Dozono's Off-Beat Resume Contains Surprises
The Oregonian today devoted over 2,500 words to a profile of Portland mayoral candidate Sho Dozono. The article, written by Anna Griffin, provides a brief outline of his journey from Japan to Portland, and touches on some of the highlights of his early life:
He was born 64 years ago in Japan and moved to Portland with his family when he was 10. He grew up on the eastside and attended Cleveland High School before the influx of newcomers from Vietnam and Korea in the 1970s made the Pacific Northwest more of a melting pot.
Yet with his athletic ability, his intelligence and his charm, Dozono was one of the cool kids, a class president at Cleveland High School and a frat boy at the University of Washington who married his high school sweetheart. He transcended race in his friendships, but college advisers actively discouraged him from considering law school because he was Asian American....
Instead, he did a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, stationed in Vancouver, then earned a master's degree in education from Portland State. He spent five years teaching social studies and coaching the wrestling team at Grant High School.
In 1976, Dozono left for his father-in-law's business, Azumano Travel. At the time, there were four agents. Today, there are 215 in three states.
Dozono took over as president in 1981 and as owner in 1987. He built the business by making connections overseas, encouraging tourism and going after large corporate and government contracts. Almost all the bureaucrats in Oregon -- including the people in Portland City Hall -- book their travel through Azumano.
At the same time, he was building his reputation as a civic leader. He brought the Olympic torch to town in 2002, persuaded more than 1,000 Oregonians to visit New York City less than a month after 9/11 and organized a 30,000-person march for public school money in 1996.
But then the story takes a surprising turn for the candidate who plans to run on a platform of fiscal management and responsibility. One long passage describes the business relationship between Dozono and real-estate developer Tadamasa Ohno. They both invested in each other's businesses. While Dozono's Azumano Travel and a subsidiary flourished, Ohno's investment consortium, Daioh International, did not.
Ohno died in 1993 of liver cancer. About the same time, the Japanese real-estate market collapsed. Asian banks began calling in loans. Back in Oregon, Daioh's investors found that instead of the five-acre lots Dozono told them they could sell alongside the new golf course, Clackamas County zoning laws limited them to 20-acre parcels, Dozono says.
They couldn't pay their bills.
Dozono says he never invested any money in Daioh, but rather was a partner by virtue of sweat equity -- making contacts and lining up deals. He was one of 13 defendants in a lawsuit by one group of investors who claimed Daioh executives promised them a $2 million stake in the Oregon Golf Club but never delivered. The lawsuit accused Dozono and others of lying about Daioh's financial condition and essentially bilking investors out of the $2 million. They settled for $809,000, according to documents in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
From there, Dozono's financial troubles worsened:
He bought back Pacific Gateway, now Premier Gateway. That necessitated the first of three loans -- totaling $2.9 million -- that Dozono took out with Capital Consultants, a Portland-based money management firm that provided high-interest loans to people who couldn't get financing from banks. Federal regulators seized control of the firm in 2000 and ousted top management over concern that they were hiding the loss of hundreds of millions of investors' dollars -- much of that from pension funds.
When Capital Consultants died, Dozono still owed $1.3 million. He says he repaid the rest of the money....
Borrowing money from friends and acquaintances is part of doing business, Dozono says, especially in an industry as volatile as travel and tourism. A lawyer friend loaned him $100,000 four years ago, for example, when he was thinking about buying a cruise booking company. He says he repaid it, although federal lien filings haven't been updated to reflect that.
And later, he moved money from a trust fund of a family friend to cover business debts:
Dozono volunteered to be the trustee when it was established in 1991, to serve as the gatekeeper who controlled how the fund's assets were invested and ensured that the money stayed safe. In 1995, Lanning went to court to try to get Dozono removed as trustee because she didn't like the way he was investing trust money and wanted more details from him.
Between 1995 and 2000, Dozono made a series of loans totaling more than $1 million from the trust to three companies he controlled. Court documents filed when Dozono finally stepped aside in 2000 -- including a transition agreement signed by Dozono -- show he still owed the trust $209,971 in principal and interest.
During a recent interview, however, Dozono offered several versions of the Ohno trust fund story. First, he said no money ever left the trust -- that he simply borrowed from a bank using the trust as collateral. Later, he apologized for what he called "inappropriate commingling" of trust money. Finally, he said he repaid everything taken from the trust with interest long ago....
