Sam Adams, Portland Mayor, Admits Relationship With Teen Following Year Of Denial

PORTLAND, Ore. — The mayor of Portland apologized Tuesday for lying about a sexual relationship with a male teenager he was mentoring three years ago, but asked the city to consider it an anomaly in two decades of public service.

"I screwed up. I blew it. There's no way to sugarcoat it," Mayor Sam Adams said during a City Hall news conference scheduled after he cut short a trip to the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.

Adams was elected easily last year, making Portland the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor. He was sworn in Jan. 1.

Rumors of the relationship had surfaced when the then-city commissioner was getting ready to run for mayor in 2007, but he and the teen both denied it at the time.

In a statement he released Monday confirming the relationship, Adams said he lied then because the rumors claimed the teen was underage. He said the relationship did not begin until after the teen turned 18 in June 2005. That is the legal age of consent in Oregon.

At the time, the teen was a legislative intern whom Adams mentored on being gay and in public service. He is now 21 and has not made any public comments acknowledging any relationship with Adams. He did not return a request for comment Tuesday from The Associated Press.

In his City Hall remarks, Adams said their relationship was inappropriate because of their age gap; he is 45.

And he admitted he asked the teen initially to deny the relationship. "I am deeply sorry that I asked him to lie for me," he said.

Adams stressed the issue is about a public official lying, not sexual orientation, and he would work to regain the public's trust.

"I will be subject to greater scrutiny because of this, and that is appropriate," he said.

"My reputation has been impacted. Friendships have been impacted, and that's appropriate as well."

Adams said he would cooperate in any investigation. He said he has no plan to resign, but left open the possibility: "If it were no longer in the city's best interests that I stay, yes, I would resign."

Commissioner Randy Leonard, who defended Adams when the rumor surfaced in 2007, has now called for an investigation. Leonard's chief of staff, Ty Kovatch, voiced concern about Adams' decision to ask the teen to lie.

"It reveals a much more strategic and planned effort to mislead people," Kovatch said.

Leonard said he believes Adams can continue as mayor _ unless "further omissions and discrepancies" emerge.

Comments

[jakesinger]

01:36 PM on 01/29/2009

Want forgiveness? Help gay youth!

A man in his 40s should not fool around with a child of 17. It's unhealthy and unfair to the youngster. With so many gay teens committing suicide, we adults should give young gays our support and guidance, not play dangerous games with them. As mature as a teen may seem, there are a million ways dating a middle-aged person can harm him, emotionally and otherwise.

Sam Adams did not commit the most serious crime imaginable. I would call it a serious failure of judgment, and a lack of sensitivity to the needs of another. I could see voting for him in the future if he proved that he understood what it means to behave as a socially responsible adult.

What would that mean? Volunteering to help gay youth would say a lot. Assuming Sam Adams does not have a serious emotional disorder, I think it'd be great for him to spend a few hours a week helping set up events or fundraising for a gay youth group. That would probably help Sam Adams, as well, to grow.

[merryecho]

12:12 AM on 01/29/2009

Sho Dozono gave a very clear and honest explanation in the Oregonian of what happened with his children's trust fund. He used it as collateral for a bridge loan. Big deal. You make it sound as if it were something dark and mysterious- a red herring perhaps?
And you seem to think that we should keep Adams regardless of how slimy his behavior, because he can help us get new jobs. Sorry, but from what I have seen, Adams' ideas are going to do nothing but lose jobs in Portland. He treats small business like a golden egg laying goose, and we are at a limit for new taxes. His new $500 million spending plan sounds nice, but he has no idea where the money is coming from, he just hopes the feds will give it to him.
Give me Sho any day. He took a small family business and built it into a thriving company-when he spends a dollar of my money, at least I know he realizes how hard it was to earn it.

[pdxislander]

10:59 AM on 01/28/2009

also --

I am newly unemployed and have been looking high and low for work. Are you going to answer these crucial questions of how to stimulate the economy in portland, how to carry forth our momentum in the exploration of the growing green industries, and how to keep an open ear to the public at the same time?

My point, again, is that I believe Sam will bring the solutions needed to create jobs for me and others stuck in my position.

my community, the nikkei (japanese american) community wholly lobbied behind sho dozono. although, there were rumors about that candidate too. but, in that case, Dozono is heterosexual and the rumors had to do with a children's fund which was mishandled. I do not see evidence that says I should believe that about dozono but I do note with interest that this has not sparked as much discussion as a man who has not been proven guilty of any crime except refusing to stay holed up in a closet somewhere.

[pdxislander]

10:58 AM on 01/28/2009

Could we calm down long enough to remember a very important point? When questioned about a private sexual matter, that politician has NO obligation to air out his sexual lifestyle to the public. Sure, politicians have been under social pressure but this is NOWHERE near enough to disqualify Sam Adams.

it is the position of many of those who voted for Sam - myself included alhtough of course I am sure a lot of right wing trolls on this board are lying about that also -- this smells like a witch hunt because Sam is gay.

