Charlie Hales

Early life and education

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.

City Council

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."

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, 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. He also became the only Portland politician to vote against Joint Terrorism Task Force involvement.

Hales' attendance declined in 2001 during his campaign for the executive director position of the Port of Portland. At the end of May 2002, 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. 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.

Mayoral tenure

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

During the first two years of his tenure as mayor, Hales confronted the city's largest-ever budget shortfall — $21 million — and emerged with a balanced budget, as well as conservative budgeting practices that allowed in enough revenue for supplemental budgets. Hales also implemented a number of reforms in police practices, and prioritized community policing through walking beats and his choice in police chief, the community-minded Larry O'Dea. 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.

On March 6, 2015 Hales announced he would seek reelection for the 2016 mayoral election but in September State Treasurer and former county commissioner Ted Wheeler announced his intention to run a well-funded campaign against Hales. A month later Hales abandoned his reelection bid, stating, "So when confronted with a choice between giving my full effort to the job of being mayor and spending that energy on a long and consuming re-election campaign, it's an easy choice. Therefore, I have decided not to file for re-election.". Wheeler cruised to victory in May 2016 with token opposition.

On November 3, 2015, Hales and the Government of Portland, Oregon passed a resolution opposing the local expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure.

Much of Hales's tenure as mayor has been embroiled in his controversial decisions regarding Portland's homeless issue. Hales initially declared a housing emergency in 2015 before experimenting with a "Safe Sleep Policy" which promoted non-enforcement of anti-camping laws on sidewalks and rights of way, which was promptly met with lawsuits from local businesses and neighborhood groups.

Following these lawsuits as well as regular protests from the residents adjacent to the Springwater Corridor Trail, Hales reversed his "Safe Sleep Policy" and vowed to clean up the Trail. Following lawsuits and protests against this decision, Hales delayed the sweep by a month, during a period when he was on vacation.

Criticism

Hales was criticized for his failed oversight of the Portland Police and effort to gain accountability. In an editorial summarizing his single term, The Oregonian called Hales "imperious and clueless" and wrote Hales squandered opportunities to support public oversight, picked an unwinnable fight with a Federal judge, failed to streamline the city's "byzantine" police-accountability system, and failed to discipline police chief Larry O'Dea, who while drinking and playing with a gun shot an acquaintance.

Personal life

Hales married his second wife, Nancy in 2004 and claimed tax residency at her Stevenson, Washington home until 2009. Oregon taxes income in Hales' bracket at 10.8 percent, while Washington has no income tax. Hales received public criticism during his 2012 campaign for voting eight times in Oregon while a Washington resident.