Paulson’s Politics Putting Portland Bid in Peril?

According to Portland TV station KGW, negotiations to bring an MLS team to the city “hit a snag” last week, with City Commissioner Randy Leonard claiming that Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson was “behaving poorly” and “stormed out” of a meetings between the two on Thursday.

Paulson downplayed the reported conflict and insisted negotiations are still ongoing, saying a deal is “extremely close.” As part of Paulson’s plan, the city would have to pay to turn minor league baseball stadium PGE Park into a “soccer-only” venue, and in turn, also finance a new stadium for the then-displaced minor league baseball Beavers.

But while Paulson insists that the stadium shuffle is “great for the soccer fans, it’s great for baseball fans — but it’s great for the community. It’s great for the economy,” Leonard and city officials, who will vote on the deal Wednesday, suggested that Paulson personally cover any projected cost overruns, which is said to be the cause of the recent breakdown in talks.