Jefferson Smith is the guy who got the Oregon version of the Bus Project up and running to serve as a way to launch fellow Oppressives to office. He succeeded in getting himself elected to the Oregon State House. And his most notable claim to fame there was his ability to set up his fellow house members for a Rick Roll.
We all love a bit of humor but jokes should be confined to what the person does, not the person himself.
Now he’s running for Mayor of Portland. No, he has no executive experience. He’s never run a large organization. His employment record is spotty, he’s had his law license suspended three times, and now, it turns out, his driving record is in even worse shape than the last time the Zero reported on it.
The Zero found out that since the last time they’ve checked, Smith has had his license suspended three more times.
[N]ewly obtained records from Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services show that suspension plus three more: two in July 2004 and one in May 2010.
When asked to comment Smith said,
“I have a bad driving record, and it’s embarrassing.”
Yes, we know. But there’s more:
“I’m not proud of my driving record.”
Well, there’s a relief.
The DMV records show Smith took nearly two years to get his license reinstated after the July 2004 suspensions — each ordered to last 30 days — and eight months after the one in 2010; the ordered lengths of the first and last suspensions are unknown.
Under what circumstances does one get one’s license suspended? Failure to appear? Three moving violations in a year. Failure to report an accident. Failure to report proof of insurance.
He claims no one else was ever in any danger and he was not charged with DUII. However,
“I have a bad driving record, and it’s embarrassing.”
Can you have your license suspended for 30 days for this?
The latest suspension occurred after he was stopped Jan. 12, 2010, in Woodburn and cited for improperly displaying stickers and failing to show proof of insurance. At the time, he was running for his second term in the Oregon House. His license was suspended May 14, 2010. Smith had it reinstated in January 2011.
Smith’s reaction when asked?
“I’m not proud of my driving record.”
Smith, asked repeatedly whether he lacked insurance or failed to show his insurance information, would not clarify. “I’m not proud of my driving record,” he said.
I’ll give him this at any rate. At least he doesn’t blame everything on his ADHD. While he does allow as he has “a messy desk but an organized mind,” I’m pretty sure Portlanders can take a pass on another official who has a problem following the law.
