[10] Adams did not graduate from college until 2002, when he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in political science.

[11] Adams began his career in politics as a staffer on Peter DeFazio's 1984 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Oregon's 4th district.

[12] After DeFazio won, Adams worked as a communications and policy assistant in his Oregon office, and on his re-election campaigns until 1988.

As part of managing the Bureau of Transportation, he inherited the responsibility to oversee the development of the Portland Aerial Tram, which opened to the public in January 2007.

[26] Adams said his top three priorities were creating more family-wage jobs, reducing the high school dropout rate, and making Portland more sustainable.

Adams emphasized reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and investment in efficient green energy as essential to the city's energy-environmental goals and called on the Oregon State Legislature to provide incentives for the expansion of green energy companies, notably Vestas Wind Systems, into the Portland metropolitan area.

[29] In 2009, Adams established a local economic stimulus plan by fast-tracking capital improvement projects,[30] helped secure a Major League Soccer franchise,[30] began work on the Oregon Sustainability Center[30] established a free-bus-ride program designed for low-income students,[31] secured $2.5 million in grants designed to help the city reduce diesel emissions,[32] began construction of 15 miles of bike boulevards,[33] and consolidated the city's permitting process.

[34] In September 2009, Adams opposed the $4 billion, twelve-lane replacement for the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River, a plan he had once supported.

"[35] The twelve-lane idea was a compromise deal Adams helped write with then-Mayor Royce Pollard of Vancouver, Washington, in February 2009.

[36] Adams focused on improving the local economy by attracting large, sustainable employers to Portland, including a $200-million investment by the company Vestas.

[58][21] Adams led initiatives in 2021 and 2022 to ban homeless camping,[59] and in a memo he said the city should use of executive power to end unsanctioned camping move houseless people into in mass shelters of 3,000 people, staffed by the National Guard, and ask the 'Federal Emergency Management Agency' to declare homelessness a federal emergency eligible to receive federal funds.

[50] On February 26 he announced he would run for the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in district 2, representing North and Northeast Portland.

[75][76] Adams had a recurring role on the IFC show Portlandia as assistant to Portland's fictional mayor played by Kyle MacLachlan.

[4] He broke the news to Katz for the first time 1992 after she offered him the job as her campaign manager, to which she replied "Sweetie, I don't give a damn.

By June, Kroger's office announced that no charges would be filed and that there was "no credible evidence" of inappropriate sexual contact before the age of consent.

[94][95][96][97][98][99] Out magazine columnist Dan Savage noted what he saw as hypocrisy, homophobia, and sex panic about age disparity in sexual relationships.

[4][84] In July 2009 a recall campaign asserted that Adams had lost the trust of the public and other elected officials to ill effect on the city's economy.

In 2019, Willamette Week interviewed 10 staffers who were present at the time relating to the allegations and found "none say they believe Adams had sexually harassed Gonzalez.