FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 13, 2012

Promoter and former Tennis Professional Brian Sidney Parrott announces run for Portland City Council

www.BrianParrott.com

(PORTLAND, OR)  Tennis professional and event promoter Brian Sidney Parrott announces his bid for Portland City Council seat number four. This is the first run for office for Parrott who is a 40-year Portland resident.  Parrott has distinguished himself in the past by being the driving force to bring major events to the greater Portland area. These include:

1. Three US Davis Cups: 2 Semi Finals (‘81/’84) and a World Final (2007)
2. The 1992 Tournament of The America’s (which brought the newly formed US Olympic Basketball Team – better known as the “Dream Team” to Portland.)
3. Served as Managing Partner / Owner of the Portland Pride – Portland’s entry into the Continental Indoor Soccer League using UP soccer stars.

Parrott is a former touring tennis professional who is a 1969 graduate of SeattleUniversity on athletic scholarship for tennis where he played with famed tennis professional Tom Gorman, and received a BA in economics. His career has included many years as a tennis instructor and tennis club manager/owner who has enabled generations of children to attend college on scholarship. In the 1980’s he served as the Director of the Atlanta office of ProServ (at the time the world’s biggest talent agency for tennis professionals.)

In 2010 he was the recipient of the ‘DNA’award” presented at the Oregon Sports Awards (formerly the Hayward Awards) in recognition of excellence in and around the world of sports in Oregon (Paul Allen was the 2009 recipient.) His experience in the Portland tennis community includes two years as the Portland State men’s and women’s tennis teams (2009-2010) and winning three consecutive Oregon State High School Tennis Championships in 2006-2008 at Oregon Episcopal School.Parrott’s work with junior players resulted in the professional careers of Brian Joelson (former Wimbledon singles and doubles player), Aaron Gross (head tennis coach at the University of Portland) and his son Travis Parrott (the 2009 US Open Mixed Doubles Champion and the 2001 NCAA Men’s Doubles Champion.)  Parrott is the father of four sons born in Portland Christopher, Jeremy, Michael and Travis.

“I believe I can make a significant difference for Oregon and provide vision and a business friendly advocate,” says Parrott.  “We are creative innovators and would like Portland to ‘Occupy’ four dreams to bring Portland into an exciting 21^st Century,” stated Parrott.These events include:

1.) Solar Car ‘Rayce’ from Times Square to Pioneer Square in 2014.  This will create a  ‘tsunami’ of positive publicity and promotion for Portland and Oregon.  It will be a 20 car Invitational…with the Oregon State/Portland State engineering departments/students collaborating to compete with MIT, Stanford, Iowa, Michigan…and against the top solar car teams in the world from The Netherlands, Germany, China, Japan and Russia.

2.) Major League Baseball at the downtown Post Office site by the year 2016  (This plan will build the stadium without new taxation on the people of Oregon). Tampa Bay or Oakland are possible to attract to Portland with a ‘Field of Dreams’ location like the downtown Portland Post Office.  There is $150 million in place, and another $350 million ‘on the table’.

3.) Winter Olympic Games for Mt. Hood and Portland 2022.  Parrott believes Portland can win the bid over Denver and Reno-Lake Tahoe to be the USA’s host city for the next Winter Games in the USA.  Parrott was part of the bid committee that went after the Winter Games that Salt Lake City got.  It was a $1.3 billion dollar economic benefit to SLC and skiing visits have been up 42% since Utah hosted the games.

4.) 2024 Ryder Cup at Pumpkin Ridge or The Reserve….reflecting on  Portland’s history of starting up the Ryder Cup after WWII at the Portland Golf Club with Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Bryon Nelson defeating Europe here in Oregon.

Parrott says, “Now is the time to go after great things for Portland and Oregon… someone needs to champion major visions for Portland…which can bring positive energy and bring tourists and jobs to our very cool city.”

This is Parrott’s first run at political office. “I am not a politician…I am a citizen who cares and I have been a ‘catalyst’ to get things done, I know how to manage big budgets and bring in support, and I have been blessed with an ability to listen well and bring people together and come up with creative and cost effective solutions to whatever the ‘challenges’ are.”

“I am ready to serve a few more ‘aces’ for Portland and Oregon if the people want me on the Portland city council” added a smiling Parrott, still an active senior competitive player.  “I like my teams to win”.

Parrott is available for interviews and speaking engagements in the next two months.  Contact gobonfire@aol.com with any requests.

The primary will be held on May 15, 2012.

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This is our ‘Field of Dreams’ location for MLB at the

Downtown Post Office site….bp

City Councilman Randy Leonard was there walking through the #OccupyPortland crowd, “taking it in.” And Mayor Sam Adams was there too, announcing to protesters that he really needed the street unblocked. Then, Adams left and it became clear that his presence had resulted in even more people assembling in the street.

