Shirley Huffman
| Shirley Huffman | |
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Huffman in 1998
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| Mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon | |
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In office 1985–1993 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Darr |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Faber |
| Member of the Hillsboro City Council | |
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In office 1979–1985 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1928 (age 88–89) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas Huffman (d. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Hillsboro, Oregon |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Shirley Todd Huffman (born 1928) is an American politician and legal secretary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Raised in Dayton, Oregon, she settled in Hillsboro, Oregon, where she served on the city council before serving two terms as mayor from 1985 to 1993. During her time as mayor, plans for the Westside Light Rail were approved, with Huffman receiving credit for the extension into downtown Hillsboro. After leaving office, she served on the board of directors for TriMet and as a development coordinator for the city.
Shirley Todd was born in 1928. Shirley met Thomas A. Huffman (July 22, 1928 – March 27, 1999) when growing up in Dayton, Oregon, when both were seven years old. They married in 1949 and had two children, son Tom, Jr. and daughter Julie. The Huffmans moved to Hillsboro in 1954 after Thomas graduated from Willamette University College of Law in Salem. Tom had been a student of later U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield, who taught at Willamette’s undergraduate school. In Hillsboro, Shirley joined the Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown, and worked as a legal secretary for her husband until 1989.
Huffman’s political career began in 1978 when she joined the Hillsboro City Council. She had been asked to join the council, and agreed to what she planned to be a short-term involvement in city government. She served on the council from 1979 to 1985. In 1984, she ran for mayor, winning the November election after running unopposed and becoming Hillsboro’s first woman mayor.
During her first term that was to be two-years long, she worked to have the city charter revised to extend terms of the mayor to four years. The city council and city voters approved the change, with mayors now holding office for four years, though still limited to two-consecutive terms. In 1988, she was again unopposed and won re-election, this time to a four-year term. As mayor, a part-time and un-paid position, she worked in the position between 35 and 40 hours each week. This work included representing the city at official events as well as lobbying on behalf of the city.
Huffman is credited with getting MAX light rail extended to downtown Hillsboro from its originally planned terminus at 185th Avenue. Her lobbying included an episode when she spoke roughly to the head of the Federal Transit Administration in a phone call ("I had to get a little stern with him," said Huffman), as well as trips to Washington DC. TriMet’s general manager Fred Hansen stated, "We wouldn't be standing here [Hillsboro Central Station] if it hadn't been for Shirley, we'd be back at 185th looking to the west." For her role, TriMet added a plaque in 2000 at the Hillsboro Central Station honoring her work on the project. The plaque, dedicated on February 22, 2000, reads: "Shirley's vision and leadership brought MAX to Hillsboro, linking the region and its people together."
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