Jefferson Smith posts a public apology on Facebook
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith, whose altercation with a woman back in 1993 has cast a shadow on his hopes to lead the city, posted a public apology on Facebook Friday evening.
Smith was involved in a fight with a woman when he was a college student at the University of Oregon. He said during a news conference on Oct. 1 that he struck a woman at a college party, although he claims he acted in self-defense.
The incident has become a major campaign issue for Smith, who this week lost endorsements from both the police and fire unions.
According to a Survey USA poll conducted for KATU News after the news of the altercation first came to light, Smith's competitor Charlie Hales has a seven point lead. Still, 33 percent of voters said they were undecided.
Here is what Smith posted on his campaign Facebook page on Friday:
A note before the week is out to say that I am sorry.
When I got into the race, I knew that more people would know me as a flawed person. I hoped to be candid and graceful in acknowledging those flaws. I write to apologize both for my flaws and for my lack of grace.
I am sorry to the woman and all involved. I remain at least as sorry as I was 20 years ago. I accept whatever anyone calls it: a hit, knock, rap, bop, tag, or another word -- I did it, it hurt her and it was wrong. I did not intend to, and I still feel terrible about it. I ask for no one to defend my actions that night. I have spoken out against violence against women and I will continue to; I need to speak out against my own conduct. Violence against women is never ok. Nor do I want any recounting of memories to trump my effort to accept responsibility. No matter what anybody else was doing, what I did was wrong.
I also want to apologize for anything I said to her. As vigorously as I want to defend my honor, I want to do that not by denying but by apologizing. Ultimately, I’m not asking you to trust my memory. Or my descriptions. Or even recounts of other people there. I am just asking that you trust my apology.
To family, friends, volunteers and staff...and to supporters, both those who have stepped aside and those who remain involved in the campaign: people put a lot on the line, and I am as grateful as I am sorry. Not only for my conduct years ago, but for more recently. I should have found a way to bring this all up long ago. I have come close to talking publicly about it and failed. Each time, two things stopped me: 1) the knowledge that I would implicate and blindside someone else not seeking a public life, and 2) my own cowardice. I should have trusted people more. I should have been stronger.
I now realize that I should have never tried to visit this woman. Despite my good intentions, it was a bad idea. I went to let her know that this story would soon become public; I went alongside a female friend. It felt wrong to me to have a press conference about it without contacting her first. I still feel that way. But it is clear now that this contact caused her pain, and I regret it. It was a bad choice. I now know -- and understand -- that she had absolutely no desire to see me. I apologize to her for this.
The press conference and subsequent interviews did not reflect the person I want to be. We moved quickly -- and from an intent quite the opposite of hiding. I gave thoughts from memory and with good intentions. But with my every attempt to answer questions, I did more explaining and justifying than apologizing. I wanted to look good rather than embrace the bad. My focus should have been on saying sorry, not on offering a version of facts or trying to synthesize competing memories.
Also to the city. We should be having a campaign and conversation about the city and the future. My own actions and flaws have made that conversation more muddled and less relevant. Even sending this letter today rather than last week has added to the muddle. And I am not just talking about any one mistake. It is important for a person and a leader to be able to manage their emotions very well. And it is deeply important to me to be sensitive and appropriate with women and all people. I am taking actions to improve in these areas. I don’t offer this to absolve myself of even an ounce of responsibility, but in recognition that I need to take responsibility. Not only for 20 years ago, but for the rest of my life. I want to be open, not because I am sure it is the right thing to do as a candidate, but to do the right thing as a human being.
Going forward, I hope to have conversations about the future, about moving forward. About problems bigger than my own. For now, I just want to say that I am sorry.
-- Jeff
Well here's how I feel.. So this woman was drunk that night, she surely had no intention to hurt anyone either, but now as an adult she has every intention to hurt someone through her attorney and never identify herself... I find her behavior disgusting and makes me think she got exactly what she deserved all those years ago..
Old news, Jefferson. Already forgotten. Now, who are you and what are you doing in Portland?
Portland's #1 mayoral candidate Tre Arrow would apologize face to face with the person he wronged....
