Portland gay man revealed Mayor’s relationship with teen
A gay property developer raised concerns about the Mayor of Portland’s relationship with a teenager 18 months ago.
Robert Ball has claimed he altered civil officials in Portland, Oregon in summer 2007 that mayoral candidate, Sam Adams, who won election last year, was having a sexual relationship with an underage boy.
On Monday Mayor Adams, who took office on January 1st, admitted that his relationship with former Oregon Legislature intern Beau Breedlove had become sexual, but only after Breedlove turned 18.
The Mayor apologised publicly yesterday for lying about the nature of the relationship for 18 months, but said Mr Ball “was telling people that I had engaged in a criminal act.”
“That’s really high stakes. He’s trying to put me in jail.”
Mr Ball told OregonLive.com:
“This is very regrettable. It’s regrettable to the city of Portland and unfortunate for the gay and lesbian community.”
Mayor Adams told the Williamette Week that the relationship became sexual after Mr Breedlove turned 18 and continued for two months in the summer of 2005.
“I want to publicly acknowledge I made a mistake and apologise for it,” he told the paper.
“In the past, I’ve characterised my relationship with Beau Breedlove as purely non-sexual and that is not true.
“I should have been honest at the time when this first surfaced in 2007.
“But I didn’t believe that given the way that rumours were being spread—about whether I had broken the law by having sex with a minor—that people would believe me.
“Until today I have not discussed the true nature of the relationship with anyone. Not my friends, family, staff or colleagues on the council.
“I have apologised to Beau Breedlove for asking him to lie for me. I want to apologise to my colleagues for my dishonesty and especially to the people of Portland for my dishonesty.
“I should have been truthful from the beginning.”