In many trusts, trustees are allowed to invest money. But investing in your own business is considered an ethical breach, according to several probate lawyers with no connection to Ohno or Dozono.
There's quite a bit more in the article, so go read the whole thing. Discuss.
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11:07 a.m.
Mar 28, '08
It's probably not on his resume, but my father mentioned the other day that he knew Sho as a boy a few years younger than he was, picking berries on a farm in Gresham.
Mar 28, '08
Why haven't there been any posts about how Sam Adams went bankrupt? Why are all these stories on here so one-sided? I don't understand why such a supposed objective website will only cover and in this case make whimsical commentary on one of the many candidates for Mayor. Blue Oregon is just another organization with strong ties to Sam Adams that is being used as a political campaign machine fronting as an objective news source.
Mar 28, '08
yes, I've heard on the TV news that Sho cites his immigrant roots and picking berries at a young age. i believe Sho mentioned this when Potter endorsed him
interesting piece from the Oregonian, although this news actually isn't "surprise" this has been common knowledge of the public since a story first was sensationalized by wweek. this knowledge doesn't seem to affect Sho's reputation - i think for those who run large businesses - most understand the process of borrowing and paying back... so it isn't really all that newsworthy. It is important to have out there, similar to how it is important that it be understood that Sam Adams has declared personal bankruptcy. these matters should be acknowledged, but at the same time I think publications like the Oregonian could try to focus on the candidates' platforms more
on the note of "borrowing" it is interesting to note that in the public sector, couldn't one argue that needing a new tax (I.e. Adams' 'transportation fee') is in a sense like "borrowing" in the private sector, only public officials can take money from citizens and not have to pay it back?
why isn't there more conservative spending by the City of Portland so that the city can afford to take care of streets and improve facilities for cyclists without 'borrowing' or "taking" more money from Portlanders?
the public sector "borrows" all the time, only the system is set up in which government isn't accountable to having to pay it back or replenish funds to the citizens
interesting that Sho has worked in the private sector and actually had to pay back loans and yet Adam's only life experience comes from seeing city government take from citizens and not have to be accountable for spending
Mar 28, '08
Let's be clear. Blue Oregon has a stake in this race, no matter the handwringing from one of its founders. Quoting Kari - "Of course, having screwed up the basic requirements of qualifying for the VOE system, voters should ask if he's ready for the complexity of running a major American city."
That said, this is Sho's skeleton, as Sam's bankruptcy is his. Both crawled out of that muck. Both have made it clear they are not proud of that part of their past but clearly both have become successful in their worlds.
As I read the many sites that have focused on this very important election, I'd like to suggest the following: For backers of Sam - stop the "stealing from a little kid" posts every time there is a mention of Sho. From Sho's crowd - knock of the bankruptcy stuff. Lots of people are being pushed into financial corners right now and trying to do what they think is right.
Let's focus on the issues and I think this will be one heck of a choice. Let's leave the Rovian crap for the GOP losers.
Mar 28, '08
I noticed that on the other editorial posts of Blue Oregon it lists who wrote the specific article, but on this one it does not. Can someone from Blue Oregon please fill us in on whose comments these are?
Thanks!
12:31 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
Although linking to a major, front-page story from the Oregonian requires no explanation from our editors--we would, of course, link to a similar piece about any of the candidates, including Adams--I posted it. I am not only not "tied" to the Adams campaign. I've never even met the man (or Dozono for that matter) and am undecided in the race.
The conspiracy theories are getting thick around here. It was the O, folks, not us.
Mar 28, '08
Then just introduce the article and knock off the editorial comments. I'm just saying.
Mar 28, '08
This isn't about Sho Dozono's history as much as it's about how he hasn't owned up to it on the campaign trail. Saying you're fiscally responsible doesn't work unless you actually are..
Mar 28, '08
Jeff
do not agree that articles have been posted on Sam Adams - if readers of Blue Oregon email you links personally that are of candidates like Sam Adams and Jeff Merkley that are "negative" will you personally post these?
in fact rumor is that a study is being done on the site and the claims of the editors - so it would behoove the editors of Blue Oregon to consider staying true to their claims
and even when posting a front-page article, not disclosing the full text of the article takes the content out of context, and is editorial commentary in itself - not to mention that you Jeff Alworth, chose to insert your editorial comments, therefore changing the flow of the content the Oregonian provided for its publication
1:41 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
There are no editorial comments in the post.