A while later, a guy in a large white pick-up truck drove the thing right up Main Street, threatening to break the line. Three protesters sat down in the street, blocking his path. Others shouted and yelled at those who blocked the street. A debate ensued. Also, one protester who wanted the street clear grabbed a barrier and made a run for it while another chased him through the park.

Media moved in, collecting details. And another city official, this one with the parks department, turned to me and said, “I’ve been watching those three guys sitting in the street since Tuesday.

“They’re just looking for a fight.”

I’m looking for some fight, too — from deep inside a Portland politician.

It’s how I ended up Wednesday in a conversation with a local sports promoter and businessman named Brian Parrott, who plans to run for City Council. Because I left the protest, walked a few blocks, and intercepted a guy who might just have something going.

Parrott, 64, is a sports promoter and Portland State tennis coach who helped bring major tennis events to Portland, and championed a failed effort to bring the Winter Olympics to Mount Hood. Parrott, though, was successful in bringing the U.S. basketball Olympic “Dream Team” pre-Olympics Tournament of the Americas to Portland in 1992. He’s also rented the Memorial Coliseum 59 times for events he’s promoted. His father was a journalist at the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper who covered the Dodgers there years ago.

Parrott would be the rare Portland politician who would be a strong advocate for sports, including bringing another major league team to the city. But that isn’t the only reason I’m listening to what he has to say right now.

He’s quirky, but wears two shoes that match and has a good handshake. Parrott has good ideas, and a strong voice, and he isn’t afraid to take a chance.

Parrott, a registered independent, wants to help transition some of the homeless in Portland, those with skills, into jobs. He wants to address the issue of the large number of homeless young people he sees on the streets. And also, he wants to build a $500 million baseball stadium in the Main Post Office location downtown and bring the Tampa Rays or Oakland A’s to Portland.

Maybe those things have some things in common. Maybe they’re just a politician dreaming big. But I have to say, in the shadow of all that #OccupyPortland uncertainty, it was nice to hear someone #OccupyADream.

He wants to call the MLB team: the Green Sox.

“An environmental message,” Parrott said.

Again, you apparently have to be quirky to get elected. So, check, on the Green Sox thing. But I’ll accept a guy who wants to send a message with a team name over a long line of voices in this city who have done too little to expand the footprint of this great city.

Yeah, I think Portland is great.

Great place to raise a family. Great place to have children. Great place to see democracy in action. But I have been underwhelmed by the politicians. Portland hasn’t been a viable option for baseball relocation in the past. Without a stadium, and an owner, you don’t stand a chance. But Parrott believes he can bring both.

Parrott is smart enough to know that Oregonians would never support a publicly funded stadium. He believes there is $350 million in commitments from the Native American tribes. The other $150 million, Parrott believes can be raised through taxing the salaries of the MLB players. Also, instead of a downtown casino, Parrott would have the venue float on a river in the metropolitan area.

“It’s a tourist attraction,” Parrott said. “And with the casino floating, you’d still be able to have NCAA events here.”

For example, St. Louis, which has casinos nearby on the Mississippi River, will host an NCAA men’s basketball regional this spring.

I can’t help but wonder about leadership here. I can’t help but think that we can do better as a city. I don’t know if Parrott is the right guy yet, but he has some big ideas in a city that has felt bogged down by slow process and small plans. I know this city woke up gummed up in more ways than Main Street, and with leadership without a clue on how to clear the path.

Someone blocking the street Wednesday afternoon called the street “an artery” of the protest.

I’m still waiting for a heartbeat in city government.

– John Canzano

“This award recognizes individuals or organizations for their extraordinary passion and dedication to sports in Oregon.  The recipients of this award are part of Oregon’s DNA.”

The 2010 Oregon Sports Awards Media Guide had this to say about Brian Parrott’s lifetime commitment to Oregon Sports…

“Tennis is in Parrott’s blood as much as the Pacific Northwest. A Seattle University Hall of Famer, Parrott ran the LP Invitational for 14 years bringing Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Tracy Austin to Portland. Also to the Rose City, Parrott brought 3 US Davis Cup matches in 1981, 1984 and 2007 plus other significant sporting events, teams and top athletes including the Dream Team and the NBA Draft in 1992, the Continental Indoor Soccer League Portland Pride in 1993, USA Olympic Team matches in Men’s and Women’s Volleyball, USA Wrestling, USA vs Ireland Boxing and tennis exhibitions with world ranked players such as Connors, Lendl, McEnroe, Becker, Tracy Austin and Monica Seles. Parrott coached Oregon Episcopal School to 3 consecutive 4A State Titles, has coach more than 100 youth to state tennis titles and was the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at Portland State University from 2008-2010. Parrott is the father of four sons, youngest son is the 2009 US Open Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Champion, Travis Parrott”

