Tag Archives: Portland City Hall

Pieces of Nick

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The picture. It was late. Nick had been invited to the opening of a new exhibit at Pittock Mansion. As his Parks guy, I went with him. We got an amazing tour of the things the public don’t see, hidden … Continue reading →

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The Chief

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The tiny round table was already overloaded with 6 empty beer bottles.  She had waved away the offer of glasses.  We met at the little bar beneath the office tower where I was currently robbing an insurance company as a … Continue reading →

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Voting from the Middle

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The mailman just delivered our property tax bill and mail-in ballots.  With my larger project well underway, this inspires me to take a pause and consider the mid-term elections.   A few years into my time working in Portland City … Continue reading →

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The Commissioner and The Baseball

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

  What is the strangest relationship you have ever had? Was it in your family, so you had no choice? Did you have a lover whose very existence in your live now baffles you? Did you have a boss who you are now … Continue reading →

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Portland City Hall: It’s the System Stupid

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Portland City government is badly broken but not in the way that some people think. The public servants in City Hall work hard in a world of constraints, endless demands and never enough money or time to meet outsized expectations. … Continue reading →

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The Road Taken — My Second Act

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

When I take breaks from playing and working outdoors, I find myself streaming The West Wing on Netflix. Besides my fantasy of living in an Aaron Sorkin world where everyone is wicked smart and funny with heads brimming with useful … Continue reading →

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Caught In Our Own Thought Bubbles

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Americans are sorting. Regionally and ideologically. It’s natural to seek your tribe…your clan…your kind. But it is dangerous too. Unchallenged thinking is an insidious toxin to personal and societal growth. If I learned anything from 8 years in Portland City … Continue reading →

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Rush and Rachel Walk Into a Bar….

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I am a centrist. That means I am always looking for the middle ground between political extremes. Probably the only place I have unyielding dogma is my view of the American League’s designated hitter rule. It’s an abomination. I am … Continue reading →

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