Yes, we regularly post press critical of Jeff Merkley. Truth is, I don't follow city politics (you can see if you peruse my posts), so it's got to be something as attention-grabbing as a 2600-word front-page article to leap out at me. You can be assured that as soon as the O runs a similar piece on Adams, I'll put an "in the news" item up.
As we have always said, BlueOregon welcomes the discussion and we know you'll keep us honest. But that doesn't mean we'll pander to cranky readers who feel their candidate's not getting a fair shake. There's a button to submit guest columns, so consider this an invite to use it. And, by all means conduct an analysis and let us know what you find about our bias. We track this closely, too.
2:31 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
in fact rumor is that a study is being done on the site and the claims of the editors - so it would behoove the editors of Blue Oregon to consider staying true to their claims.......
Let's be clear. Blue Oregon has a stake in this race, no matter the handwringing from one of its founders........
Geeze this is tiresome. If I were Jeff or Kari or Charlie, I'd be so disgusted as to consider pakcing it in.......er, wait a minute, that seems to be the point of all of theis purity trolling.
Go for it guys, but it would behoove you to remember that outside of your own POV, the readers of Blue Oregon aren't nearly as clueless or braindead as you might wish we were, and the majority of us understand your pathetic little games.
All you're accomplishing in the end is to confirm to us that when we see your screeds they are to be ignored.
2:49 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
I thought the tone of the Oregonian article was either overly critical or terribly naive; take your pick. They implied because Sho didn't have a 100% success rate every year of his business that somehow he was tainted. Boy is Anna protected from the reality of the small business world. She needs to get out more.
Any one who has ever tried to be an entreprenuer will have trying times or is just damned lucky. I am frankly impressed that Sho has shown the resilience to survive in some bloody difficult industries. His is one of the very few travel agencies that survived the shakeout after the internet allowed most people to skip travel agents. Gee he got loans from places other than the not-so friendly banks that don't actually make loans to whole segments of small business. Good for him.
Sho's only screw-up, and it's a big one, was conflicting his role as trustee with his business. That is a true no-no, but he admits that. The rest of the article was written to be negative, but any good business reporter would have written it as a true entreprenuerial success story.
3:08 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
John, since I've been drawn into this meta discussion as somehow holding my finger on the scales, let me dissent. You criticize the article as being naive from a business perspective--"any good business reporter would have written it as a true entreprenuerial success story." But it wasn't a business story, it was a political story. In that way, I think you've missed the point. Anna sets it up perfectly:
She situates the article in a clear context here. I really don't have an opinion on the race, and when I read the article, it was with unjaundiced eyes. I found it informative and interesting. I finished the article no more ready to support or reject his candidacy. We all make mistakes, and Dozono will have a chance to explain his (just like Sam). Giving actual information isn't bad journalism--it is journalism.
3:35 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
Jeff,
First of all, I support Sam so this wasn't a case of whining about someone slamming my candidate.
The issue is that this reporter writes a story about a business person who wants to bring a business background to the government and that twists a success story into one of a checkered past. It is precisely this attitude that keeps a lot of good people from entering the political arena. Who needs it.
Sho has clearly learned a lot in forty? years in business that would be an asset in government. The fact that he took risks and sometimes didn't succeed is just part of being an entrepreneur. She shouldn't have to be a business reporter to understand that. It should be a political asset, not a liability. The article sounded more like a WW hit piece than a typical Oregonian article.
Mar 28, '08
As I saw it, the main thrust of the Willamette Week article was that he abused his fiduciary responsibilities as a trustee of the trust that his deceased friend had set up for his child. Dipping into a trust created for someone else's benefit to rescue your own business interests is not something that I would characterize as a "political asset".
Mar 28, '08
As a frequent visitor and occasional commenter on BlueOregon, I have to say that I'm pretty fed up with the conspiracy theorists and thin-skinned controversy-mongers who seem bent on driving all worthwhile discussion from the pages of this blog. When I come to read articles at BlueOregon, I come for two reasons: to learn about things of interest to Oregon's progressive community, and to hear the thoughts, analysis and commentary from the blog editors.
