“In the City Council race between Nick Fish and Sam Adams for Francesconi's seat, nearly two in five respondents remained undecided with Election Day looming Nov . 2 . Adams and Fish each had 31 percent in the poll when those leaning in favor of the candidates are included… In the council race between Adams and Fish, the survey makes prediction of a winner impossible, Hibbitts said . "I have no idea who's going to win this." In the earlier October poll, Fish had a 31 percent to 27 percent advantage over Adams. The latest survey shows Adams and Fish tied. Adams, a former chief of staff to Mayor Vera Katz, was heartened that the survey showed him moving up into a dead heat accutane online. He predicted that the high number of undecided voters will break his way because his "grass-roots" campaign will continue to convey a message that he has a detailed plan to shake up City Hall temovate online.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, October 22, 2004

Endorsements:

“At a "Candidates Gone Wild" forum Monday night where irreverence was encouraged, Francesconi, Potter and council candidates Nick Fish and Sam Adams each took a turn as his opponent. The tongue-in-cheek results: Adams, former chief of staff to Mayor Vera Katz, as Fish: I'm a "fresh new breeze" and my opponent is responsible for everything that's wrong in Portland from the Trail Blazers' losing ways to the rain.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, October 22, 2004

 

“While mayors usually deal out bureau management duties to commissioners, council candidate Nick Fish says he fully recognizes a mayor's authority to run all the bureaus. But he offers what he calls a gentle criticism, likening the idea to "burning the barn to roast the chicken." Candidate Sam Adams is fine with Potter's promise to take all the bureaus at first, saying it would allow the council to focus on strategy and policy. Adams also notes that his former boss, current Mayor Vera Katz, regularly took the bureaus over every budget season.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, October 15, 2004

 

“When City Council candidate Sam Adams walked into Old Town Pizza on a recent campaign tour of Northwest Portland, restaurant co-owner Adam Milne smiled.
"I'm glad you came in here," Milne said, "because you're the only race I haven't decided yet…" Adams will get Milne's vote because he felt Adams is in sync with the needs of small business.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, October 15, 2004

 

“Campaign extras: Council candidate Sam Adams was blocks from candidate Nick Fish's Grant Park home Sunday afternoon distributing his lawn signs…The Grant Park section of Northeast Portland is heavy with Fish signs, but drive down Northeast 33rd just to the west of the park for evidence of Adams' tenacity at plopping his signs in Fish's home territory.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, October 8, 2004

 

“The poll by Davis, Hibbitts, & Midghall Inc. surveyed 316 voters for the nonpartisan city races, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points…In the race for Francesconi's seat, the survey shows Fish and Adams close. Adams finished more than 10 points behind in the primary, but he has put his faith on winning over a big share of the larger electorate that comes in a general election…Adams said the survey shows him closing the gap and reveals a wide-open contest. He said the results show voters responding to his grass-roots campaign stressing his detailed plan to shake up City Hall.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, October 7, 2004

 

“After nearly a year of political debate, the relationship between Portland City Council candidates Sam Adams and Nick Fish is more friendly than adversarial. Adams painted himself as the proponent of the working class, having moved up from a restaurant dishwasher to become the chief of staff to Portland Mayor Vera Katz for more than a decade. He's the product of public schools and universities. Cast as a policy wonk by Fish, Adams said he's drafted a strategy to cut $10 million to $15 million from the city's budget. "It's out of the closet, I'm a wonk," admitted Adams, in joking reference to his being openly gay. "I wear it as a badge of honor…I'm using the lessons learned from my time in City Hall and putting them to good use in this campaign."
The Oregonian, Amy Hsuan, September 25, 2004

 

“Sam Adams, battling Nick Fish for a Portland City Council seat, filed for personal bankruptcy in 1990. Adams has said the filing was brought on by uninsured medical costs, and he has since repaid the debts. "From my background," Adams said, "I know what it's like for families to struggle. For me, these aren't academic issues."
The Oregonian, Ryan Frank, September 24, 2004

 

“Council candidate Sam Adams, who finished more than 10 points behind Nick Fish in the May primary, is taking hope from a recent poll heading into the November election. The survey of 400 likely voters interviewed Sept. 1-2 had Adams at 27 percent, Fish at 25 percent, with the rest undecided. The sampling error in the poll conducted for Adams by Decision Research, a firm with offices in San Diego and Washington, D.C., is plus or minus 4.9 percent. For Adams, the numbers fit his take that he can win when more people vote in November and are considering candidates for the first time. The survey also shows the candidates with similar numbers in name recognition and favorable ratings among voters.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, September 10, 2004

