In the meantime, Willamette Week reporter Nigel Jaquiss, who in 2004 had uncovered the sexual misdeeds of former Portland Mayor Goldschmidt, had continued to pursue the story of Adams’ alleged affair with a legislative intern. He had been in frequent contact with Breedlove, Adams’ alleged former lover, as well as acquaintances of each man who believed their relationship to have been sexual. By Saturday, January 10, 2009—with Adams' mayoral tenure barely a week old—Jaquiss was convinced he had enough solid evidence of an affair to submit the story for print. He requested a final comment from Breedlove, now 21, by email. Breedlove responded with a text message:

I can’t say anything. I’m sorry. I’m scared. If the story goes to print without me saying anything, I’m worried I will look like a scumbag. If I do say anything, then Sam’s fate is in my hands. [1]

Jaquiss thought that, in light of other evidence pointing to an affair, the text practically amounted to a confession. His investigation was slated for publication in the January 21 issue of Willamette Week. On January 15, Jaquiss gave Adams a chance to respond to the evidence; the mayor again denied the affair. But four days later, Adams called the reporter and came clean. He had had a sexual relationship with Breedlove, he admitted—but the relationship had not begun until Breedlove had turned 18. Adams maintained that he had done nothing illegal. Jaquiss’ investigation would not come out in print for another two days, so on January 19 he posted a breaking news update about Adams’ admission on the Willamette Week website. At the same time, Adams released a statement on his own website confessing to the affair.

On learning of Adams’ confession that afternoon, Caldwell decided to ask his colleagues to wait until the next day to write an editorial on the issue. He wanted to give each board member an opportunity to read and think about the news reports on the subject, and to do their own reporting. He also called the mayor’s office to invite Adams to visit the board to explain his side of the story. Adams agreed to meet with Caldwell and his colleagues the next morning.

Meeting with the mayor. Tuesday morning, January 20, the Oregonian editorial board met with Mayor Adams. Nielsen recalls that, contrasted with that day’s inauguration of President Barack Obama, whom the editorial board viewed with optimism, Adams’ behavior was all the more disappointing. She says: “That day you’re celebrating a new start for the country and a new President that the majority of people feel pretty good about and leadership and a fresh start, and then… this.”

Adams detailed his brief affair with Breedlove for the board, fielding questions from members as they came up. The relationship had begun in the summer of 2005 and lasted only a few months, Adams said. He again emphasized that he and Breedlove had not had sex until Breedlove reached the age of 18, Oregon’s age of consent. Adams apologized for having lied to Portland’s voters. He said he had done so out of the belief that voters would not believe that he had waited until Breedlove’s 18 ^th birthday to initiate the relationship—and thus would not elect him.

Watch Adams' meeting with the board:

Part 1

Part 2

To Caldwell and several of his colleagues, that was an important point. Caldwell explains:

That had a material effect on the [mayoral] campaign, on the choice that people got to make, and… it would have been better for people to have had this issue to discuss when it counted. In fact… his willingness to lie about it took away from voters what well might have been the central choice of the campaign.

Caldwell asked Adams how voters could know that he wouldn’t lie his way out of other high-pressure situations as mayor. Adams’ answer—that he could not convince voters he would not lie again, and that they would have to decide for themselves whether to trust him—was not reassuring. Caldwell says: “That’s an honest answer, I’ll give him credit for that, but it’s not an acceptable answer.” After Adams left, the board sat silently for a few moments. Nielsen describes the mood, all of them wondering “what’s the appropriate response?”

If we’re going to offer some useful commentary, what should that be?... You want to be quick without being knee-jerk, and I think you have to make that distinction in your own head and try to… sort out your own emotions… from what’s happening… My first thought was… we need more information, of course… Sam has said this happened, but there’s always more to the story. Whether there’s more to the story positive or negative, you don’t know at that time, but you know there’s more coming.