Mayor says he won’t resign

The mayor of Portland said Sunday that he would not resign despite calls for him to do so after he admitted lying and asking a teenager to lie about their sexual relationship.

“Tomorrow, I go back [to] work as your mayor. I know I have let you down and made mistakes. I ask your forgiveness,” Mayor Sam Adams said in a statement. “I believe I have a lot to offer the city I love during this time of important challenges.”

Adams, who was sworn in Jan. 1, apologized last week for lying early in his campaign about his relationship with an 18-year-old male in 2005.

The scandal has resulted in an investigation by the Oregon attorney general and has divided the city and its gay and lesbian community.

The police union and four Portland newspapers have called for his resignation, but Adams has found strong support. On Friday, a rally on his behalf drew more than 400 people to City Hall.

In his statement, Adams said he would “work harder than I ever have in my life” to help see the city through the tough economic times.

Two of the leading business associations in Portland have taken a wait-and-see stance.

Steve Holwerda, chairman of the Portland Business Alliance, said in a statement that the board members agreed it was a crucial time for the city and some of its major development projects.

“Whether or not he stays in office should be based on whether he can lead our city effectively and with the integrity that all our citizens deserve,” Holwerda said.

But the board of the Portland Area Business Assn. said Adams should remain in office “pending the outcome of official investigation.”

The teenager, Beau Breedlove, was a legislative intern when he met Adams at 17. He and the mayor, now 45, say their sexual relationship started after Breedlove’s 18th birthday, in June 2005.

Breedlove, now 21, told the Oregonian on Saturday that the relationship was consensual.

“I do not see any relationship that I ever had with Sam as me being taken advantage of,” he said. “I do not feel like I was ever a victim.”