The editors at BlueOregon are not unbiased. They are not neutral, objective automatons whose only raison d'etre is to provide links to equally bias-free reporting. As it turns out, they are human beings. When I read a post on this site, I expect that I will have to filter out the bias and come to my own conclusions--but in return, I get to read the thoughts and commentary of people with connections across the Oregon progressive establishment, people who can talk to the movers and shakers and who have enough history in the state that they can locate isolated events in a pattern or theme.
Long story short: if I want to read an article from the Oregonian without any changes to the "flow of its content," I'll go to the Oregonian's website and read it. When I come to BlueOregon, I want some commentary. Thanks, Jeff, for putthing things in context for me.
4:13 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
Carl,
I agree with you on the trustee issue as I noted in my first post. Touching a trust for personal investment is not ethical. However, Sho admits that he erred on this.
4:22 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
I think the real significance of this piece is that it marks a shift in the Oregonian's coverage of the race away from the voter owned elections angle towards (hopefully) a more substantive look at the candidates and the issue. Today's editorial in the Tribune seems to mark a similar shift. This would be welcome, since thus far only Amy Ruiz at the Mercury has been consistently covering the candidates and issues in the municipal elections in general, alongside the VOE controversies.
Mar 28, '08
I haven't yet read the entire article, but from segments of it offered at the top of this thread, for me, the following stood out:
"He was one of 13 defendants in a lawsuit by one group of investors who claimed Daioh executives promised them a $2 million stake in the Oregon Golf Club but never delivered. The lawsuit accused Dozono and others of lying about Daioh's financial condition and essentially bilking investors out of the $2 million. They settled for is $809,000, according to documents in Multnomah County Circuit Court." Anna Griffin/Oregonian
In other words, Dozono was a member of a group that made promises related to a business deal, and then the integrity of those promises came into question. People considering the possibility that Sho Dozono may be their next mayor, will probably want to consider his integrity in that instance and what it might bode for his performance as mayor of Portland, if he is elected.
5:30 p.m.
Mar 28, '08
WS,
Read the whole article. It never quite ties out what happened, but I don't think you can say that he overpromised or that people were bilked out of money. I also got the message from the article that he could have walked away from several deals and legally left people hanging but he went beyond the law to make people whole.
Mar 28, '08
According to Sam's site, he declared bankruptcy when he was — doing the math here — 24 or 25, with uninsured health costs being the final straw. He then paid the original debt in full, even though that wasn't required. This was 20 years ago. How serious an issue is it?
Mar 28, '08
I personally know several people who have had to declare bankruptcy. However the difference between those people and Sam Adams is they are NOT sounding off from the bully pulpit to bankrupt rest of the people of Portland with new taxes so the public kitty can finance all the new toys he wants. Examples of those toys include bike boxes and exclusive bikeways, moving a bridge over 405, cramming dawdling trolleys onto overcrowded streets, shoving unneeded couplets down the throats of neighborhoods, subsidizing wealthy developers and narrowing streets to unsafe widths to build overly wide sidewalks. Sho Dozono wants to bring back fiscal accountability to Portland government thereby improving the quality of life of the people through financial health. It should be the People of Portland that choose their own lifestyles and how they spend the money they earn – NOT Sam Adams!
Mar 28, '08
John, Thanks, I have now read the entire article. Of course, it's not right to conclude from what's stated in the article, that Sho Dozono intentionally bilked or attempted to rip people off. With numerous other partners, he was involved in a complex business deal in which many variables exist, a situation where any number of things might go wrong, even if the partners didn't have any deception or criminal intent in mind. Reported facts suggest that there's good reason to think that he likely never had any intention of being dishonest or incompetent, and yet, his involvement in a complex business deal and how its outcome reflects upon the possible integrity of his potential leadership as mayor of a major American city is something Portland residents should want to carefully consider.
Complexity would certainly seem to describe the nature of business deals, such as the South Waterfront project, the Tram, and the Safe, Sound, Green Streets proposal that the city has been involved with in the last decade. Hasn't Sho Dozono been critical of Adams and other members of city councils handling of those deals? And yet, here is Sho Dozono, a guy with probably no less a checkered business record than Adams, claiming to be able to offer fiscal accountability to the city. Well, sure, intentions are good, but what will be the reality, if he's elected?