 @August100 Sure he would...
My suggestion for voters, don't vote for any Mayoral candidate. Send a message instead that we won't settle for the options we've been given.
This incident from 20 years ago definitely sounds like it is not Smiths fault as he was defending himself. However, his other recent problems of violence in soccer and basketball (punched another player) along with the drivers license suspensions sure makes him seem a bit unstable to be mayor.
NOTE to self: Â It's over......
Wait until the next woman from Eugene comes forward.  "Jeff", you out there? Not good
A: nothing to apologize for
B: stupid idea to run for political office knowing you had this public record - cuz your opponents WILL use it against you
wow stil stuck on 20 yeas ago..Not many people even know what they did 20 years ago. This is a terrible smear campaign by hale and weiner. Smith did sign the petition so people can vote for the fluoride issue that says something good about him..
So some drunken nutjob chick attacks him, he defends himself, and 20-years later he's still being judged for that? REEDICULOUS
Wait until you hear the next one
As we used to say (in the Marines): "Don't go away mad, just go away..."
"Equal Rights! Equal Rights! You can't hit me because I'm a GIRL!" -FeminismÂ
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Feminist want "cafeteria equality" and legal protection for all the goodies. They want to believe their strong and just as competitive as males while demanding to receive the same wage as men without doing the same work. But when it comes to assault, all of the sudden their the weaker sex, not strong nor as competitive as men. Therefore, a male cannot strike back. They don't actually want true equality. Because true equality would allow a man to defend himself after being assaulted by a female.Â
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Instead:
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Violence against males is not taken seriously. Men are always suppose to accept the blows and not defend themselves if being hit/ beaten by a woman. What is this teaching our young boys and sons? That when assaulted by a female, they have to accept it and do not have the right to defend themselves? More so, that we give females even more special rights when their drunk and do not hold them accountable for their own actions? Sad. Very Sad.Â
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Violence against BOTH genders is wrong.
STOP! For the Love of GOD! Stop ONLY saying "Violence against WOMEN is wrong."Â
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 @Lisa thank god for someone else that says the same thing.  i may be wrong but the story i read indicated that the woman attacked him.  if that's the case i don't understand why this is a big deal... or why he was convicted of a crime.
beating on people smaller than you isn't right but not defending yourself just because your attacker has a vagina isn't right either.
I knew this guy in college. He was a total jerk then, and I'm glad people are getting to see what he is really like. He's an overly ambitious hothead who doesn't really care about anyone but himself.  In any other city, the guy would be a laughingstock of a candidate, and it is sad that he is even in the running. Portland deserves way better.  Â
 @AMerrill8 Thank You for your input, but you have to remember KATU's DEEP THINKING commenters don't believe ANYTHING unless it's verifiable on Wikipedia...
 @AMerrill8 Care to tell us how you knew him back then?  Listen, Jeff was an arrogant cuss of a young man, I can admit to that.  I knew him in high school and while I didn't care much for him, I started observing him because I knew he was going to be someone.  He was always honorable and when someone pointed out his cockyness, he was actually humbled.  I had to respect him for that. I worked for him at the Oregon Bus Project and while I didn't always agree with him, he was always respectful.  And I've never once, in the more than 20 years I've observed him, seen him be disrespectful to women.  Not once.  I admit that I don't know how he's behaved every second of his life, but when I worked with him I saw him in stressful situations and I still stand behind him because he was the genuine article and was the same in those situations as at any other time.  And he was amazing and exactly what this city needs.
Did he beat you as well. Did you like it?
the more news that comes out about Jefferson, the more I think he's the perfect follow up to a lying chickenhawk.
I'm sure all of us here were saints in school !
@Rob C 503 I was or at least my grade 5 teacher thought so. I remember Mrs. Olsen telling my mother what an angel I was. Ok I was an angel but that is pretty close to a saint.
 Lucifer was an angel...
 @FreerideNOT ...and at 10 yrs. old, I have no reason to doubt you were an angel.
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@August100 Good question. If Satan asked for forgiveness there would be no basis for religion, no?
