Portland, Ore., mayor Sam Adams said Sunday he would not resign, although he has admitted to lying about a sexual relationship he had with a teenager.
City commissioner Randy Leonard said Adams had left a message Sunday morning that he had decided to stay in office, according to the Associated Press.
During his campaign for mayor, Adams vehemently denied having intimate relations with the teenager, calling it a smear tactic by the opposition. Oregon's attorney general launched an investigation last week into whether the teenager, Beau Breedlove, was 17 years old or 18, the legal age of consent, when their relationship turned sexual.
The Oregonian's editorial page called for Adams's resignation, as did the Oregon LGBT paper Just Out.
But Portland residents are divided over whether to support Adams or oust him. The Oregonian reported that dozens of business and community leaders gathered at City Hall Friday to rally support and encourage him to stay in office.
"He's the mayor we need at this point in time," said commissioner Dan Saltzman, referring to the economic problems facing the city and local businesses. "They demand the focus of our city council, and frankly, we need Mayor Sam Adams to be leading the city council." (Advocate.com)
