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Portland Civic Lab @portlandciviclab.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Do you live in District 4? Let's compare each candidate on the topics that matter most to Portlanders. Follow along here: www.portlandciviclab.org/voters-guide...

All District 4 candidates for City Council.

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Portland Civic Lab @portlandciviclab.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

How do you make sense of 35 candidates running for Portland City Council? Where can you find what candidates pledge to deliver, how they plan to do it, and how they measure success? We try to answer those questions in our Voter Guide for 2026. www.portlandciviclab.org/voters-guide

portlandciviclab.org

Portland Voter Guide 2026 | Compare City Council Candidates

Compare Portland City Council candidates in Districts 3 and 4 for November 3, 2026. Explore their plans, experience and votes in a free, nonpartisan guide.

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eve peyser @evepeyser.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

5 years ago, for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I went to Bar9Eleven in Fort Worth. I wrote about how and why we commodify tragedy, as well as my experiences as a third grader in New York City on 9/11 and grief. www.vice.com/en/article/a...

vice.com

A Night at the 9/11-Themed Bar and How America Turns Tragedy Into Sales

Bar9Eleven went viral for its 'tasteless' name. But U.S. companies—in films, soda displays, and flags—have been commodifying the attacks for 20 years.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

"One thumb up to the council for at least trying to get something significant for taxpayers, rather than just rearranging deck chairs — how much they stick to their guns from here will determine if they can earn the other thumb." www.fieldofschemes.com/2026/08/13/2...

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

We're live from City Hall! Press is here: good reporters like Alex Zielinski of OPB, Evan Watson at KGW. Session should start momentarily. There are a few brief agenda items ahead of the Moda debate, so we'll jump back in once Moda things get rolling.

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mitchgreen.bsky.social @mitchgreen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

🚨PHD economist JC Bradbury of Kennesaw State University studies stadium deals, and says the Moda deal on the table is NOT a market-rate deal, as the mayor and others have said, but rather a total outlier, where the people have to sign the check without knowing what they’re even paying for.

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Councilor Candace Avalos @counciloravalos.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

When I asked a Blazers representative if ownership would consider a private contribution in the Moda Center, he replied: “If that's something that's important to the city to put on the table, we're happy to talk about it along with everything else"

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Closing the loop on ECONorthwest's study: The $15B “impact” assumes the Blazers leave with 100% certainty, then compares them to NOTHING replacing them, essentially forever. It never models the *real* choice: this $573M deal vs. a better deal, another operator, or the Blazers staying anyway.

ripcitynotripoff.com

The Model — A Public Review of the ECONorthwest Study

Better economics than the average booster study — aimed at the wrong question. The grade, the twelve questions, and a standing offer to publish the answers in full.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Thank you! We are going to make some noise with the NBA.

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anotherAKGorman ❌👑 @anotherakgorman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

At the end, there is a fan compact petition meant for the league that needs signatures.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I really do hope that our electeds can implement something like this for future projects.

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Kevin Foster @kevinhfoster.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I implore people to go watch actual economists talk about the Moda Center deal. So much important information in this webinar.

youtu.be

The Economics of Publicly Funded Stadiums

YouTube video by Portland City Councilor Mitch Green

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

This is my final word on the Moda Center saga. This Wednesday, the vote to spend $1.1B of taxpayer funds is going to pass. If you think you ever had a say in the matter, you were lied to. Everyone got what they wanted in the end. Everyone but you. www.ripcitynotripoff.com/everyone-but...

ripcitynotripoff.com

Everyone But You: how Portland promised $573 million in rooms the public never entered

The league was in the room. The team was in the room. Three governments were in the room. 8,000 pages of the City's own records show who wasn't — and what it cost.