Sports is great business for Portland and Oregon…both events and franchises. I believe we are in perfect position, if we have the right leadership, to land either Tampa Bay or Oakland. There is $500 million, non-tax payer money, on, or near, the ‘bargaining table’…if we can see the benefits. The location that would bring most economic development, and rising property values, is the 14 acres downtown Post Office, which is for sale and should be moved to the airport for more efficiency anyway. If we get a MLB commitment from Bud Selig, that if we build it, they will come, the funding for the stadium would come from a Historically Themed, Entertainment Experience, RiverBoat Casino that would celebrate our beautiful rivers by being mobile to Astoria and Cascade Locks.

This would catch CEO’s attention that Portland can get things done, and maybe they should look to move their business here.

…also the Winter Olympics for ’22 is something we should go after, the Ryder Cup for ’24 with Peter J. leading a charge to respect the ’47 Ryder Cup ‘resurrection’ that Portland did at Portland Golf. Pumpkin or The Reserve would be the site.

….three Davis Cups, ’81 and ’84 semifinals vs Australia, and ’07 Davis Cup Final vs Russia were instant sellouts proving we are an excellent tennis city and should have an ATP/WTA Tour event.

Was Portland Dreaming?

….also, we beat out 27 American Cities to host the ’92 Basketball Qualification for Barcelona…The Dream Team…and sold out ALL games…and got the NBA Draft in ’92….first time not in NYC…and the NBA LOVED it here.

One more big figure about Business Development due to quality sports: NEC (Nippon Electric Company) was worldwide sponsor for Davis Cup in ’81. Directly because of the Davis Cup, NEC’s CEO added Portland to a short list for a plant in the USA. Thanks to Gov. Atiyeh, the tax arrangements brought in $700 million in economic development when NEC’s 800 jobs were the anchor for Fujitsu, Kyocera, SEH America and Epson to build here to supply NEC.

Sports is great economic business for Oregon. I am an Econ Major from Seattle U. I have lived here for 40 years, was a driving force in the Davis Cups, Dream Team and other events.

Elect me to the City Council and I will go after these things…and more!

Long-time sports event promoter Brian Parrott said Friday he intends to run for Portland City Council in 2012.

Parrott, instrumental in bringing three Davis Cup ties to Portland and with a hand in staging other major sporting events in Portland for three decades, wants to beef up the city’s presence on the national and international sports landscape.

“Put a promoter in City Hall,” said Parrott, 63. “It could be very good for Portland’s future.”

Parrott has ideas for promotions that would benefit the city and state. Among them:

• Solar “Rayce” Across America. Replicate the auto race that promoted the 1905 Lewis & Clark Expo/World’s Fair in Portland with a New York (Times Square) to Portland (Pioneer Square) race.

“There are 40 universities in the United States with solar vehicles,” Parrott said. “MIT is the leader, with a car that can go up to 90 miles per hour. Oregon State has a solar vehicle, and Portland State’s engineering department is excited about the idea. There are international teams that ‘racye’ 2,000 miles across Australia. This would bring great national and international attention to Oregon.”

• Bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

“I was part of the 1998 Winter Olympics bid for Mount Hood,” Parrott said. “A $25,000 engineering study confirmed that Mount Hood, and Portland, could host the Winter Games. Denver would be our only serious competition if we organize the bid well.”

• Invite the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics to move their major-league baseball franchise to Portland.

“The downtown post office is a ‘Field of Dreams’ location for a new stadium,” Parrott said. “Both of these American League franchises have been unsuccessful in getting new stadiums and are low in attendance. The downtown post office site is for sale, with its 14 acres ideal for The Pearl and Chinatown development.”

• Bid for the 2024 Ryder Cup at either Pumpkin Ridge or The Reserve.

“Portland Golf Club played host to the 1947 Ryder Cup,” Parrott said. “A Portland businessman who owned Piggly Wiggly stores paid for Europe to come to start up the Ryder Cup after World War II.”

• Construction of a floating casino in downtown Portland.

“We can negotiate a joint venture with the Native American Tribes for a historically themed and high-end tourist and convention attraction,” Parrott says. “A floating, retro-fitted Mark Twain Riverboat Casino would reap millions of dollars annually. Park it on the waterfront within walking distance of hotels and light rail.”

“Each of these ideas is doable,” Parrott says. “Projects like this inspire the citizens, help promote the beautiful city we have and put Portland on a national, and international, stage with TV and media coverage.

“If the citizens of Portland woud consider putting a promoter in City Hall, a champion for these and other ideas, I feel like I’m the person to do it.”

Parrott’s website is http://brianparrott.com. He invites response there or at gobonfire@aol.com.