''Again, what I think is the most important thing, and what I think any responsible mayor looks at is, 'What is in the best interest of Portland? How can I best serve the people of this great city that I love so much?''
Sam Adams, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, telling KATU that he is not going to run for re-election. The reporter asked Adams directly: "Has any of the controversy you've encountered during your term as mayor been part of this decision?" Adams has 17 months remaining in office and says that he would have a decent chance, but wanted to focus full-time on the city's needs. (KATU)
In his letter to the public, he mentioned his partner, Peter, but did not mention the scandal that plagued his election campaign and his early days in office. He did say, "I am under no illusion of how challenging the race for re-election would be."
Adams was elected in May 2008 and became the first openly gay mayor to head a large US city. But by January 2009 he had to admit that he had lied during his campaign about having an affair with an 18-year-old intern named Beau Breedlove. Within months, Breedlove was publicly blogging about his dislike of Adams's handling of the situation, and even rallied to have Adams recalled from office.
