Bud Clark

Early life

Born in Nampa, Idaho, Clark's family moved to La Grande, Oregon, and then to Portland when he was 6 years old. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1949, then enlisted in the Marines and attended college at Vanport College (now Portland State University), Oregon State University, and Reed College where he dropped out in his junior year. In 1967, he opened the Goose Hollow Inn tavern in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland. At that time, the neighborhood name was falling into disuse and Clark is now credited with keeping the Goose Hollow neighborhood identity alive.

Mayor of Portland

In 1984, Clark ran for mayor when no other candidate would come forward to challenge Frank Ivancie. He won in the primary, on May 15, 1984, with 54.7% of the vote. Under Portland's rules for municipal elections, Clark's winning more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary meant that there would be no runoff election in the fall, and his name was the only name on the ballot in the November general election. In view of this, he was already being referred to as "mayor-elect" well before November, but was "officially" elected mayor on November 6, 1984. His term began on January 2, 1985.

Upon taking office, Clark found that the previous mayor had reduced the city's reserves of $27 million down to a few thousand dollars. Firefighters and police had just received a 10% wage increase, which meant the budget had to be redone in his first months in office.

As mayor, Clark created the nationally recognized 12-Point Homeless Plan, supported the growth of mass transit, including the MAX Light Rail line to Gresham, Oregon, aided downtown development, and initiated and led the campaign to build the Oregon Convention Center.

Bud Clark also sanctioned The Mayor's Ball, an annual charity event featuring independent musicians from all over the Pacific Northwest. The Mayor's Ball ended after the election of Vera Katz. A spokesperson for Tom Potter (Portland Mayor 2005–2009), said that the event cost Bud Clark's office $45,000. Potter later admitted that it also pulled in nearly $80,000.

Clark was re-elected in 1988 after defeating 11 candidates in the primary and beating former Chief of Police Ron Still in the general.

Due to $71,650 in campaign debt (mostly to U.S. Bank with a $52,000 lien against his personal home) from his 1988 campaign, Clark needed to raise money in 1991. A $100-per-plate fundraising event ended up significantly undersold, and the "Oregon Political Party" fundraiser in the South Park Blocks actually lost money; as The Oregonian quipped, "Now that takes some doing."

Managing the city resources with the Portland City Council, Portland had $20 million in reserves at the end of his second term and earned an award from the AMBAC Corporation as the best managed city of its size in the United States. Clark retired from public life and resumed his career as a tavern owner. In 2011, he wrote the foreword to Portland's Goose Hollow, a book about the neighborhood's history.

Legacy

Clark has a namesake in the Bud Clark Commons, a building providing permanent housing for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, located in Old Town and completed in 2011.

Popular culture

Clark is known for his eccentricities. While mayor, he commuted to work by bicycle, and was known for his distinctive cry of "Whoop, Whoop!" Outside of Portland, Clark is perhaps best known as the raincoat-wearing model for a 1978 poster titled "Expose Yourself to Art", in which he appeared to expose himself to a nude female public statue, Kvinneakt, in downtown Portland. His distinctive style led to an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in October 1984.

Personal life

Clark has three grown children and seven grandchildren.