I found the last 400 words of the article to be worth studying:
"Supporters say he's the kind of consensus builder the city needs at a time when the economy is headed south and government and the private sector need to work together to mitigate the damage. He'll be an adult, they say, in a place that often feels like an especially mean-spirited middle school.
He's better on the stump than many novice candidates and knows plenty about the convoluted commission form of government thanks to his years of volunteer work on government committees. He's got a clear strategy -- to remind people of all the good things he's done for Oregon and try to channel some of the man-of-the-people mojo that propelled Bud Clark and Tom Potter to City Hall.
Still, he can come off as a political naif.
He seemed surprised, for example, when the topic of Daioh and Ohno came up earlier this month. He talks about running a grass-roots campaign, but showed up to file as a candidate with big-time, big-business lobbyist Len Bergstein by his side.
At campaign events, he boasts that "all of my employees have health insurance." But when pressed, he acknowledges that he's not necessarily talking about the cabdrivers at Broadway Cab or the dishwashers at Bush Garden restaurant. He owns 18 percent of Broadway Cab and what he describes as a "majority stake" in the restaurant.
Supporters say those kinds of missteps illustrate exactly why he's the perfect candidate for mayor: Because he's not polished, not a professional politician.
Dozono is different kind of insider than Adams, a City Hall employee for 15 years -- the kind who has led the chamber of commerce and has an instant audience anytime he needs the mayor's ear. He's a businessman, for better and for worse. He makes bad jokes and lets his anger show and, sometimes, makes bad decisions.
"It's just like someone saying, 'So Sam Adams filed for bankruptcy,' " Dozono says. "So maybe I've made some mistakes. I don't know if any of the things you're asking me about have anything to do with political management, with managing the city. Even if I failed in my businesses, which I haven't, that doesn't mean I can't manage city money and ask for fiscal accountability. I'm a citizen asking that the city manage its money in a different way than they've sometimes done in the past."
Brent Walth and James Mayer of The Oregonian contributed to this report. Anna Griffin: 503-412-7053; [email protected].
10:50 a.m.
Mar 29, '08
The issue is that this reporter writes a story about a business person who wants to bring a business background to the government and that twists a success story into one of a checkered past. It is precisely this attitude that keeps a lot of good people from entering the political arena. Who needs it.
Well, I think the readers need it. You want a business-person to be exempt from the scrutiny a politician would face. The flip-side will be that Sam is going to have to answer a long list of questions about his failures in public life, his mode of working, criticisms from enemies he's inevitably made as a politician and so on. No candidate walks in from heaven with a blemish-free past.
If having their business dealings scrutinized prevents business-people from running for office, maybe it's not the game they want to play. And they don't have to.
11:27 a.m.
Mar 29, '08
Jeff,
Once again, the issue is not his business background, but how it is labeled and described. I view Sho's career as a success after considerable struggle. The writer seems to consider it slimey. All I have been asking for is an honest appraisal written by someone who knows what they are talking about. I do not think this journalist is aware of what it is like to try to keep a business alive in a dying industry (travel agencies) and the complexities of business. Again, the exception to this is the comingling of trust and personal business which is not acceptable.
3:13 p.m.
Mar 29, '08
I'll leave Jeff to the meta-chatter here, but for the record: We linked to the Sam Adams profile, including his bankruptcy (which was a minor element in the story) back in September right here. Of course, the link there doesn't work anymore - but it's not our fault the O has a stupid 30-day kill zone for their articles.
[Full disclosure: My firm built Sam Adams' website, but I speak here only for myself.]
Mar 29, '08
John, if you will, excerpt from that article, statements you found the writers to have made that suggested they thought Dozono's business background was slimey. They didn't need to make any such statements, because Dozono's business experience and his judgment related to it, speaks for itself. What is there in that article that possibly implies any sliminess besides the facts of his own business career?
They even got some good, candid, revealing comments from the man himself. I'm not sure how much more could be expected of them. Surely their writing shouldn't have been expected to echo the unconditionally supportive refrain of the people that will vote for him just because they don't like his opponent in the mayoral race.
