They got to keep the money

Neil Goldschmdit has died. Everyone will have an obituary. They will say all the obvious things.

But don't forget something they won't talk about much, if at all. When Goldschmidt wasn't in public office – and who knows, maybe even when he was in public office – he used his position as political boss of Oregon to make fortunes, many times over, for himself and his cronies. They got a piece of the action everywhere, for a long time. They controlled everything.

A former speechwriter for Neil, Fred Leonhardt, called this out in 2011, after the rape had been revealed. I wrote about Leonhardt's piece here, and it's worth repeating:

Yesterday the Eugene paper published a provocative op-ed article by Leonhardt. In it, he lists many prominent Portlanders whom he regards with disgust because of their closeness to Goldschmidt, and at least some of their complicity in, or condoning of, the former guv's sorry misdeeds.

Here are the names mentioned in the article, in the order in which they appear:

Vera Katz
Mike Schrunk
Rabbi Manny Rose
Bob Burtchaell
Alan Webber
Homer Williams
Earl Blumenauer
Ted Kulongoski

Of course, that is just the tip of a large iceberg of Portland big shots, all of whom should reflect on these words:

For the privilege of being in on "The Deal"; for the money made from corporate takeovers, condo developments and light rail extensions; for the cushy executive position with all the perks; for the high political office; for the entry to the Arlington Club; for the skids greased and the backs scratched; for nothing more than an occasional pat on the head from the Great Man himself; for a young girl’s life — the best and the brightest looked the other way.

There was no conspiracy of silence. People talked. People knew. Instead, there was a conspiracy of indifference — which is far worse.

They still attend parties in his honor. To this day, they are lost without him telling them what to do. "People like Neil don’t come along very often," former Gov. Ted Kulongoski reminds us.

All of that rings true to this day. The obituaries should read more like Richard Daley's than the "fallen genius" pablum we'll be getting for the next few days.

Maybe now that Goldschmidt's dead, someone will tell us who really killed Michael Francke, and why.

UPDATE, 7:00 p.m.: The memories flood back. Who can forget?

The man certainly had chutzpah  (or as they call it in eastern Oregon, "hoopster”).