 

“Candidates for Portland mayor and an open city commissioner seat want voters to believe they best understand what's important to them. Here is one unofficial score card of their commitment in this one-major-sport town where residents are said to be home repair-friendly and nonplussed by the rain, and where people vote overwhelmingly Democratic, fancy themselves well-read and go to great lengths to prove themselves environmentally conscious…SAM ADAMS: Last Blazers game attended: 1999; Last home repair project attempted: Removing lath and plaster, insulating and installing new wallboard in a bedroom in February; Umbrella or no umbrella : Sometimes; Last Republican voted for: Thinks it was state Rep. Mary Burrows, R-Eugene, who served 14 years through the mid-1980s; Magazines subscribed to: [Portland Monthly], The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Details, Out, Fast Company; Do you water your lawn? No.
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, September 7, 2004

 

“You promised: Two more "You Promised" forums by the Portland Mercury newspaper are planned for the mayoral candidates and City Council contenders Sam Adams and Nick Fish. At the first one on the arts, each was asked for five specific promises…Adams pledged to work on changing state law so cities could charge when they give public streets to private owners, such as when the city recently vacated three blocks in North Portland to Fred Meyer, then use part of that money for an arts endowment fund…”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, August 27, 2004

 

“Last week's candidates forum on the arts showed that this November's local elections hold both promise and concern. Portland has two candidates for Portland City Council attuned to the city's arts scene…The event, co-sponsored by The Portland Mercury, The Oregon Bus Project and Pacific Northwest College of Art, was the second forum on the arts featuring Sam Adams and Nick Fish, candidates for City Council… Adams, former chief of staff to Mayor Vera Katz, offered ideas that resonated beyond broad generalizations that politicians tend to make during an election year.”
The Oregonian, D.K. Row, August 27, 2004

 

“Portland Mayor Vera Katz began her second battle with cancer in four years Monday, starting chemotherapy but vowing to stay on the job as planned until her third term ends in January…"She's been through a lot in her life, and she's gotten through a lot," said Adams, her chief of staff for 10 years. "I think she'll draw on those experiences to get through this."
The Oregonian, Erin Hoover, June 15, 2004

 

“In races for two other seats on the nonpartisan five-person City Council, Commissioner Randy Leonard won re-election with more than 50 percent to hold off a challenge from 10 opponents. And in the seven-candidate race to fill the council seat being vacated by Francesconi, lawyer Nick Fish led former Katz Chief of Staff Sam Adams, though falling short of the majority needed to avoid a November runoff.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, May 19, 2004

 

“Yet other Portland candidates have thrown out a few new ideas we like. Council candidate Sam Adams, whom we endorsed, wants a public utility commission to oversee the water and environmental services bureaus.”
The Oregonian, Editorial, May 16, 2004

 

In two City Council races that have gotten cranky over a number of political disputes, there's agreement from the major contenders in both contests that the sexual identity of openly gay candidates has not been an issue…Despite the fact that the Portland City Council has never had an openly gay member, candidates say they're not surprised to find most Portland voters are blase about that potential milestone -- even in a county that's been in the forefront of the same-sex marriage discussion. A poll done for candidate Sam Adams in the other council race for an open seat found 14 percent of Portlanders would support him because he's gay, 14 percent would oppose him for that reason and 72 percent said it would make no difference. Adams said being gay gives him a window into stereotyping and discrimination -- his campaign has received hate mail because of his sexual identity -- but that his campaign is much more than that…"We know it's an issue for 14 percent of the electorate, and I think that's a smaller percentage than in other parts of the state," Adams said. "Before the OCA campaign, we were less viewed as human beings and more as labels. People were generally progressive on the issue but probably less progressive on the issue than they are now."
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, May 13, 2004

 

“Neighborhood activists and leaders who think they're losing City Hall's ear hope the May 18 election, with its 41 candidates for mayor and two city commissioner seats, will produce a more receptive audience of Portland politicians… Adams has…proposals that he says will increase community access. His platform lists reducing the influence of paid lobbyists in City Hall as the most important public involvement reform. He recommends annual registration of all city lobbyists, and the quarterly disclosure of lobbyist gifts and meals to City Hall politicians and their staffs, if those benefits cannot be banned outright. He also proposes a larger role for neighborhood associations and business districts in city budget decisions and bureau plans. Adams' statements that major council decisions should get outside review…Among them, he cited the PGE Park deal and the city's support for Portland Center Stage's move to the Brewery Blocks.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, May 12, 2004

