Moda Center Plans Spark Dundon Threat, Wilson Fight

Portland’s Moda Center renovation deal is colliding with civic frustration and political heat, from Tom Dundon’s insistence taxpayers should foot the full bill to Mayor Keith Wilson’s sharp newsletter remarks and the city’s ongoing public review process.

On a day when Portland leaders were supposed to focus on the business of the Moda Center. the tension was never subtle. Billionaire Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon appeared at a $350-per-ticket pep rally and pressed his demand for the city to pay $120 million to renovate the Moda Center—without offering any public funding himself.

The event, held by the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance), was hosted by Chamber president Alex Hoan. Dundon told the crowd that taxpayers should pay for the entirety of the Moda remodel. and he reiterated that position in front of business and political leaders. In the same breath. he continued to frame his own role as help to the city through purchasing the team and paying what he described as high taxes and fees.

In a work session across town. Portland City Council members wrestled with why that ask is landing on a city that has been described as cash-strapped and lacking in services. Councilors Candace Avalos and Angelita Morillo both criticized the balance of the deal. Avalos said. “I am going to have a hard time agreeing to give public money if I’m not seeing a private investment. ” while Morillo characterized it as “shaky at best and fiscally irresponsible at worst.”.

The push and pull has also spilled out into the political fight around the deal. The day before councilors were slated to review results of public surveys and listening sessions tied to the Moda Center. Mayor Keith Wilson sent out what the newsletter called a pointed message. Wilson took jabs at a city councilor and mocked one of the influential voices shaping public opinion on the plan. In the newsletter. Wilson referred to the founder of “Rip City Not Rip Off ” as a “Brooklyn-based techbro. ” framing the person as someone trying to get Wilson to use specific lease terms in exchange for council votes.

Wilson’s “techbro” characterization also targeted the person’s ties to Portland—portraying the fan and stakeholder as someone who does not live in the city. despite urging lease terms that would affect the voting calculus. The account circulating alongside the reporting says Wilson heavily mischaracterized an email exchange with that individual.

While the city weighs its next steps, another fight over redevelopment is already drawing public attention. “Save Lloyd” advocates spoke in front of Portland City Council to stop the redevelopment of the long-running mall and its ice rink. The first round of what could become days of public testimony drew 90 people signed up to ask council to overturn the Portland Design Commission’s unanimous vote to convert the mall into a mixed-use development including housing. retail. parks. and a plaza. About 50 people who signed up to speak favored the development. Tom Kilbane. managing director of the Urban Renaissance Group. said that no matter what council decides. the mall will be closing as scheduled on August 8.

Nationally and beyond Portland, the news cycle moved quickly. Back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday night, killing at least 164 people and injuring 971 more. The quakes—7.2 magnitude followed by a 7.5—were reported as the strongest in decades. toppling buildings and knocking out communications in Caracas. The coastal state of La Guaira. where the country’s major airport is located. took the hardest hit as dozens of buildings collapsed. with officials expecting the fatality rate to rise as search and rescue continues.

In Washington. Senate Republicans who previously backed a resolution aimed at forcing the president to stop the war in Iran rejected the idea after Trump’s outburst during a meeting on Capitol Hill. The dispute reportedly included a direct confrontation with Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, who had joined Democrats in pushing for the resolution.

The Supreme Court issued multiple rulings described as favorable to the Trump administration. The Court struck down a Hawaii law that would have stopped people from carrying guns on private property without permission. It also restricted lawsuits by people harmed by deadly pesticides—such as RoundUp. In another decision. the Court ruled that the government can turn back people seeking asylum before they even enter the country. with Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissenting and describing the consequences of turning away asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border in a sharp dissent.

Even in the middle of political and civic upheaval. the entertainment-world chatter lingered: the question of whether Taylor Swift could marry Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden on July 3 remains wrapped in rumor. including reporting that permits were pulled to close streets outside the Garden on the third and that a New York official confirmed wedding celebrations there that day.

In Portland, though, the Moda fight is the one driving the calendar. Dundon’s insistence on $120 million of public renovation money. council’s skepticism about private investment. and the mayor’s combative newsletter all land as the city continues toward a decision shaped by surveys. listening sessions. and days of public pressure. For a city still searching for room in its budget—and for residents trying to understand why that room should be carved out for one arena—the argument is no longer just about concrete and steel. It’s about who pays, who benefits, and who gets to define what “help” looks like.

Portland news Moda Center Tom Dundon Keith Wilson City Council Portland Metro Chamber Travis Kelce Supreme Court Venezuela earthquakes