Exclusive: Sit-down interview with Jefferson Smith on 1993 scuffle
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PORTLAND, Ore. - Newly released documents Tuesday reveal the terms of an agreement Portland mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith reached over the scuffle he got into with a woman in college.
It's called a diversion agreement, and it's made between Smith and a city prosecutor in Eugene.
It lays out seven conditions. Smith agrees his actions were wrongful and promises not to have contact with the woman. He pays for court fees, and her medical expenses – their encounter in 1993 left her needing stitches on her head.
Smith also promises to do 20 hours of community service, and the woman promises to not sue him over the skirmish.
As a result, the misdemeanor assault charge was dropped. On Your Side Investigator Anna Canzano sat down with Smith with his wife, Katy, by his side Tuesday night at KATU’s studios for an exclusive interview.
They seemed very concerned his campaign will be overshadowed by all these stories about his behavior and the pattern of behavior that’s been depicted.
Both say they'd rather have Smith talking about how he wants to better the city. But for now, he's answering questions about that night and how it fits into what else we've learned about him.
The full 25-minute interview is posted below. For a shorter version of the interview that aired Tuesday night at 11, please click on the above "Play Video" button.
Full Interview:
Sorry...I meant to say 'his past' not 'her past'. Â I was referring to Jefferson's past.
The only time a politician has his wife sit in on an interview like this is when there has been what is known in the political world as a 'bimbo eruption' . Â That is not to say that the victim at UO was a bimbo....but it is pretty damn clear there is more to the UO story than just a crazed drunken girl mistakenly attacking him, and him defending himself. Â You bring out the wife to try and show you have morals when it comes to women.
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Very stupid doing this 'look at my dedicated wife' interview. Â Makes him look guilty of sexual indiscretions. Â Big mistake. Â Huge. Â And makes it 100% clear that there is way more to this story and/or her past.
This has to be the dumbest "interview" I have ever started to watch. After 2 minutes and 30 seconds I could see this was too painful to continue - my eyes started to glaze over and cross just like Anna's. The best Anna Canzano story is the one that doesn't air.Â
What a joke the media is.....This was a non story from the get go. Â Now the title of the article says.."scuffle" Â Yesterday is was an assault.....get it together and print something worth reading please.
There's an old saying that character is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.
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A part of running for public office is going to be questions about that persons character. While Mr Smith may have been able to escape the microscope when he ran for state rep, running for mayor of the largest municipality in the state is going to involve people looking into his past. One indiscretion, I think most people could forgive. Perhaps even two, or three. But when people begin to get the impression that his behavioral patterns demonstrate a low level of personal integrity (read:questionable character), it's likely going to cost him the race.
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The 1993 'incident' is just the latest in an ever lengthening list of indiscretions that are demonstrations of his character. Something tells me that Charlie Hales campaign manager is feeling a bit more confident.Â
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If it was just one event then maybe could gloss over it but all his events, and he has an excuse for everyone, just keep a coming... wanna bet there is still more to come?  He might be a nice guy and he is good to look at but we need a leader, someone to cut the spending and do something about our outrageous property taxes....Smith is not that man....
So... the point is? He acknowledge there might have been some wrongdoing, paid fines, did community service. It is in his past. Let it go. Then there is mammy sammy the current mayor who had sex with at least one minor MALE in a bathroom or attempted to and who knows what else.. NOW THIS should be carrer ending..
 @Oh My People with traditional American value systems support your conclusion. However, in the time that's transpired since that un-flushed 'whitefish' surfaced, I have come to believe that there's just too many Portland voters who's theme song is 'Lunatic Fringe'.
Sammy's, on the other hand, (after a long, sweaty trip to model leather-wear and 'get in touch' with HIS constituency at the local glory holes) is 'Freak On A Leash', ha ha ha!
knew her at the U of O... a total nut job.
Ick. He sits down with his wife? What part of any of this did she have - back in the 90's. Did she even know her publicly noted to be assaultive husband back then? Does she "know" her out of control husband today?Â
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As he props her up for the cameras in the 11th hour. And somehow her presence is supposed to suffice.Â
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Hey Mrs. Smith - Let ME introduce you to your husband. You know the one who is out of control - a whole lot of the time. And he keeps on going back for more. And he keeps on being publicly noted to be unable to keep his anger under control. Time and time again.Â
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Oh yeah - and then there is that ongoing thing - where he cannot comply with the driving laws of our state - time and time again - too. On top of everything else. He drives and gets tickets. Lots and lots of them. Apparently. And arrogantly ignores ALL OF THEM. And he deliberately gets his driving privileges suspended more times than I have fingers on one hand. Ah, Mrs. Smith - would you consider your husband to be level headed, cool and calm, noncombative and law abiding?Â
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what PURPOSE exactly were Mrs and Mrs. Smith trying to convey here? Regrettable interview. Regrettable.Â
 @englishdaisy Bitter, much? 'Cuz it really sounds like you "regret" the interview a heck-of-a-lot more than Smith or his Wife do. But, here's a chance for you to turn in your homework from Political Science summer school: No politician alive will/would pass up a controlled interview where they get to present their spouse as being their 'moral support/motivational MacGuffin'. If they've had some sort of "youthful indiscretion' (and MAN! don't you love how that euphemism for being a stupid punk kid gets batted around these days slicker than buttered cat poo?!?), or engaged in morally questionable behavior, the spouse Standing By Their Wo/Man to shows how they've forgiven/accepted said politician's lil' oopsie.
