Game 6 or town hall No. 42?
Portland mayoral candidate Jules Bailey is picking the Blazers.
In a decision that may raise some eyebrows, Bailey has decided to drop out of a candidate forum Friday night so he can attend a potentially series-clinching playoff victory for the Blazers over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bailey had been scheduled to attend a wacky candidate event hosted by the Bus Project and Know Your City.
Christine Lewis, Bailey's campaign manager, said Bailey thinks it's "really important" to support the Blazers and wants to attend the game with an old friend.
But with less than three weeks remaining before the May 17 primary, Bailey's decision means he'll miss an opportunity to potentially woo over undecided voters.
Limited polling suggests Bailey is running in second place, well behind Ted Wheeler, who has a chance to win the election outright if he can secure more than 50 percent of the vote.
Lewis notes that, after Thursday night, Bailey will have already had 41 town halls, debates or forums on the calendar. Another eight are still scheduled. And other candidates, such as Wheeler and Sarah Iannarone, have missed some of those along the way.
Lewis said Friday's event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Mission Theatre, would involve a talent show, yes-or-no answers and a debate in haiku.
"Tomorrow night is not necessarily the forum that allows the best dialogue," she said.
(Incidentally, the Bus Project's board chairman is Nathan Howard, who serves as Wheeler's deputy campaign manager).
UPDATE 3:15 p.m. Friday: In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Bus Project's executive director, Nikki Fisher, said she's disappointed in Bailey's decision to make young voters "a lower priority than taking the night off."
"We agree with him that the Blazers are awesome (we will all be watching the game after our forum ends), but we're bummed when any candidate writes off the young voters who form the backbone of our progressive city," she wrote.
Bailey, meanwhile, is a well-known Timbers soccer fan. During a debate this week, Bailey contrasted with Wheeler by saying he'd support spending city money to help lure a professional baseball team to Portland.
-- Brad Schmidt
503-294-7628
@cityhallwatch