PORTLAND, Ore., June 23 (UPI) -- Oregon state officials say they won't prosecute Portland Mayor Sam Adams for a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old intern.
Attorney General John Kroger, saying he had investigated Adams on five separate statutes, said Monday no charges would be brought, giving new political life to the first openly gay mayor of a top-40 U.S. city, The (Portland) Oregonian reported.
"I'm going to continue to focus on getting Portlanders back to work and decreasing the dropout rate," Adams said after voicing another apology for his behavior. "I've been working hard, and I have a lot more work to do."
"Is he a permanently wounded duckling? I don't think so," Ethan Seltzer of Portland State University's School of Urban Studies and Planning told the newspaper.
Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, contended the city needs to get past the scandal and concentrate on employment, housing and the economy, saying: "These are big issues that impact the community, and we need to be focused on results. Sam Adams has a track record dealing with these kinds of issues. He is a good mayor, and he could very well be a great one."
