I rarely pay attention to this kind of attack. Or, frankly, to politicians of any kind since much of what the typical politician says is either disingenuous or a complete lie. I didn't pay attention to this one to the extent that I was unaware that any such attack existed. Until you told me about it in the open letter.

Since then, out of curiosity, I looked it up. It seems to me that the "smear tactics" are intentionally deceptive and that they don't have much to do with anything other than the mere appearance of something unusual.

It also seems clear that Sam will be running for mayor of Portland at the end of Mayor Potter's term. I think this potentially an exciting prospect and I hope that these allegations, assuming that they have no merit, will have no effect on the candidacy.

I also hope that Sam continues to be an interesting politician. To the degree that he is able, can he please keep Portland free of corruption, graft and the failings of other American cities? As a transplant to Portland, I believe this to to be a special place the integrity of which is worth fighting for and preserving.

I've seen the bumper stickers on cars that read "Keep Portland Weird". Now that I've been here long enough to know the city a little better, I think I understand what that message means. It doesn't mean "Keep Portland Weird" as in eccentric for eccentric sake or inaccessibly odd. What it means is Keep Portland Unique or Keep Portland Special. To the extent that he can be bold in that effort (because it takes bold action to fight against those that would sacrifice Portland's unique qualities for wealth and power) Sam can be one of Portland's great mayors. And one of a tradition of great public servants in Oregon.

I think the only thing it takes at the end of the day is for Sam to believe that Oregon doesn't belong to us, we belong to Oregon. That means we subscribe to all the things that make this state and city unique, interesting, thoughtful and authentic. And that means we may not look or feel like other American cities. Maybe in the effort to be unique and forward thinking we'll try things that don't work. Or in the effort to preserve our heritage, we hold up certain kinds of development. Maybe we'll be a little smaller. Maybe its worth being a little smaller and thusly more precious. In the end, I hope that Sam's political ambitions don't outweigh his duty to this city and this state. Please help keep it weird. Keep it small. Keep it unique. Keep it great.