Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon got its name in the national news last year when Sam Adams was elected Portland’s mayor.

So when the first openly gay chief of a major U.S. city admitted to lying about a relationship with a teenager, the shockwaves traveled outside the city limits.

Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.

The Portland mayor is a first among equals.

His role and power in the state can dwarf other city and even state lawmakers.

Which is why Adams said this at a press conference.

Sam Adams: “I want to apologize to my colleagues in city government, and our brother and sister governments.”

Advocates outside Portland say the state’s largest city exerts a giant-sized role in policymaking.

Adams became something of an icon in the gay community after November.

Jenni Peskin is the executive director of the Human Dignity Coalition – a central Oregon gay rights group.

Jenni Peskin: “Central Oregon and Portland are very tied together, and the work that we do statewide comes out of the leadership from Portland.”

But, Peskin says Adams’ admission is more about government ethics than sexual orientation.