And, if the spouse is even remotely attractive and/or photogenic, it's just so much more flash campaign advertising. That said, maybe Al would've succeeded had he left Tipper at home, lol!
Anyway, you're not going to get any more blood out of this turnip than Anna did in the interview, so, howsabout moving on to greener pastures, or, something a tad less anemic than a frat brat's tater that expired 20 years ago?
He's a perfect politician. Sam had similar issues and look how bad he trashed Portland.
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I am sure that Jefferson, if elected, can trash Portland as well as Sam "the Sham" did.
@RalphCramden Tha's what I'm thinkin' Ralph. Total lack of self discipline/self control whack job perfect for Mayor of P-Town
There is SO much more the wife doesn't know. Â Some of it after they got married. Â Jefferson just better hope all he loses is the race for Mayor. Â He could end up losing a lot more.
How desperate are they to keep this guy out of office if the have to drag up stuff this minor? Â Seriously?
A couple of minor scuffles and some driving infractions?
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What would we find if we went this deep on, say, CHARLIE HALES?Â
 @Baxter I was reading an article on Smiths punching a guy in the groin while playing basketball. It was in an Interview with John Calzano. He regretted it, of course, but it was a line at the end that made up my mind for me. He said it was to defend himself and prevent a contentious attitude. Now he is saying the same thing about defending himself against a drunk girl.
I can defend myself by not striking another person. Walk away, control your emotions, avoiding conflict situations. I had not made up my mind about these two candidates. Neither stoke me as legitimate Mayoral types. Hales, living in Vancouver to avoid taxes, Smith no control of his behavior.
But I think, the similarities of the excuses and the number of poor decisions has me avoiding voting for Smith.
I suspect we have only seen the surface of his character and don't want to make the same mistake voters made four years ago, only to have the full story blow up afterwards.
At some point and time we need to put down our loyalties toward a person and admit, that maybe, we made a mistake about a person. Mistakes are the most human thing we can do.
 @Baxter Baxter - see my reply above. Deflecting to Charlie Hales? Come on.
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Ain't Hales who is imploding on himself today. Smith - he is like Clinton - having a whole lot of splaining he still needs to do - with his own wife. Accept and tolerate a train wreck of a man - who violates the laws of our land - ignoring traffic tickets like they were nothing - and getting himself suspected from driving more times then he has freely admitted to date? Come on - why aren't YOU upset with Mrs. Smith not being forthcoming with YOU, about who he apparently is - and who he has refused to admit to being.... in the 11th hour of a mayoral campaign no way should the public be finding out critical truths about this man - that he has refused to admit about himself. No way... Jefferson Smith - do you deserve to be our city's next mayor. By your own actions. And lies. And refusals to be forthcoming, sir.Â
@Baxter I think you should go this deep on Charlie. I bet he has never hit a woman, a fellow basketball or soccer player, and I bet he knows how to obey all traffic laws. I'm pretty sure if all these "minor" things are coming out about Smith, there is most likely nothing major out there against Hales, because the campaign desperately needs something like that right about now. Do it, it will only help Charlie look better. Next to Smith, Adams looks like a saint.
 @duckfan0207  @Baxter I can assure you both, Jefferson's campaign has spent plenty of money researching Charlie Hales' whole life.  This sanctimonious schlock he is spinning is laughable.
@duckfan0207 What you're impying shouild be fairly easy to demonstrate so where's your evidence ?
@Tonk The evidence lies in the fact that the reports have been published, and he has yet to deny any of it.
 @Baxter Getting arrested/cited for assault on a woman isn't small potatoes. He couldn't even pass a background check to be a city employee let alone mayor!  After the last joke of a mayor we elected we gotta know what we are getting.  Wu was an embarrassment, Goldschmidt, Packwood...Sam Adams...now Smith, it's like we breed creepy politicians in Oregon. Â
 @EBRose Around 20 years ago,  a drunk at a party took a swing at him and he hit them once.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/10/witness_in_self_defense_jeffer.html
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Gee, I wonder what the roses with a note saying "you make everything better" were for just before this interview?
Maybe if he just promised to ride his bicycle to anger management therapy...
WHO CARES? Focus on the issues KATU!
@randomdude Women care, and people who play basketball and people who play soccer and people who may be on the road driving at the same time he is. And next week something else will come out about him, because that just seems to be he kind of guy he is, and another group of people will care.