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Mitch Green @councilorgreen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

We had a chance today to show PDX that we’re fighting for their best interest in this deal and we failed. We failed every future city who will someday have to reckon with the next ownership group who will threaten, without evidence, to wreck their economy unless they pony up at least as much as us

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Geoffrey Propheter @gpropheter.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

OR has a high PIT burden. Why? Bc residents chose it. They chose to have no SUT and to limit ptaxes. The Blazers are trying to tell you a high PIT burden is a policy defect, but it's a feature, one voters chose. Just like TX chooses to have a stupid large ptax burden in large part bc it has no PIT.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I genuinely have no idea how Jessica Vega Pederson still has a job after this. This is the most insane thing i've ever seen.

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Field of Schemes @fieldofschemes.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Having an anchor tenant is nice, but less so when they're not paying rent and taking away dates that could be used on concerts that would. It's still not likely Tom Dundon moves the Blazers, but it does seem he needs Portland more than Portland needs him.

fieldofschemes.com

Arenas that have lost NBA or NHL teams turn out to have done just fine

For anyone who holds to the belief that sports fans are mindless boosters who want their elected officials to keep their beloved team owners (or just beloved team's owners) happy no matter what the co...

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Councilor Angelita Morillo @councilormorillo.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

If you weren’t able to watch the webinar @councilorgreen.bsky.social and I hosted with stadium economists @jcbradbury.com and @victor-matheson.bsky.social you can watch the recording at the link below! www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BqO...

youtube.com

The Economics of Publicly Funded Stadiums

YouTube video by Portland City Councilor Mitch Green

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Nathaniel Glasgow @ncglasgow.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Excellent reality check. I think it's legit to argue that having the Blazers here has real cultural and vibes value (the Oregonian editorial board did just this), but the fiscal case is marginal at best.

blazersedge.com

Would Portland be Better Off Financially Without the Blazers?

Empty arena? Lost revenue? Not so fast.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

1/ Mike Wilkerson, the economist behind the "$15 billion" Blazers study produced last week graciously answered our questions in writing. Full letter on our site. Short version: that number doesn't mean what you've been told — and it measures less than half of what next week's vote gives away. 🧵

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J.C. Bradbury @jcbradbury.com · 06/08/2026

Starting soon

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

WOAH. Blazers leaked emails show they refused to respond to city emails asking basic questions, weeks before any “first-class” claim was mentioned, contradicting Dewayne Hankins claim that that claim “chilled negotiations” They were not negotiating in good faith since the beginning.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 PRR shows the city asked Blazers the questions we all have been wondering, but somehow none of these made it into the draft term sheet. So who decided to remove or dilute the City’s June negotiating demands—and what did the Blazers, the NBA, or political leadership say that caused it?

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Geoffrey Propheter @gpropheter.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

There. My proposed Moda Center renovation renderings. And I'm not asking you to vote to give me money first.

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Geoffrey Propheter @gpropheter.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Voting on leg that you don’t have all the facts on is common for lawmakers, which obvi doesn’t make it right or smart. Elect better. But the insane part in Portland is that the city owns the f’ing arena. Why let yourself be bullied? Come up with your own reno design! www.opb.org/article/2026...

opb.org

Portland City Council won’t have all answers before voting on Moda Center funding package

As a deadline to commit public dollars to Moda Center renovations rapidly approaches, it appears that Portland city councilors will be asked to approve spending $120 million on arena renovations next ...

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Geoffrey Propheter @gpropheter.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Stop asking for clawbacks if a team moves. It’s a wasted negotiation parameter. Instead, ask for clawbacks if the team doesn’t win, doesn’t sellout, doesn’t deliver ancillary on time, and if owners/team do something that hurt city/co public image. www.kptv.com/2026/07/18/c...

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Geoffrey Propheter @gpropheter.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Multnomah comms proposing a diff rev stream for its Moda share shows public finance folk psychology at work and that politics rules econ in policy making. It doesnt matter which pot of taxpayer money you take from. It matters that you take from taxpayers. www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

oregonlive.com

Looking for Blazers’ Moda Center solution, county commissioners eye new funding path

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is set to consider at least one new amendment at its Aug. 6 meeting.