After having read the article, I'm not sure I think that Dozono's been slimy in his business dealings, but maybe he's not so quick on the uptake. He's made his share of bad business decisions, and he has paid them off, but some people having read the article, might come to think that maybe he didn't handle those situations very well. Is that what they want in their mayor? Would that be better than what the other candidate can offer?
Mar 29, '08
I'm just tired of hearing that the main reason we all need to vote for Sam Adams is because he is gay, and we have an obligation to show the rest of the country that Portland really is progressive and ready for an openly gay mayor.
Maybe it is because I am gay and travel in a circle of gay and gay-friendly straight friends, but it is the ONLY ISSUE I ever hear discussed regarding Adams -- and it is tiresome.
Ironically, people can cite Dozono's history to me and what he has or hasn't done for the city, but the only thing I ever hear about Adams is his sexual orientation.
I, personally, think that Adams has done a poor job as a city commissioner, and I think that he is too entrenched in local politics to prove to be a good mayor for our city.
Mar 29, '08
Well, as a gay man too Chuck, I haven't talked to many of my friends who know who the hell Sho and Sam are. Different circles I guess...
Thanks to Basic Rights Oregon, I do know this about Sho...
"Our Green Light rating is an acknowledgment that the LGBT community and our allies have a friend in Sho Dozono. Sho Dozono’s support of LGBT equality dates back to the anti-gay Ballot Measures 9 and 13 in the mid-1990s. As a board member of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, he helped secure business support for the No on 9 and No on 13 campaigns, and he championed AIDS awareness in the workplace by chairing the CAP AIDS Walk. During the Ballot Measure 36 marriage equality campaign, Dozono opened the doors of his business offices around the state for volunteer activities. More recently, in 2006, Governor Kulongoski recognized Dozono’s leadership by appointing him to the Governor’s Task Force on Equality." http://www.basicrights.org/?p=215
I'm still supporting Sam because I'm looking for someone that closely represents Mayor Katz respected and active 12 years as mayor. Whereas Sho looks to be a mayor along the lines of Potter. Someone who hasn't overly impressed me.
If it actually came down to the gay issue for me, I'd be split.
9:51 p.m.
Mar 29, '08
My husband (who supports Sam; I am undecided) was pleasantly shocked to look up from some recycling on the front porch today and see Sam Adams standing at our doorway with a lawn sign in his hand! He invited Sam in to show off his campaign button collection and get Sam's autograph on the Portland Tram poster we just got. And yes, we've added Sam's lawn sign to the Steve Novick and Chris Smith signs that are already out there.
Mar 29, '08
[Full disclosure: My firm built Sam Adams' website, but I speak here only for myself.]
I suppose this has to be buried in the comments because Kari didn't "directly" post this article.
4:12 a.m.
Mar 30, '08
I posted my disclosure the first time I had any comment on this post. Boring.
Mar 30, '08
Adams' past bankruptcy isn't a big deal, but I, too, fear how he will bankrupt taxpayers with more fees and taxes.
I can't support "TAX 'em SAM" Adams for mayor. I'm supporting Sho because I want fiscal responsibility in city hall.
Mar 30, '08
The issue with Sam is that no one who has worked his whole adult life is going to "shake up" anything.
Mar 30, '08
Worked for city government his whole life. sorry.
Dozono owns up to his business history. I haven't heard Adams's say a thing about his own. He's doesn't brook criticism and is sure he knows more than everyone around him. If you agree with him that's great, but if not, then why vote for him?
Mar 30, '08
In other words, Dozono was a member of a group that made promises related to a business deal, and then the integrity of those promises came into question.
Damn, if you substitute "Adams" for "Dozono", "the Portland City Council" for "a group", and "the tram" for "a business deal"...still accurate.
Mar 31, '08
"Damn, if you substitute "Adams" for "Dozono", "the Portland City Council" for "a group", and "the tram" for "a business deal"...still accurate." joeldanwalls
Uh-huh. And?
"Adams' past bankruptcy isn't a big deal, but I, too, fear how he will bankrupt taxpayers with more fees and taxes.
I can't support "TAX 'em SAM" Adams for mayor. I'm supporting Sho because I want fiscal responsibility in city hall." David M
Could you please explain how Sho Dozono's 'fiscal responsibility' is going to allow him as mayor, to get anything done at all without levying more fees and taxes?
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