It’s really not fair to say that Portland is out of the running. The truth is, reading between the lines, watching and cheerleading this effort for all these years, anti military Portland never took seriously the offer of having the largest floating flat top in the world as a local attraction. 
Dozens of direct jobs would have been created, but hundreds more would have been spun off from vendors, suppliers, caterers etc.
Now those jobs will go to our friends in the East County. No fools they. They know a good deal when they see one. According to the Ranger Foundation press release,
“When they met overwhelming enthusiasm in East County, the decision was easy.”
The one obstacle of being situated at the Chinook Landing Marine Park is that it’s “owned” by Metro. I told my friends at the Ranger Foundation to tell them they’ll put a grass roof, solar panels, and apply for urban renewal funds: it’s the only language these people speak.
And what kind of second rate jobs with the USS Ranger did Portland think we could live without? Oh, just,
“HVAC,” electrical, paint, retrofitting for ADA requirements, mooring support at pier or dock facilities, parking areas, onboard cafes and restaurants, a ship’s store, the design and implementation of the edcuational components and the design of the military m emorial,” for starters.
That’s all.
