Charlie Hales

Charlie Hales
52nd Mayor of Portland, Oregon
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2013
Preceded by Sam Adams
Portland City Commissioner
In office
January 1993 – May 2002
Personal details
Born January 1956 (age 59)
Washington, D.C.
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Nancy Hales
Children 5
Alma mater University of Virginia
Website Mayor's website

Charles Andrew "Charlie" Hales (born January 1956) is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. He is the current Mayor of Portland, having taken office on January 1, 2013,[1] and previously served on the Portland City Council, from 1993 to 2002.[2]

Early life and education

Charles Andrew Hales was born in Washington, D.C., in January 1956.[3] His father, Alfred Ross Hales, Jr., was a structural engineer for the United States Navy and his mother, Carol Hales, was a homemaker. He had two older siblings but, at nine years younger than his brother, grew up "virtually as an only child."[3] Hales attended public schools in Alexandria, Virginia, and graduated from Thomas Edison High School in Fairfax County, where he participated in band and drama club. He graduated with honors from the University of Virginia in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in political theory.[3] He took graduate studies in public administration at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.

Career

Hales was elected to Portland City Council in 1992 at age 36. Previously he was vice president for the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland. He was sworn in as a City Commissioner — as city council members in Portland are called — in January 1993.[4]

During his tenure on the city council, Hales conceived of and won voter approval for the first parks bond measure in over 50 years, funding construction of two new community centers and over 100 park improvement projects across the city.[5] He led Portland's role in expanding MAX Light Rail to Portland International Airport, and north along Interstate Avenue — now the "red" and "yellow" lines of the regional light rail system. Also in his role as City Commissioner, Hales completed the first phase of the Portland Streetcar system, the first urban streetcar in the U.S. in almost 50 years.[6] He also completed the planning of the Pearl District and South Waterfront redevelopment areas, which were designed as dense, transit-oriented "new urban" neighborhoods.[7][8] Hales' advocacy for transportation — summed up in his stated goal to make Portland "the best European city in America" for non-auto transportation[9] — earned him the nickname, "Choo-Choo Charlie."[10]

One of Hales' more controversial initiatives as a city commissioner was diversifying Portland Fire Bureau workforce. He hired the first-ever chief from outside the Bureau ranks,[11] and created an apprenticeship program that added over 80 women and people of color to what had previously been a 99 percent white, male organization.[12] He also became the only Portland politician to vote against Joint Terrorism Task Force involvement.[13]

Hales' attendance declined in 2001 during his campaign for the executive director position of the Port of Portland. At the end of May 2002,[14] part way through his third term, Hales left to take a position with HDR, Inc., an engineering firm, where he managed planning and design of new streetcar lines in cities across the country. Projects Hales planned that are now open or under construction include streetcar lines in Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Tucson, and Kansas City.[5][13] Following his departure from City Council, Hales told Willamette Week that he considered the 1994 parks bond measure and the streetcar to be his greatest achievements while in office.[5]

In 2011, Hales announced that he would be a candidate for mayor in 2012.[13] On November 6, 2012, he defeated challenger Jefferson Smith,[15] receiving 61% of the vote.[16] He assumed office on January 1, 2013.[1]

During the first two years of his tenure as mayor, Hales confronted the city's largest-ever budget shortfall — $21 million[17] — and emerged with a balanced budget,[18] as well as conservative budgeting practices that allowed in enough revenue for supplemental budgets.[19][20] Hales also implemented a number of reforms in police practices, and prioritized community policing through walking beats[21][22] and his choice in police chief,[23] the community-minded Larry O'Dea.[24][25] Along with Commissioner Steve Novick, Hales in 2014 proposed $46 million in new fees to pay for street maintenance and safety improvements, such as filling pot holes and building sidewalks.[26]