 @str1ngb3nd3r Are God & Jesus so forgiving that if Satan asked for forgiveness they would forgive him?
@str1ngb3nd3r Yeah but I was 10 yrs. old
Look what Sam the mayor did to  get elected and thats way worst then Jeffersons stuff.You people got a lot of gal to badmouth Jefferson after not recalling Sam.YOU ALL CAN KISS MY REAREND..
Yeah, it's a bit late, but he is finally focusing on saying he's sorry and not on justifying his behavior. While reading through this, I couldn't help but think of the Catholic Church's, and the Vatican's, response to the misbehavior of their priests. Their only concern is getting off on some legal technicality. If only they would do what Smith is finally doing -- accepting responsibility for what he did (as least in this matter) and trying to genuinely express his remorse, to his victim(s).
 @felines99 What the Hell, feline?? He apologized for it 20 years ago, paid for her stitches and stayed the hell away from her. BACK THEN. Why should he have to apologize for an altercation that was clearly not just his fault for the rest of his life? He accepted responsibility for his actions way back then AND now - what more does he have to do to appease YOU, your holiness, so that YOU think it's genuine?Â
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How about Charlie Hales accepting some responsibility for digging up ancient history on an opponent instead of sticking to the issues?Â
 @Ali H  @felines99 What the hell are YOU talking about, Ali H??? I think you need to work on your reading comprehension. The gist of my comment was that Smith was at least saying he was sorry without trying to justify his behavior, and that I wish the Catholic Church had done that much for victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests. I don't know where you came up with the notion that I was criticizing Smith or even worse, claiming that he "needed to apologize {for what he did} for the rest of his llife"!!! I think you owe me an apology.
@felines99 @Ali It Appears as though I am not the only one that thinks felines99 went out to lunch and never came back.
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So your saying that consensual sex between men is like punching a woman? Did not know that, thank for the clarification; now I know what all the fuss is about.
 @Icarus  @felines99 No, you're saying that. I said that it is refreshing to see someone apologize for bad behavior. Why is that so hard for you to comprehend???
@felines99 Looked thru the entire story and did NOT see any mention of the Catholic Church. Did you see something the rest of us missed? How about the school teachers/aides/coaches seems they are nationally in the news for illegal activities than the Catholic Church.
 @FreerideNOT  @felines99 I did not imply that this article mentioned the Catholic Church. I said I was struck by the Church's lack of this kind of remorse, while reading the article. A professor at my alma mater in Seattle was a pedophile priest in his off-hours. The university in question denied this until the evidence was overwhelming. Then, when asked to comment on the matter, the university president, a Jesuit, replied that S.U. bore no responsibility for what Fr. T. had done while not teaching. I was angered by this response. Why couldn't the university extend its sincere apologies to the victims of the abuse? All they care about is covering their asses, and they are supposed to represent moral leadership. So I made the comment I made. If you wish to defend the Catholic Church, be my guest.Â
@felines99 You are a joke and yes I do mean a joke......You unfollow me yet you happen to see my last post......you remind me of a comedy moment, you are actively seeking out my comments. You and a box of rocks have a lot in common....was sorry to hear you failed your grade 1 test and hope that you can improve enough to make it to grade 2.
 @FreerideNOT  @felines99 I happened to see this comment while looking for another comment. My reply:
No, dum-dum. To "unfollow" means that I click on "unfollow" on your last comment to me, so that I NEVER RECEIVE ANY MORE OF YOUR REPLIES ON THIS SUBJECT. Has zero to do with you "following" me. God, you're dumber than dumb, and you keep proving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@felines99 Don't flatter yourself, I NEVER followed you, Never knew that talking was the same as posting on a web site. Talking means verbal.
 @FreerideNOT  @felines99 Bug off, pest. You have just been "unfollowed". Hope you enjoy talking to yourself.
@felines99 Hope you come back from lunch soon so that you can contribute to this forum. I know you enjoy being out to lunch but please refrain from further interaction until you have completed your lunch.
 @FreerideNOT  @felines99 You're a pathetic joke. 'Night now., loser.
@felines99 Oh well one watt, I am sorry your toy was played with by someone and that perhaps you tried to get into a class action but were denied, so now want to rant and rave against the Church. Perhaps you are mistaken and it was one of your teachers from public schools that were hands on......BTW: One watt = none to bright
 @FreerideNOT  @felines99 You've just revealed yourself to be a real idiot!!! Where the hell did you get the idea that I was letting anything "destroy mhy llife or that I was "looking for a free ride". I was expressing an opinion about the utter lack of remorse of the Catholic Church. My life is great, thank you very much. And I got a great education from SU (something you obviously have never received).
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You assumption that I "knew so much" is also interesting. I never claimed that I knew at the time that this was going on. I would have to have been a fortune teller to know what no one else knew until the early 1990's, long after Toulouse's death. I was recapping what is known now, i.e., that Fr.. McGoldrick knew about Toulouse's pedophilia back in the sixties (and that Gonzaga U. and Seattle U., i.e., the Jesuits knew about it in the fifties) but did nothing to protecte future victims,and instead reassigned Toulouse to the care of yet another Seattle family with young boys!!!
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Finally, it is totally irrelevant what the court ruling said about the Vatican's liability. The Catholic Church considers itself to be the preeminent moral authority in the entire world. They should have stepped up to the plate and apologized for what clearly was wrongdoing on the part of the Catholic Church's priests. If you don't even get that, your Catholicism is worthless.
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@felines99 Gee what can I say sorry your toy was played with. To bad you are letting this destroy your life or are you looking for a freeride????? BTW why did you not step up and say something if you knew so much??????????????Latest court ruling the Vatican is NOT liable for the actions of the priests, the courts have ruled they are NOT employees. Time to go find another deep pocket
 @FreerideNOT P.S. That is what I wanted my alma mater to do, to say. I am ashamed that all they did is deny.
 @FreerideNOT  @felines99 As for the Catholic Church, if you're a Catholic today and you've never heard of child sex abuse by priests, your brain cells are not connected.
Secondly, it is not true that SU bore no responsibility for what Fr. T. did. It is truer and more appropriate and more CHARITABLE for a university which prides itself on its moral leadership, to say "We're sorry that you were so harmed by one of our staff. We knew about Fr. T's abuse, yet we, the Jesuits, reassigned him to work with yet other Seattle Catholic families, thus exposing more boys to abuse. We apologize for the permanent harm which this has brought to these boys -- for the years of forced silence while we denied, and for the permanent shame the boys were left with. We cannot change the past but we can at least extend our hand in sincere apology. Indeed, this is the least we can do." CAPICHE, Catholic???
@felines99 When the SU President responded that they bore no responsibility for the "priests" actions outside of his employment is true.....Let's say that a policeman/fireman is involved in a criminal activity that takes place during off duty hours is the employing agency liable????? As for the Catholic Church I have many relatives that were Jusuits and Nuns that are now deceased but never heard any mention of child sex abuse......The abuse by priests is as isolated as it is with the few teachers/coaches involved, percentage wise.
wow and Hale is no better..Hales wants to pass a sales tax. And he is working for weiner and his agenda. And I can see hale taking back door deals.
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Charlie Hales better know better than to support a sales tax; it would be worse politically than if he were a philandering gay mayor with a taste for veal.
 @poodlem I'm not a fan of sales tax, but, I've been wondering if it's a matter of time.
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Strippers, dealers, hookers, gang-bangers, tourists, Vancouver residents, day laborers, illegals... none of these people pay income tax, and few pay property tax in Oregon. Instead, property owners and gamblers are supposed to provide for the schools, and if you squeeze out more welfare kids you get even that many more tax deductions.
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Something's got to give. What if there was a Constitutionally-fixed sales tax and a corresponding reduction in tax rates for property owners and employees... make EVERYBODY pay, not just the legal workers and homeowners?
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The answer is because we, as Oregonians, are genetically-disposed to distrust of sales tax the same way we need people to pump our gas us. I have come to accept that about Oregon whether it makes any sense or not.