Several Multnomah County commissioners expressed shock last week when, amid a contentious vote to commit $100 million toward a potential renovation of the Moda Center, they learned of an outside negotiator hired to assist the county on the complex public finance deal.
Chair Jessica Vega Pederson disclosed Thursday that she had tapped former Trail Blazers executive Chris Oxley to represent the county as it worked with Portland officials on a framework aimed at keeping the NBA franchise in town for at least the next 20 years.
Oxley also happens to be board president of nonprofit Sport Oregon, which has led a coalition that’s lobbied city and county leaders to back the proposed $600 million arena facelift requested by the team, which would be exclusively bankrolled by taxpayers…