Personal

Hales is married to his second wife, Nancy. Charlie and Nancy have five children and a cat named Bogart.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hales sworn in as new Portland mayor". KATU. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  2. ↑ Schmidt, Brad (May 23, 2011). "Portland's competitive 2012 mayoral race under way with Charlie Hales' announcement". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pein, Corey (April 11, 2012). "The Road to Hales: Charlie Hales is running for mayor based on his record. It's full of detours, roundabouts and switchbacks.". Willamette Week. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ Mayer, James; and Barnes C. Ellis (January 5, 1993). "Katz takes swearing-in to Roosevelt High". The Oregonian, p. 1.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Budnick, Nick; Schrag, John; Zusman, Mark (August 7, 2002). "You're a Good Man, Charlie Hales". Willamette Week. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  6. ↑ Stewart, Bill. "Downtown Streetcar Plan Ready to Roll." The Oregonian, June 23, 1998. http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.catalog.multcolib.org/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB08AFC351238A8?p=AMNEWS (subscription required)
  7. ↑ http://www.pdc.us/our-work/urban-renewal-areas/north-macadam.aspx
  8. ↑ Leeson, Fred. "Old River Area Holds Promise of Rebirth." The Oregonian, March 13, 1994. http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.catalog.multcolib.org/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB088455424DFDF?p=AMNEWS (subscription required)
  9. ↑ Duin, Steve. "It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Roma." The Oregonian, April 17, 2001. http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.catalog.multcolib.org/resources/doc/nb/news/0EBA2C5E8C4EA33D?p=AMNEWS (subscription required)
  10. ↑ Christ, Janet. "Hugs and Flowers as Hales Hits the Road." The Oregonian, May 20, 2002. http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.catalog.multcolib.org/resources/doc/nb/news/0F3DE9725C3D5313?p=AMNEWS (subscription required)
  11. ↑ Mayer, James. "City Goes Outside to Select Fire Chief." The Oregonian, Nov. 25, 1993. http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.catalog.multcolib.org/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB087FD3678785D?p=AMNEWS (subscription required)
  12. ↑ Har, Janie. "Hales' Record on Diversity is not an Empty Boast." The Oregonian, July 31, 2011. http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.catalog.multcolib.org/resources/doc/nb/news/138EB169628E0DD8?p=AMNEWS (subscription required)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Schmidt, Brad (May 23, 2011). "Charlie Hales says he's running for Portland mayor in 2012". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  14. ↑ Christ, Janet (May 30, 2002). "Hugs and flowers as Hales hits the road". The Oregonian, p. D2.
  15. ↑ Slovic, Beth (November 6, 2012 (print edition November 7)). "Portland Mayor-elect Charlie Hales will work 'every day' to make city proud". The Oregonian. p. B1. Retrieved January 1, 2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ↑ "November 2012 General Election - Official Results". Office of the City Auditor, Portland. December 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  17. ↑ Mesh, Aaron. "Return of Chucky: Portland needs to make big spending cuts. New mayor Charlie Hales is swinging the ax." Willamette Week, Jan. 30, 2013. http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-20211-return_of_chucky.html
  18. ↑ Kost, Ryan. "Portland City Council gives final OK to budget that includes several cuts." The Oregonian, June 20, 2013. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/06/portland_city_council_gives_fi.html
  19. ↑ Theen, Andrew. "In the wake of a difficult budget process, Portland now finds itself with 'excess' cash." The Oregonian, Sept. 17, 2013. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/09/despite_difficult_budget_adopt.html#incart_m-rpt-2
  20. ↑ Theen, Andrew. "Portland approves $11.1 million in spending on maintenance, debt repayment projects." The Oregonian, Nov. 12, 2014. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/09/despite_difficult_budget_adopt.html#incart_m-rpt-2
  21. ↑ Edge, Sami. "Street Talk: Community policing has come to Hawthorne Boulevard — and it seems to be working." Willamette Week, Sept. 3, 2014. http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23021-street_talk.html
  22. ↑ "Outreach Workers, Police Praise Relationship-Building Approach to Policing." Dec. 4, 2014. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/mayor/article/513775
  23. ↑ Press release. "Chief Reese Announces Retirement: Mayor Names Assistant Chief Larry O'Dea as Successor." Oct. 7, 2014. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/mayor/article/505561
  24. ↑ Bernstein, Maxine. "Portland Police Bureau needs to change its mission, assistant chief says." The Oregonian, Feb. 28, 2014. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/portland_police_bureau_needs_t.html
  25. ↑ Maus, Jonathan. "Head of Traffic Division promoted to Assistant Police Chief." BikePortland, Nov. 7, 2008. http://bikeportland.org/2008/11/07/head-of-traffic-division-promoted-to-assistant-police-chief-10425
  26. ↑ https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/64188

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Sam Adams		 Mayor of Portland, Oregon
2013–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent