Brat Pack to Blazers: Go ahead and leave
Well, most of the far-left members of the Portland City Council have apparently decided that taking sides against taxpayer funding of a renovation of the Moda Center is how they're going to roll politically heading into the November City Council elections. They're doubling down on the "No Bailouts for Billionaires" position.
I would have thought that all six council members who are up for re-election would be tiptoeing around rather than taking sides on this highly divisive issue. But not, apparently, the three socialistas on the ballot. Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo, and Mitch Green all voted no last week on the city's new offer to the Blazers for arena funding. The city's "term sheet," which the team finds ridiculous, was not ridiculous enough for the socialistas.
You wonder how many of the people who voted for those three in 2024 were die-hard Blazer fans. Probably not all that many, but some. I assume the trio's obstructionist ways with the team may lose those votes. Will it pick up any new ones? It remains to be seen.
I happen to agree with them on the arena funding. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. But Portland would be a better place if all of them were sent back to their day jobs, if any.
Is there any chance that any of them will be unseated? I'm not optimistic. Look at what the ballot is going to be like. Same as last time: dozens of bobbleheads in the "rank choice" soup. Between taxpayer funding of these candidates' clown shows and the goofball voting system embedded in the misguided city charter, there doesn't seem to be much hope for sensible change for the foreseeable future.
I wonder how it would go if it were put to a vote.
ReplyDeleteIt would be close.
DeleteThe "city" never should have accepted Moda. The city never maintains any properties/structures; this was a "can of worms" in waiting. I don't doubt that Moda needs a lot of maintenance/upkeep/repair but does it really need any upgrades to operate?
DeleteIt would have to go to a statewide vote, imo, because there's State money tied to whatever the City decides (and the State can now essentially take control if the City effs it up, after SB1501).
DeleteThe Counties outside of Metro would largely be opposed, it'd end-up like the transportation bill.
The Blazer organization is a mess.
ReplyDeletePortland’s elected officials are a mess.
Perfect fodder for the local media.
But it seems the media, as ineffectual as it is, makes a trifecta of messiness.
DeleteCan we please redo the council to one councilor per district? I've got the "hook"- his nickname, and crazy triple name.
ReplyDeleteThere also needs to be more than four districts. It should be something like seven districts, one rep from each. But then brats couldn't get elected.
DeleteI'd like to see any of them make it through a meeting without a computer screen / phone in front of them.
ReplyDeleteIn-person testimony wasn't allowed at that meeting, yet reading live-feed messages from God-knows-who (and repeating them, essentially reading them into the Council record as if they are the electeds' own words) throughout the meeting is allowed.
Morillo was clearly reading-out what she was receiving, and at one point interrupted herself to tell everybody to wait-a-minute because she was having to read so-many messages. During the Council meeting. Seriously, watch the video.
Why are the councilors that don’t want to subsidize new luxury suites and literally nobody-knows-what-else for an out of state billionaire’s sports team the “socialistas”? Especially a billionaire that came out to the public and loyal fans as abrasively as possible from day one?
ReplyDeleteThey proudly call themselves socialists. That's "socialistas" in a different language. As I say, I agree with them about the Trumpy Texan who bought the Blazers. But I wouldn't vote for any of them. For dog catcher or any other office.
DeleteMeanwhile, in Phoenix...
ReplyDeletehttps://hntrbrk.com/breaking-news/uwm3
Sports teams are nothing more than a tax dodge/shelter for the billionaires.
ReplyDelete