Charlie Hales
| Charlie Hales | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 52nd Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
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In office January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Sam Adams |
| Succeeded by | Ted Wheeler |
| Portland City Commissioner | |
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In office January 1993 – May 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Dick Bogle |
| Succeeded by | Randy Leonard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Andrew Hales January 22, 1956 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Hales |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
Charles Andrew "Charlie" Hales (born January 22, 1956) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He served as the 52nd Mayor of Portland, having taken office on January 1, 2013, and left office on January 1, 2017, and previously served on the Portland City Council, from 1993 to 2002.
Charles Andrew Hales was born in Washington, D.C., in January 1956. 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."
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. He took graduate studies in public administration at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
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.
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. 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. He also completed the planning of the Pearl District and South Waterfront redevelopment areas, which were designed as dense, transit-oriented "new urban" neighborhoods. Hales' advocacy for transportation — summed up in his stated goal to make Portland "the best European city in America" for non-auto transportation — earned him the nickname, "Choo-Choo Charlie."
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Wikipedia