 

“Sam Adams supported the county income tax, but Adams has stressed his role as the mayor's former chief of staff who raised money on his own time to win voter approval of the tax last year as part of a decadelong effort on schools.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, May 6, 2004

 

Adams and Fish approach that seat from radically different angles… Adams, one of the smarter and most fastidious City Hall insiders…was the chief of staff for outgoing mayor Vera Katz. He worked overtime trying to channel Katz's energy, running interference with the media, and tending to details…Adams has matured. I should know. When he was managing Katz's first mayoral campaign in 1992, I labeled Adams "Sam the Sham . . . Prince Machiavelli . . . a young, cynical opportunist who grooves on the shifty culture of politics." Adams repaid me in recent years by proving me wrong. He learned to harness his frustration over the deadening pace of the city bureaucracy. He learned from his mistakes, such as city-county consolidation ("I was painfully, absolutely, abjectly wrong"). And he figured out how to keep the lines of communication open between the mayor and other commissioners when pride had them at one another's throats.”
The Oregonian, Steve Duin, April 27, 2004

 

“The 10 mayoral candidates and 11 city council candidates who came to a forum Saturday on police accountability agreed that fundamental changes are needed before the Portland Police Bureau becomes a model of community policing… Council candidate Sam Adams was among those who said a September report by the [Police Accountability Resource Committee] recommending changes in the bureau should be kept at the forefront, with annual progress reviews. Among other recommendations, the report calls for stricter controls on deadly force, better training in dealing with suspects in cars and the opening of grand jury records of investigations of police-involved shootings.”
The Oregonian, Peter Farrell, April 19, 2004

 

“When art patrons, socialites and politicos such as Dianne Linn, Sam Adams and Sharon Kitzhaber show up at your art function, the event is probably more about schmoozing and public courting than what's on the walls. That's not a bad thing, mind you. Because it's a measure of the incredible success of the annual Art for Life art auction -- the yearly benefit for the Cascade AIDS Project -- that it attracts such a diverse cross-section of Portland politicians, artist types and social scenesters.”
The Oregonian, D.K. Row, April 16, 2004

 

Adams’ …message for his campaign emphasizes a working-class background. He grew up in Newport and Eugene, where he spent time with his mother in subsidized housing and on food stamps after his parents' divorce. Adams says he was pretty much on his own by age 16. He got his start in politics in the mid-1980s with U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, when the Democratic congressman was chairman of the Lane County Board of Commissioners. Adams went on to become political director of the Oregon House Democratic Caucus, where he met Katz when she was speaker of the House. He also filed for bankruptcy in 1990. Records show him overwhelmed with consumer debt and student loans at the same time that Adams says he came down with appendicitis but had spent his health insurance stipend. As Katz's chief of staff, Adams was a player in big-ticket negotiations before leaving the post in August. He helped raise contributions last year for the successful campaign for a Multnomah County income tax to generate money for Portland schools, and was the point person for the mayor's business retention and recruitment efforts…This is Adams' first campaign as a candidate…If elected, Adams also would make history in Portland as the council's first openly gay council member.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, April 6, 2004

 

“Both candidates were asked if they support a proposal by the Affordable Housing NOW! coalition to replenish the city's housing investment fund with $30 million. The coalition of housing advocates, tenants and community members will stage a rally March 11 at City Hall to generate support for the idea, which would emphasize using the money to create housing for residents making less than 30 percent of the area's median family income. Adams said he supports the proposal while work continues to find a new source of local funding, such as a real estate transfer tax or a voter-approved bond levy. He said part of the money should be dedicated to subsidizing college housing for students with children, and building affordable housing closer to jobs. "The dishwasher and busboy at Papa Haydn's" in Northwest Portland "shouldn't have to commute to Gresham," Adams said.”
The Oregonian, Hank Stern, March 3, 2004

 

Adams' answers were unequivocal: He flatly opposes the plan approved by City Council last year. He offered no hand-wringing about the difficult choices at hand. He connected council's passage of the plan to "back-door conversations" to which neighborhood representatives were not invited..."Neighbors missed out on some important discussions that they should have been part of, ...In the end, the neighbors were 'dis-invited' from a lot of the conversations at the end of the process. That isn't how I would operate." ..."I think there's a better deal out there- better for both sides."
Northwest Examiner, March 2004