Jefferson's driving record, his flashes of temper, his inability to pay bills on time and all the rest are not disqualifiers so much as indicators, They indicate that he lacks the focus, organizational ability, temperament, attention to detail, patience and maturity to lead a semi-major American city. Beyond that he is also not particularly qualified, lacks relevant experience (sorry, Bus Project fans) and his inability to play well with others (figuratively as well as literally) is ill-suited to Portland's peculiar form of governance, which requires its mayor to form and maintain collegial relationships on an ongoing basis,

Kari, of course a driving record matters. If there were a pattern of reckless driving, hit-and-run, failure to perform the duties of a driver at the scene of an accident, DUII, vehicular homicide, or a string of accidents, it would matter a lot. I'm sure you remember that Laura Bush blew a stop sign and killed someone years ago. It's fair to look at the record of a politician and make a judgment about it. One of the best judges in Multnomah County was cited for driving 100 MPH on the freeway a couple years ago. Other judges and elected officials, and some police officers, teachers, physicians, lawyers, religious leaders, and other professionals in Portland have had DUIIs, domestic violence, and other serious problems, and kept their jobs. I am grateful we live in a society where much of it gets aired before decision time. Sounds like Jefferson had some personal and financial problems, which is too bad, but it's out there, so that's a good thing. Yes, Kari, it would be nice if there were more perfect people like you and me (JK). All in all, the "checkers" in Jefferson's past amount to tiddly winks. It's a matter of perspective and degree.

It all spins to back to ability to handle the job. Did it impact his ability to create and manage what is probably the premier citizen engagement organization effort in the state if not the country? Apparently not. Did it impact his ability to create, carry and have passed significant legislation in a variety of issue areas? No. Did it impede his ability to oversee billions in state executive office budgets? Nope. Did it render impossible his ability to galvanize thousands of Portlanders into trying to change their city for the better as opposed to just voting and walking for another political candidate? Not at all.

I've said in other places I can't relate to Jefferson's troubles in this area. I can't imagine myself letting things slide like he did. But at the end of the day, I'm not sure I need to, because it hasn't impacted his ability to lead, collaborate, plan and execute smart policy ideas for Oregon. Isn't that what really matters, in the context of this race and his ability to help put this city back into the hands of its residents? I believe so.

Doesn't matter much to me. I'm far more interested in whom is contributing to whom, what sort of promises are made on the campaign trail, and whether politicians have the public interest in mind. On these matters, my politics align more closely with Jefferson than Charlie.

i've had plenty of people tell me Eileen wasn't qualified because they thought she did poorly in debates. and we know what a vital part of the Mayor's job it is to answer complex questions in 1 minute. the 2 zillion debates were absolutely ridiculous but for a lot of people, they became a reason to not support Eileen.

but Jefferson gets a pass on being a reckless driver, an irresponsible manager of his own affairs, and a bad sport. just so we're clear on the even-handedness of his supporters.

So to put it into a choice context, choose a candidate who is sloppy and/or a bad driver, OR one who misrepresented his residency so he could avoid Oregon income tax, after quitting halfway through a term on City Council. To me, the candidate who shows a demonstrated commitment to this City is Jefferson Smith, not Charlie Hales.

A general election is a contest between two candidates, so the criteria for evaluating Jefferson Smith is to measure his character against his opponent Charlie Hales. Jeff and Charlie both have recent driving infractions so that is a wash. Jeff never voted in Oregon while living in Washington to avoid thousands in taxes. Jeff is adored by his staff. Charlie fired his entire team and was disrespectful to his campaign manager. Jeff was courteous during debates and took the high road in the primary. Charlie was nasty to Eileen Brady and taunted her credentials in public. Jeff serves in the Legislature and was elected to a leadership role in Salem. Charlie quit the Portland City Council to earn a bigger salary in the private sector and remained away from public service for years. Jeff is a friend to labor and  champions consumer rights. Charlie has a cozy relationship with developers who routinely shortchange the city on infrastructure. Jeff built the Bus Project and often worked without a salary; he registered tens of thousands of voters and his organization became a national model for progressives. Charlie spent the past decade getting rich and was recently investigated by the Oregonian for claiming to have toured the St. Johns area of Portland. The tour never happened. Jeff may have an imperfect driving record but no one is questioning his truthfulness. In fact, Jeff disclosed everything he could about his record in an effort to be transparent. We need a Mayor who will not misrepresent where he lives or whether he pays his taxes. We need a Mayor who takes responsibility for his actions. We need a Mayor with vision and energy. We need Jefferson Smith.

I think anyone legitimately concerned about dangerous driving and road safety should be concerned by Smith's driving record. I say this as a Jefferson Smith supporter.

What I would like to see local transportation activists do--particularly supporters of Smith--is (1) truly acknowledge that this is problematic and (2) leverage this concern to compel the candidate to do some extraordinarily creative things in response

Jefferson could pledge to: - Purchase an annual transit pass and take at least half of his trips in 2013 by transit, walking or biking - Increase funding for PPB's Traffic Enforcement division - Work with people who have been in automobile crashes and learn their stories. - Create a "Reducing Dangerous Driving" task-force - Increase funding for PBOT traffic safety projects - Star in a Public Service Announcement about how dangerous driving kills - Take a defensive driving course

I've been told it's not the mistakes you make, it's what you do after. What will Jefferson Smith do AS MAYOR to make right on his previous disregard for traffic law and safety? I'd like to know.

I don't particularly like Smith's record behind the wheel, but he's running for mayor not bus driver.

There's a consensus forming around the answer to Kari's question ("does it matter?"): as with everything in a candidate's background, yes, but not a lot. I'm with the consensus. It's certainly something to consider. But it's very difficult to make driving much of a proxy for anything a mayor does--and the only reason to do so is for partisan gain. (Which is, of course, not illegitimate.)

On that latter point, did anyone find the Oregonian's breathless coverage of drvinggate a little much? They're tallying the latest reports of his vehicular misdeeds like they're body counts, and use the affair to level the ultimate weasel charge at him: that a traffic record creates a "troubling pattern."

Jefferson Smith has been living his life in public for over a decade now, and there's plenty of substantive metrics with which to measure his candidacy. Trying to use something as straightforward and unenlightening as a crappy driving record as clues to something "darker" about a candidate is bush league. Leave that to the MSM.