Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland Mayor-elect Sam Adams has decided he won’t run the city's police bureau himself. But he’s not giving the job to City Commissioner Randy Leonard, either, after Leonard withdrew his name last week.

As Rob Manning reports, Adams announced Monday that Dan Saltzman will be the city’s top cop.

Most Portland mayors - including current mayor Tom Potter - serve as police commissioner. But Sam Adams had former firefighter Randy Leonard in mind for the job.

That is, until police chief Rosie Sizer implied she might step down if Leonard became commissioner.

Mayor-elect Adams says he's passing on the job because he wants to focus on the economy and plan for the region’s future, and because the bureau is running smoothly.

Dan Saltzman: “I’m sort of one of those people who always said the police should be in the mayor’s portfolio, so that’s why this was a surprise to me. The reason I’ve decided to accept his assignment is because I agree that his priorities should be on jobs, the economy, and infrastructure, and there’s a lot to do.”

Mayor-elect Sam Adams says he will continue the tradition of serving as emergency management commissioner.