Cronygate plot thickens

I see that the trouble that's been stirred up about the way the head of Portland's economic development agency chooses talent is still in the news. Now the union at the agency, "Prosper Portland," wants the head of the organization, Cornell Wesley, put on leave while an outside investigator looks into his no-bid contract activity with two of his college friends. And the union folks have thrown in as part of their gripes the hiring of Robert Thompson from Greeley, Colorado into a newly made-up position at Prosper. As told by Sophie Peel of Willamette Week, which is riding this one hard:

Among other things, the union requested that a third-party investigator examine whether Wesley’s personal relationship with the contractors “impacted the awarding of the contracts and the results of the deliverables,” but also to “determine whether Director Wesley and Human Resources Director Stephon Kibs attempted to use coercive and intimidating tactics to protect Director Wesley’s relationships with outside contractors and to dissuade union leadership from raising concerns about these contracts.” The letter goes on to suggest that an investigator determine whether Wesley and Kibs “created an ineffective and toxic work environment and a workplace culture of fear, intimidation, bullying, and retribution.”

Also, the union requested that any investigation look into a “direct appointment of a former City of Greeley employee to a newly created position at the agency” and “any subsequent retaliation by Director Wesley against individuals who expressed concerns about the possible reputational harm of such an appointment.” (Portland City Administrator Raymond Lee previously worked as city manager of Greeley, Colo.)

Not that I would ever be one to throw fuel on a bureaucratic fire, but I can't help but point out that there is a connection between Lee and Thompson that goes beyond merely working for the same city government. Here's a photo on Lee's spouse's Facebook page of Lee, Thompson, said wife, and an unidentified second woman enjoying themselves at a virtual reality game center one weekend in February last year.

And on Thomspon's website, where he promotes himself as a motivational speaker, Lee's wife chimes in with a glowing testimonial.

The internet reveals no evidence of when and where that workshop took place.

There's no telling where the Prosper union demand will lead, but I have zero doubt as to how Thompson got to Portland. He's connected to Lee, and likely through Mrs. Lee.