Oregon Public Broadcasting

Supporters of embattled Portland mayor Sam Adams today launched a counter-campaign to a recall campaign that started the day Adams admitted he'd had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old Beau Breedlove.

Commentator Marc Acito explains why he is in the "Support Sam" camp.

Like everyone else in Portland, I'm still stunned. Apparently, the old gay mayor just ain't what he used to be. But what stuns me even more is the city's reaction. Civic and media organizations couldn't condemn the mayor fast enough, each demanding that he resign, scrambling over each other like so many sanctimonious rats escaping a sinking ship, claiming the moral high ground.

To be honest, I'm a little suspicious of their cries of betrayal. Of course Adams lied. What he did was embarrassing and wrong and, frankly, recklessly stupid. But if you're being honest with yourself, you would have to admit that in the same situation you'd want to keep your private life private, too, even if it meant lying. What's more, if those casting the first stones took a good hard look at their motivations, they'd realize that they're more concerned about how it's going to look for them if they defend the person who did something embarrassing and wrong and, frankly, recklessly stupid.

And that's wrong, too. You'd think that when Adams drove to Beau Breedlove's 18th birthday party, he took a wrong turn into 17th century Salem, Massachusetts rather than  21st century Salem, Oregon.

Sure, I wish any adult over 25 would put a velvet rope across their bedroom doors and institute the Studio 54 Rule: no one under 21 can enter. And I wish Adams had realized that Beau Breedlove's last name was a noun and not a verb. But our mayor admitted he was wrong, blaming no one but himself and asking us for a chance to redeem himself. And for that we're supposed to cast out the most dynamic, visionary leader this city has had in a generation?

Remember, he's the mayor of Portland, not the pope. Who among us would want our characters judged by our worst mistake? The solution to this crisis is not retribution, but redemption.

And let's be clear here. Just because there's smoke, doesn't mean there's fire. In fact, I suspect it's just hot air. So far, we have no evidence - none - that Adams did anything illegal. His brief affair, while unsavory to most, was consensual. And to those who say he misled the voters, I would ask "Why do you feel you have a right to know about the sex lives of our leaders?" How Adams conducted himself is of concern to exactly one person: the unfortunately named Beau Breedlove.

If Breedlove felt that he was taken advantage of - that the inequity of the relationship was an abuse of power, then perhaps the community's moral indignation would be justified. But, by all accounts, Breedlove and Adams are still friendly. Breedlove himself stated that Sam Adams has always been 'a positive influence and a friend,' calling that friendship 'valuable.' So if he can get over it and stand by his Sam, why can't the rest of us?