Don't tell me the relationship is not the issue when that is the basis for saying that the question posed to him during his campaign was ONLY because he is gay. If he slept with women this would never have been posed to him during the campaign and it would not be an issue now.

only a mere 40 years ago we had laws against white people sleeping with others who were not white. Those laws, of course, have now finally been removed from all states' lawbooks and we do not make it our business as a government to mandate who can sleep with whom.

congratulations to the right wing, homophobic (and probably white supremacist because those intolerances go hand-in-hand) jerks who think that they have better solutions than sam for the REAL problems in our city.

[GAstorino]

07:05 PM on 01/23/2009

Don't know if many of the bloggers are from Portland but Sam himself said he had a romantic relationship with the boy when he was 17 year olds in the paper which he lied about mentoring. He said he told him all along they would not have actual sex so he wouldn't get into legal trouble, This sounds like he was trying to groom him for the weekend of his 18th birthday when they had sex. Portland's gay websites say Sam has done this before and is a staple at underage nightclubs. Now to me this sounds like a sexual predator whether or not he was gay. Sam hired a troubleshooter at public expense to lie about the affair when it was brought up about the wisdom of a 42 year taking a 18 year old to a hotel. They told the kid to lie and Sam also lied and told lies that destroyed the pollitical career of Sams competitor in the mayorial race against him. Turned out what the competitor said was true. Sam gave an unqualifed reporter a job as city planner over 300+ qualified canidates ttl comp of $75000.00 so she would quit writing about the Sam Adams story and digging into his background. Council members used to trash competitors, told more lies to the paper until 2 days before being published. The kid is afraid for his life and says if he says the truth it will ruin Sam. This is why Sam should resign.

[GP98684]

05:16 PM on 01/24/2009

This person is creating their own form of facts and truth. Do your own research to learn the facts. Don't believe this hype.

[beave0202]

02:06 AM on 01/23/2009

Mr. Adams needs to resign he also didn't take a stand on a serious issue involving illegal activities at a retail chain in Portland, Oregon as he has had several meetings with the stores owner. The lawsuit involving Fantasy for Adults/Oregon Entertainment Corp. in State and Federal Court.

His public advocate failed to investigate that matter as well.

He should call it in.

[mcwattie]

12:14 AM on 01/23/2009

What grand mischaracterizations are being posted... To the overwhelming number of Oregonians that are being polled, The replays of Sam Adams 2007 public address pointing the finger of blame at those that were asking the questions, the PR consultant that was hired to help craft his widely distributed letter to Portland where he said the bigotry being perpetrated against him was the very thing that every gay person is so vulnerable to... and then the cold and calculated effort to cover the event up... compelling a teen to lie about the event... Each day only brings new questions about the extent of his effort... This wasn't just a little lie. It was a revealing picture of the character of Sam Adams... He is providing a very poignant argument that the very thing he claimed the "haters" wanted people to believe about gays in leadership, may in fact have basis... The longer it takes for him to go away the more damage it does... Ironic

[omo]

07:57 PM on 01/23/2009

It almost does seem like something was compelling him to set in action a chain of events which would serve to reveal the dark and ugly underbelly of queer behavior . . .

[notright]

10:17 PM on 01/22/2009

I dont think it's a matter of him being gay portland elected him so thats not a issue. It's him saying he waited for a 17 year old he was mentoring to turn 18 before they where sexual.thats just not right male,female,gay or strait.

[greendeva3]

03:24 PM on 01/22/2009

I have yet to see anyone commenting on Robert Ball, the other gay candidate in the mayor's race. Sam Adams and his staff shot this man's career straight to hell; while he was most likely off his mark, he seemed to have been on to something and rather than Sam telling him and the public that he was wrong, the Adams camp nuked him. That kind of handling speaks volumes.

[zinderel]

05:12 PM on 01/22/2009

His career would not have been shot to hell if he had not used an underhanded campaign attack tactic by raising investigative questions about a consensual affair between adults by implying that there was a legal issue involved. His smear tactics in suggesting illegal activity without proof were incredibly unacceptable - especially coming from another gay man who KNOWS of the stigma that even an accusation of sexual misconduct would cause, false or no - and unless Mr. Adams is proven to have indeed been involved in something illegal, Mr. Ball's career is rightly over, not for a falsehood, but for the sleazy allegations which led to Mr. Adams' decision to lie in the first place to protect his name and his career.

Should Sam Adams have lied and covered up what is apparently a perfectly legal relationship? Of course not. I am TERRIBLY disappointed at the cover-up perpetrated in this matter, but I am far more upset that this issue was ever raised at all without any proof of wrongdoing.

