On that point: As one leader rises, another falls

While Jan. 20 should have been a day of celebration for most Americans, Portlanders were unfortunately shrouded in local political outrage. Questions remain about the alleged “sex scandal” that has tainted Mayor Sam Adams’ office, yet one that hasn’t come up is: Why do we care so much that a politician lied about sex to the public? We shouldn’t. Politicians lie.

They have sex. So does everyone else.

We elected an official yet we forgot that with the suit, the status and the position also comes a human being. A human that makes mistakes. We are forgetting that up until he admitted to having sex with Beau Breedlove, a legislative intern in 2005, he achieved enormous approval ratings. He is still the same man that he was on Monday.

Too many people are more than willing to jump on the bandwagon and call for his resignation. What good would that do for our city? Adams has an amazing vision; it would be a loss if he weren’t allowed to see it through, in what could possibly be one of the most memorable offices in the history of local politics.

This is not because Adams is the first elected openly gay mayor, or because he had some sex and lied about it, but because he is a great politician, public servant and visionary for our town. He should be unbridled as he seeks to see his vision through.

But the intrigue doesn’t stop at teenage sex. The story has even more layers when Amy Ruiz, the former news editor of the Portland Mercury, gets thrown in the mix. Most Portland media outlets are questioning whether the Mercury, particularly Ruiz, sat on the Adams’ story and was rewarded with a cushy government position on Adams’ staff as a sustainability adviser, a position she apparently is unqualified to hold.

This is not a casual claim to throw around. A violation of media ethics so core cutting into the concepts surrounding journalistic ideals needs to be looked at delicately, with respect to all parties involved. I doubt Ruiz, being with the Mercury for over three years, would jeopardize the relationships and contacts she made while news editor to get a salary increase.

It really doesn’t matter if the Mercury sat on the story or not. It isn’t theirs to tell. It’s no one’s, except Adam’s himself, and only if he wants to have that kind of transparency. The public should not obligate him to reveal such personal details that have no bearing on his job. Yes, he lied. What else has he lied about? Probably nothing that concerns any of us.

While Adams’ lie is defensible, it’s a shame that Ruiz’s integrity and journalistic ethics have been called into question, when really the questions should be posed more to Adams. And, why would he hire her to sit on the story if he knew the story was going to come out eventually anyway?

So what should we young people, people that are in Breedlove’s age bracket, think about all this? Well first, be angry. Be angry that a bond of trust between a political leader and a citizen has been broken, and it will take time to repair.

Be angry with Nigel Jaquiss, the Willamette Week reporter who initially broke the story right before Inauguration Day, only to spoil the inspiration, patriotism and trust that was supposed to be kindled on such an important day for American history.

Be angry with the media and people (I am talking to you, Portland Police) who call for Adams’ resignation from a puritanical, holier-than-thou standpoint.

But most of all, be mindful.

Push your elected officials to put this media frenzy to rest, to use this incident as a stepping off point to working together despite disappointments and personal differences, and get back to what they were elected to do: Make our city better.