Barely a week after the City Council voted to evict Occupy Maine for their temporary encampments in Lincoln Park, the same Council’s Community Development Committee is considering selling off a piece of another downtown park to a large, national private equity firm — exactly the kind of outfit that the Occupy movement is protesting for having too much influence in our public sphere.

Rockbridge Capital, the new owners of the Eastland Park Hotel, have floated a proposal to buy up a piece of Congress Square Park from the people of Portland so that they can expand the hotel with new meeting and function space.

I have very little doubt that the Council will treat Rockbridge with a great deal more respect and favor. But we shouldn’t be too cynical about Rockbridge’s proposal. On purely pragmatic terms, it might not be a bad deal.

'S email on Sunday. Loretta: If you're out there, we'd like to sound out you! Please get in come on 503 502 2106.

Tom Markgraf is a lobbyist, state and transportation adviser with global know-how. His pre-eminence in uninterrupted for the county, to be obscure, is bridges. Fixing 'em, managing 'em, and supporting the erection of them. He wants to produce a tri-county join right, and he has some captivating things to say about the Columbia River Crossing, for lesson ("found it," in a nutshell), which may well unravel the withstand he's gotten from construction unions. His Grandad drove...

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