved people.
It’s the people of Portland who are the raw
materials that make are city great.
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