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Julie @juleezworld.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Looking forward to this! Have you guys watched this? www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcwJ... It's funny of course but also educational.

youtube.com

Stadiums: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

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J.C. Bradbury @jcbradbury.com · 01/08/2026

Look, I get that a lot of folks are mad about Portland's economic climate. But, the solution isn't to pass an arena subsidy project, which are notoriously bad public investments. Focus on fixing the perceived existing problems directly, don't compound your mistakes.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

A random thought on leverage, late on a Sunday evening: The City's most valuable single piece of leverage is probably the "first-class" claim stemming from the bridge lease. The Blazers' most valuable single piece of leverage is their threat to leave. Both have some value, both are hard to price🧵

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julio 🤙 @juliocan2.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

look at the Timbers, man. selling tickets. securing corporate sponsorships. being “politically divisive”. how. do. they. do it.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Calling for “partnership” while directing almost every practical recommendation at one side of the table is not balanced analysis. It’s advocacy for a negotiating posture that asks the public to be more flexible while placing little pressure on the private party receiving $1.1B in public support.

oregonlive.com

Editorial: Stay on track, Portland, and show the Trail Blazers a partnership worth keeping

As the clock ticks toward a deadline for getting a Moda Center deal done, Portland city councilors should focus on what they control — finalizing a framework to negotiate a new long-term lease and sho...

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J.C. Bradbury @jcbradbury.com · 01/08/2026

Media members, STOP parroting team propaganda, and ask follow-up questions. What city could the Trail Blazers move to and see the team's value spike? This isn't the Rams moving to LA. It's moving to a smaller market with no known venue.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

ECONorthwest’s economic assessment of this plan shows it will create roughly $100B of “impact” over the next 20 years.

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This is the most damning thing in this entire Moda center renovation. The State knew that Dundon was coming in. He told them he wanted a 100% publicly funded deal, and they immediately capitulated. They didn't price the deal or negotiate with Dundon & the NBA. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybu9...

youtube.com

Should taxpayers renovate the Moda Center?

YouTube video by KGW News

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Rip City Not Rip Off @ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Blazers' Hankins: The first-class standard "is a relic... would not be included in any new deal with the city" and the bridge lease suspends "the city's ability to make those claims during the lease" [00:11:00]. If the litigation threat is suspended, then why stall?

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amb @amb.fyi · 31/07/2026

After enjoying fifty years of devoted fandom and support I find it downright shameful for a pro sports team to send their lobbyist to city hall and just flatly say into the mic that the city sucks, in an effort to shake ‘em down for hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars with zero accountability

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amb @amb.fyi · 31/07/2026

Aside from the absurdity of claiming it’s hard to sell tickets or the fury i feel at this continued Muncipal Negging campaign, the notion somehow city hall is responsible for making Portland an alluring destination for player recruitment is a downright embarrassing thing to say into public testimony

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Field of Schemes @fieldofschemes.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Portland leaders have leverage — especially with Dundon's lease prohibiting relocation talks for now, and with state funding expiring soon — but they're unlikely to use it if the media keep speculating about other cities allegedly waiting in the wings.

fieldofschemes.com

Where will Tom Dundon move the Trail Blazers? Probably nowhere

The Portland Trail Blazers arena dispute so far in a nutshell: Tom Dundon, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes and past purveyor of predatory lending car loans, bought the Blazers from the estate of the ...

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Timothy Burke @bubbaprog.xyz · 31/07/2026

high income taxes and a divisive political environment prevents basketball success? wow, the Knicks really won't ever win a title huh

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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The league has to get rid of this Dundon guy. He bought the Blazers to hold the city of Portland hostage for arena money and now he's telling all of his underlings to shittalk the city so he can move to Kansas City or something. Cut this shit out or the league will be held hostage by similar ghouls.

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mitch (he/him) @drmitchpdx.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

these claims are in conflict with the wildly rosy results from the ecoNW analysis that has apparently existed since last spring showing $14B in net economic activity from $600M in construction work

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