Found this to be an interesting article about the new mayor, and winning on the ground with less money. I missed it when it first ran during my post-election nihilism, but I think there's something more to be gleaned from this than "Portland is a city of gay business-hating hippies." If Dems nationwide can find and field more candidates like Potter on state and local levels, we can rebuild from the ground up, on a shoestring.
The unlikely journey of Tom PotterFriday, November 05, 2004
HENRY STERN and SCOTT LEARN
On Sept. 23, 2003, Tom Potter gathered a dozen friends for a kickoff strategy session in the living room of his Woodstock bungalow.
As they spilled onto an ottoman and the floor, Potter calmly dropped his bombshell: He wasn't going to accept a dime of campaign money in his race for Portland mayor.
Participants recall a collective gasp. The ex-police chief's high-minded idea was politically stupid.
"Everybody agreed, forcefully, that he was out of his mind," said Mark Rosenbaum, a financial planner who became Potter's campaign chairman.
Who's stupid now? Potter, who for better or worse doesn't sweat naysayers, bent only slightly that night, agreeing to accept $25 contributions. Anybody could afford that, he figured.
more:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1099659501171811.xml