[bjorn334]

09:18 PM on 01/22/2009

Sam Adams did not violate the law. Sam had consensual sex with another adult not a minor. Inappropriate questions about ones personal life should not be answered. He did not. Is it inappropriate to have sex with someone 20 years younger? I’m a 58 year old gay man and have sex with a partner 20 years younger. Am I immoral? Did I violate the law? I don’t think so.

The community expresses latent homophobia. Sam is being held up to a higher standard because he is gay. Will we hold Obama to a higher standard because he is black? The real issue here is why are same sex relations condemned by the public?

Critics that wrap themselves in antiquated moral beliefs are unrealistic. Have we returned to our Puritanical roots? Have we not evolved beyond the witch hunt? Sam has proven himself as a strong, dedicated, hard working public servant. His personal life has not hindered his fine work with the City. It is time to evaluate his record and performance not his sexual life.

[luncie]

12:41 PM on 01/22/2009

If he had lied about having an intern cleaning his home, people would not be paying attention and really not care. Lying is wrong and how Mayor Adams went about it is wrong. What I feel is getting lost is that people make mistakes; and that they can learn from those mistakes to become a better person and leader from that lesson. If that leader does not seem to learn from that mistake, then we should remove them.

[Bushwhacked]

03:05 PM on 01/22/2009

He lied to protect his political ambition. We've had enough of that in this country. The bar his higher for those who seek public office and our votes. Adams was a 42 y/o public servant and the 17 y/o teen's mentor. That he waited until the teen was "legal" to have sex is unseemly. Had he been honest about this relationship when asked, he would have lost votes based on character and judgement. He knew that, otherwise he wouldn't have lied AND coerced the teenager to lie about it as well.

[Toonadude]

05:56 PM on 01/22/2009

Are you saying the ends DON'T justify the means?
If so, you must not be an Oregonian based on my experiences there.

[nicobella]

02:15 AM on 01/22/2009

Hello-

Just so the nation knows-- there are impassioned Portlandians who are standing up for our Mayor.

This Tuesday we are gathering @ the Portland City Hall @ Noon for
A rally and show of support for our Mayor, Sam Adams.

As a people we do NOT like being lied to.
However this is a gathering of those of us who, as a people ARE willing
to accept apologies, give second chances and refuse to allow
scandal mongering to govern our city.

www.myspace.com/isupportsamadams

[Toonadude]

05:53 PM on 01/22/2009

RIGHT ON !! ----- now let's hear it ---- Tonya Harding for Mayor of Portland.

Now there's a poster girl for ethical conduct - Oregon style.

[Jonnycat1]

05:54 PM on 01/21/2009

As an out gay man living in the Portland area, I say BOO to Sam Adams. I voted for this individual and feel duped. Many say "it's just sex between two consentual adults." I say it is an abuse of power and no matter how you spell it, sexual relations between a person in political power and an intern is wrong. When is it appropriate for someone in a mentor/mentee role to take that relationship to a sexual level? How would you feel if you sent your teenage son/daughter to intern in a public forum and then find out that they had sex with someone more than twice their age that was mentoring them? Why are people not more irate about this? I'm tired of the double standard out there between teenage boys and girls. If this had been a teenage girl that this happened to, I can guarantee that this whole thing would be a much larger issue than it currently is. He says that they waited until he was 18. And we're supposed to believe him? After he lied to us about the affair in the first place? I'm not that naive. Thanks for perpetuating the stereotype that gay people prey on the youth of our society, Sam. Way to make us all look like creeps.

[SJBrown]

08:50 PM on 01/24/2009

You get it. And I agree.

[straybill]

03:17 PM on 01/21/2009

The fact that Mr. Adams is gay or a Democrat or even his poor judgment regarding the age of his partner, arguably, should not be of concern to anyone. The fact that he lied however, is problematic. A politician lying to further his agenda is a pathology of which we can do without.

In his inauguration speech, our beloved, new President spoke of accountability and honesty. Sam Adams has demonstrated his disregard for the law. He should be held accountable for lying – no more, no less.

[janeyu]

08:26 AM on 01/21/2009

Both Clinton and Adams had sex with interns, young people that were there to learn, to experience what life is like in the work force.. These older and more powerful men used their positions of authority to get what they want.. Whether the younger person was willing or not the older person should never put that person in that position.. and then have them promise to lie about it.. Bad bad judgement.. If this occurred in any other place but politics these men would be fired..

[Teutonicus]

06:56 AM on 01/21/2009

why does the mayor apologize by saying a relationship between a 42 and a 18 year old one is "inappropriate"? There is nothing wrong with an age gap that big, as long as both partners mutually agree on that relationship. There is much more than black and white and age preferences like other preferences mostly cannot be explained. It's just how it is. Period.