Ah... Election Night

Where to begin? Diane got trounced, as the O puts it. Expected. But, what happened to dignity? The first shot of Wheeler's election night party was of three grown women, gloating like junior high cheerleaders who just caused the nerdy girl massive humiliation. There is a special place in hell for women who thwart other women, and there are three spots specifically reserved for the women- or should I say girls- of Multnomah County Commission. It embarasses me as a woman in politics.

But...on to the good news of the night. Sten did not walk away with the vote, as a lot of the young, hipster, boy-driven crowd wanted us to believe. Although Burdick is 15 points back, she is still in it. The Stensters are already spinning the numbers to indicate a virtual cakewalk to the finish line, but really all this means is that more than 50% of the minority that voted didn't want him. That spells opportunity for Burdick. She will need a positive, consistent, and available presence for voters to see why it is in their best interest to put her on the council.

The Stensters will keep carping about "big business" for the next 5 months, which only means they have no new ideas. Portland needs business, as every city does. Business is not the enemy and Burdick seems to be the only candidate of the two who knows it. Sten has been characterizing himself as the rebel who stands up to business, while Burdick knows that courting business and balancing their interests with those of people who forge a life in Portland are key. Oh, and by the way, many of those people are employed by "business."

The Stensters will keep dragging out a ficitionalized connection between Burdick and PGE/Enron, Burdick and the PBA, and Burdick and Gard & Gerber. And when I say fictionalized, I don't mean there are no connections, but the truth about what those connections mean to the people of Portland will be distorted, as they have been. The PGE/Enron thing is like trotting out Whitewater everytime someone mentions the name Hillary Rodham Clinton. It's old news. So, she works for Gard & Gerber. Have I mentioned that Sten is backed by some of the nastiest, dirtiest poltical consultants in Oregon? Does G&G have interests in business entities? Yes. Has Ginny worked on some of these projects? Yes. Does this automatically mean she is only running for office to protect her client's interests? Not on your life.

The thing that people have forgotten or chosen to ignore in recent months, is that Burdick is a state senator who has been in office for 10 years. She has been re-elected to this position twice because she has been an effective leader and advocate. She served the state on the land use and development commission for 6 years prior to that. She has been a solid Democrat, advocating for families, women's issues, and public safety and health. To paint someone with that kind of public service record as motivated solely by big-business-greed is disingenuous at best. But, of course, I did mention the nasty consultants already.

I'd like to see the next 5 months educate Portlanders on what the city needs and who can solve those problems best. I'd give anything to stop hearing about voter owned elections and campaign financing. Sure, it matters where candidates get their money, but clearly Burdick isn't doing anything unethical to raise funds, so let's get on with it and talk about what matters: city infrastructure, affordable housing, schools and safe streets for our children, making Portland a place where everyday people can do more than just hang on.