Was it okay for Sam Adams to lie?

The Willamette Week is now reporting that Portland Mayor Sam Adams lied after all. He did have sex with Beau Breedlove back in 2005, the summer when Breedlove turned 18-years-old.

Earlier, Adams had denied any sexual relationship with Breedlove, and the story transformed from one focused on Adams' judgment and possible criminal wrongdoing into one focused on the motives of Adams' accuser, Portland developer Bob Ball, and the tragedy of smear-filled politics.

It turns out Ball was right. Not only did Adams lie, but he convinced Breedlove to lie as well. And he kept on lying right up until today, the start of a week when WW was going to release an update on the subject parading forth a ton of evidence showing the truth.

This is a black eye on Sam Adams. His defense? Twofold. First, Adams says he didn't have sex with Breedlove until after Breedlove turned 18 and so didn't commit any crimes. Guess we'll have to trust him on that one.

More importantly, however, Adams seems to have believed all along that the Breedlove issue was just a smear and distraction from the "real issues" as he saw them. In Adams' view, whether or not he had sex with Breedlove after Breedlove turned 18 was a purely private matter that had nothing to do with Adams' qualifications for mayor. Nonetheless, Adams feared that, if he had admitted to the relationship from the start, his campaign would thereafter have been tarred and consumed by a sex scandal that would have drowned his themes of sustainability, jobs, and the arts.

He has some good arguments. But with the city as his jury, it will be up to Portland to decide whether Adams was right to fear a distracting scandal and whether he was justified in lying to avoid it.

Portland, Oregon's just-inducted openly gay mayor, Sam Adams, 44, has confessed to having had a sexual relationship with teenage former staffer Beau Breedlove in 2005. Adams was a county commissioner at the time. Although Adams and Breedlove met when the teen was 17 years old, Adams maintains that he and Breedlove did not have sex until Breedlove was 18. Adams apologized to the local press today:

Beaubreedlove_3"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 apologized to Beau Breedlove for asking him to lie for me. I want to apologize to my colleagues for my dishonesty and especially to the people of Portland for my dishonesty. I should have been truthful from the beginning,"

Adams had been questioned about his relationship with the then-teen before his November election, but both he and and the young man told the press at the time that their relationship had only been platonic. It not yet clear why Adams has now admitted the relationship or whether he intends to stay in office. Adams' election in 2008 was hailed by LGBT activists, as Portland had become the largest city in the country with an openly gay mayor.

UPDATE: After the jump is a radio interview that Adams made with a Portland station today. The sound is a bit garbled at times, but Adams says that he doesn't yet know whether he'll be keeping his job. Asked if his apology is enough to satisfy the voters, Adams replies, "That's up to the people of Portland."