Former Portland mayor Sam Adams says he’s on a mission to clear his good name after an ex-staffer dragged him through the mud two years ago by making shocking sexual misconduct allegations that he has since walked back.
In 2008, Adams became the first openly gay person ever elected to be his city’s mayor. He served from January 2009 through December 2012 before announcing he would not seek reelection, despite being a widely popular mayor.
Then, in November 2017, Adams’ openly gay former assistant, Cevero Gonzalez, dropped a six-page bombshell account detailing alleged mistreatment he suffered at the hands of Adams while working as his executive assistant during his time in office.
Gonzalez alleged that Adams made obscene gestures, exposed his genitalia, spoke in graphic detail about his sexual exploits, and demanded Gonzalez share accounts of his own bedroom conquests, among other shocking accusations.
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One of the most damning allegations involved a time when Gonzalez picked up Adams from the airport and claimed the then-mayor “lightly grabbed at his crotch” and said “Don’t be so uptight.”
It turns out, that never happened.
Gonzalez walked back the story after the Willamette Week reported last month that “in fact, emails Adams found show it was Adams’ economic development aide, Clay Neal, not Gonzalez, who picked Adams up after his China trip, something Neal has confirmed.”
But it doesn’t stop there.
Gonzalez also walked back claims that Adams exposed himself on numerous occasions at work and that he propositioned him for sex, saying instead that nothing Adams did was ever “sexual” and that he “never propositioned him—it was just inappropriate and uncomfortable.”
Now, Adams tells local news station KGW that the Willamette Week article proves he was innocent all along, and that Gonzalez’s allegations against him were totally 100% not true.
“The Willamette Week article about a couple of weeks ago did a good job of bringing to light some of the facts that show that these allegations are false,” Adams says. “There’s more evidence to come and we’ll get that out as it becomes available.”
56-year-old Adams, who recently moved back to Portland after a stint in Washington, D.C., says he now plans to work on repairing his reputation in the city he loves.
“The allegation that was core to those claims, the accuser had to backtrack,” he says. “So, that’s just part of the evidence. There’ll be more evidence coming up. And it’s an opportunity, coming back to Portland, to present my side of the story.”
Asked whether he may run for office again, he said he hasn’t “even thought about it” and is instead focused on being a good citizen and neighbor.
“We can’t be complacent, and we’ve got to, all of us, pitch in wherever we can,” he says. “Whether that’s being in the highest elected office in the city or scrubbing graffiti in your neighborhood.”
Related: Ex-mayor outed for making staffer scout bathhouses, exposing himself at the office, and more
Invader7
I’d sue that ex-staffer back stabber !!
wellinmysoul
bingo
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
I still like his beer…..
wellinmysoul
helpful
JaredMacBride
While mayor he lied about having a relationship with a 17 year old guy.
EllieB1983
And, after a six-month state investigation, Adams was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Cam
Sue and attached the guys wages for years. That is horrible.
rustyiam
Well he’s part of the movement that set up these rules on guilt by accusation and nothing more!
Cam
Interesting how the Right wing troll account keeps forgetting which site it’s on. It tried to attack women who come forward with rape allegations.
Awww, how cute, you forgot which account this was.
Rock-N-RollHS
@ cam yeah because we know that women (and some men) never–NEVER–use sex accusations as a weapon or power play. Grow the hell up you lemming.
djmcgamester
I’m leery of anyone who comes out years later to claim they were sexually assaulted. Even if a case is thrown out (which we know happens), at least there’s a report of it.
Portlander
The accuser, Cevero Gonzalez, has alleged harassment against a number of LGBTQ leaders in Portland and their staff. For example, he also made allegations against a different Portland mayoral administration’s chief of staff, Gail Shibley, a prominent lesbian leader who advocated for better HIV care. The allegations agains her were ultimately found to be false by the courts, but it appears she lost her job because of them anyway.
I hope Queerty continues to report on this. How many other LGBT leaders has this guy gone after.
M K
“Despite being s popular mahout”??? Guess again!
I’ve personally know.n (and liked) Sam for years – before, during and after his mayor days. I always had high hopes for what Sam could do for the city and anticipated him going on to be governor and then on the national stage…. but once he got into the mayor’s office he really showed his lack of ability (Peter’s Principle). He really just didn’t measure up to the expectation and that is why he didn’t run for re-election… he wouldn’t have won. Admittedly, the mayor office I Portland is a tough one to go beyond one term, but Dam had the background to do it if anyone was going to. Even despite the scandals that riddled him during his time in office (and those of us who know him personally know if his penchant for the younger ones) it was really his lack of performance in office that Mt was his biggest downfall.