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Adams says to expect decision 'within days'
Portland Mayor Sam Adams remained out of the public eye as City Hall work went on without him Thursday, but he said Portlanders should expect a decision "within days" about whether he'll resign or fight for his job. He spent the day on "discussions of a personal nature" with people such as his pastor and his mentor, former Mayor Vera Katz. "It's important I learn the lessons that need to be learned, regardless of what I decide," Adams said. "That's what I'm talking to folks about right now. Clearly, tell the truth no matter what is one of those. These people I talked with today were blunt. They were brutally honest. "I need to do more of the hard work before I decide," he said. "I'm not going to be able to sit down with everyone in the city, but I want to have as many conversations as possible. I'm going to be making a decision soon. I'm not going to keep people waiting." With support from big-name backers and a longtime colleague who had remained silent up to now, Adams seemed to gather momentum in the court of public opinion for the first time since he admitted earlier this week that he had sex with a teenager when he was a city commissioner. Adams, 45, said Monday he had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old legislative intern in 2005 but lied about it and persuaded the young man to lie about it, too, in 2007 as he began his campaign for mayor. At the request of local authorities, the state attorney general's office has opened a criminal investigation of Adams, who said he's hired a lawyer. The City Council met Thursday for the first time since the scandal broke, and councilors seemed relieved to get down to some business that didn't involve answering questions about whether Adams should stay or resign. Though television news crews staked out the chamber and a handful of demonstrators -- for and against Adams -- paraded outside, only a small audience gathered, and no one mentioned Adams at the short meeting. Posted by: Fred 2009-01-24 |
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