Dan Ryan (Oregon politician) explained

Dan Ryan
Office:Portland City Commissioner
Predecessor:Nick Fish
Termstart:September 9, 2020
Education:University of Oregon (BA)
Party:Democratic[1]
Birth Place:North Portland, Oregon
Birth Date:21 June 1962[2]
Office2:Member of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education, Zone 4
Termstart2:2005
Termend2:2008
Predecessor2:Derry Jackson
Successor2:Martin Gonzalez

Dan Ryan (born June 21, 1962) is an American non-profit executive and politician who is a member of the Portland City Council. Ryan was elected in a 2020 special election to succeed Nick Fish, who died of stomach cancer on January 2, 2020. Ryan was re-elected in 2022.[3] [4]

Ryan is the third LGBT person elected as a commissioner of Portland, and the first to have been diagnosed with HIV.[5]

Early life and education

Ryan was born in North Portland, Oregon, the youngest of eight children. Ryan was the first in his family to graduate from college. Ryan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon and took graduate courses at The New School.[6]

Career

Prior to announcing his candidacy for Portland City Council, Ryan worked as an administrator at Portland State University, where he managed the school's first capital campaign. Ryan served as a member of the Portland School Board from 2005 to 2008, and was the CEO of All Hands Raised, an education non-profit, from 2008 to 2019.

Portland City Council

In early 2020, Commissioner Nick Fish died of stomach cancer. Ryan announced his campaign to run for the upcoming special election. He faced 17 other candidates.[7] As the top two candidates, Ryan and former County Commissioner Loretta Smith advanced to a runoff as neither received over 50 percent of the vote.[8] [9] In the November runoff, Ryan prevailed with 51.2 percent of the vote. Upon his election, Ryan called for an end to the 2020 Portland protests and committed to establishing a "peace summit" between local politicians and activists.[10] Ryan assumed office on September 9, 2020.[11] [12] Ryan became notable for his "safe rest village" program that involved large sites for sanctioned homeless camping.[13] [14] [15] As Commissioner, Ryan oversaw Portland Parks & Recreation, the Children's Levy, and the Office of Arts & Culture, among other bureaus. He formalized the Portland Park Rangers as first responders, and established Portland's first World AIDS Day Proclamation.[16]

After Portland voted to restructure it's government from a city commission for of government to a mayor-council system in 2022, Ryan was the only incumbent Commissioner to seek re-election to the new City Council in the 2024 election.[17]

Personal life

While living in New York City in 1986, Ryan was diagnosed with HIV. In 1996, Ryan was diagnosed with pneumocystis and was given between six months and a year to live. He then returned from Seattle, where he was living at the time, to his hometown of Portland, Oregon, expecting to die soon.[18] [19] Ryan is openly gay.[20]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dan Ryan — ActBlue . May 2, 2023 . May 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230502221403/https://secure.actblue.com/donate/friends-of-dan-ryan-1 . live .
  2. News: Meet the candidates seeking to complete the term of late Portland Commissioner Nick Fish. Bailey. Everton. The Oregonian. April 25, 2020. August 30, 2020. August 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812010512/https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/04/meet-the-candidates-seeking-to-complete-the-term-of-late-portland-commissioner-nick-fish.html. live.
  3. Web site: August 12, 2020. Dan Ryan Is Portland's Newest City Commissioner, Winning Special Election Runoff. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812173941/https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/08/12/dan-ryan-is-portlands-newest-city-commissioner-winning-special-election-runoff/ . August 12, 2020 . August 18, 2020. Willamette Week. en-US.
  4. Web site: Loretta Smith, Dan Ryan vie for Portland City Council seat left vacant by Nick Fish's death. August 18, 2020. opb. August 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200818035114/https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/03/portland-city-council-special-election/. live.
  5. Web site: Dan Ryan Elected to Portland City Council, Defeating Loretta Smith in Runoff . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019161741/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2020/08/dan-ryan-elected-to-portland-city-council-defeating-loretta-smith-in-runoff . October 19, 2020 . August 18, 2020 . Portland Monthly . en-US.
  6. Web site: August 12, 2020. Dan Ryan wins seat on Portland City Council. August 18, 2020. BikePortland.org. en-US. September 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923233325/https://bikeportland.org/2020/08/12/dan-ryan-wins-seat-on-portland-city-council-319591. live.
  7. Web site: 2020-08-10 . Loretta Smith or Dan Ryan: Who will fill Nick Fish’s seat? . 2024-11-08 . KOIN.com . en-US.
  8. Web site: Oregonian/OregonLive . Everton Bailey Jr The . 2020-05-20 . Loretta Smith, Dan Ryan in runoff to succeed late Portland Commissioner Nick Fish . 2024-11-08 . oregonlive . en.
  9. Web site: Loretta Smith, Dan Ryan vie for Portland City Council seat left vacant by Nick Fish’s death . 2024-11-08 . opb . en.
  10. Web site: Commissioner-elect Dan Ryan calls for a peace summit to end Portland protests and work toward reforms. August 18, 2020. kgw.com. August 15, 2020. en-US. September 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200925172942/https://www.kgw.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/straight-talk/dan-ryan-calls-for-a-peace-summit-with-portland-protesters/283-349075e4-5919-45ad-b948-3fcea83ebd51. live.
  11. Web site: Dan Ryan claims victory over Loretta Smith in race for Portland City Council. August 18, 2020. opb. August 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200818032827/https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/12/race-for-portland-city-council-too-close-to-call/. live.
  12. Web site: Oregonian/OregonLive. Everton Bailey Jr The. September 11, 2020. Portland mayor says he'll stop overseeing parks, other city bureaus to focus on police, coronavirus recovery. September 11, 2020. oregonlive. en. September 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200911160847/https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/09/portland-mayor-says-parks-other-city-agencies-will-be-overseen-by-other-city-council-members.html. live.
  13. Web site: Portland’s Safe Rest Village in Southwest neighborhood on track to triple capacity . 2024-11-08 . opb . en.
  14. Web site: 2021-07-17 . Portland Releases List of Potential Sites for City’s “Safe Rest Villages” . 2024-11-08 . Willamette Week . en.
  15. Web site: Oregonian/OregonLive . Nicole Hayden The . 2023-01-20 . Portland’s 3rd safe rest village slated to open early this year . 2024-11-08 . oregonlive . en.
  16. Web site: Commissioner Dan Ryan's Accomplishments Portland.gov . 2024-11-08 . www.portland.gov . en.
  17. Web site: Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan announces run for new council seat . 2024-11-08 . opb . en.
  18. Web site: March 18, 2020. He Survived a Plague. Now He's Running for Office During Another.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200606190355/https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/03/18/he-survived-a-plague-now-hes-running-for-office-during-another/ . June 6, 2020 . August 18, 2020. Willamette Week. en-US.
  19. Web site: Beyond Well with Sheila Hamilton: Ep. 86/ Covid19, HIV, and the Path Out of Fear. August 18, 2020. beyondwellsheilahamilton.libsyn.com. en. September 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200927082115/https://beyondwellsheilahamilton.libsyn.com/beyond-well-podcast-dan-ryan. live.
  20. Web site: 2021-01-05 . Carmen Rubio, Portland’s 1st Latinx City Commissioner and proven bridge-builder, takes office . 2024-11-08 . The Oregonian . en.

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