David L. Bragdon (born June 20, 1959) is an American politician and civic leader in the U.S. states of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. From 2003 to 2010, he was the elected president of the Metro Council, a regional government in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

. He served as Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability in the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He is currently executive director of TransitCenter, Inc., a New York-based non-profit organization which commissions and conducts research and advocacy related to urban transportation.

Personal

Bragdon is the oldest son of former

Reed College Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...

president Paul Bragdon and educator Nancy Bragdon. His brother, Peter Bragdon, is a sportswear executive who was Oregon Governor

Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...

's chief of staff in the early 2000s. His sister, Susan Bragdon, is an attorney specializing in intellectual property related for food and agriculture.

Early life and education

Bragdon was raised in New York. He was 12 when his family moved from New York City to Portland. He attended high school at

Catlin Gabel School The Catlin Gabel School is an independent preschool through 12th grade institution located on 67 acres in Portland, Oregon 5 miles west of downtown. Annual enrollment is approximately 780 students from a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, and ...

, graduating in 1977. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

with honors in government in 1982 and obtained a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Reed College in 2009.

Career

Prior to entering public service, Bragdon worked in international trade and freight transportation in the private sector. He opened the first

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

office in Singapore where he oversaw the company's Southeast Asia shipping, worked as a maritime vessel agent at Columbia River ports, represented Evergreen Airlines, in India and the Soviet Union, and worked as a marketing manager for the Port of Portland. He also drove a taxicab in Portland for one year, in 2000. Bragdon ran for the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

in 1996, but lost to Chris Beck in the Democratic primary. Bragdon was first elected to the Metro Council as a district councilor in 1998. He was elected by the voters regionwide as the first Metro Council President in 2002, with 58 percent of the vote (taking office January 2003), and was re-elected in 2006 without an opponent. His accomplishments in office included the passage of a $227.4 million bond measure in 2006 which allowed tfor the preservation of thousands of acres of natural areas in Oregon. Because of this work he was rewarded the National Arbor Day excellence in Urban Forestry Leadership Award in 2010. Bragdon was rumored to be a leading potential candidate for mayor of Portland in 2008, but in response to speculation that he would run, he issued a satirical press release disavowing intent to run for mayor of Portland or of any other city in the region that year. He is a train enthusiast, and as a kid wrote a booklet for

TriMet TriMet, formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1969 ...

about bus riding and how to use the TriMet bus system. He hosted a Sunday morning television show called "Outlook Portland" in 2008–09. He has also performed with Linda Austin's Boris and Natasha Dancers in "Catnip" as part of the Dance United benefit for Oregon Ballet Theater at the

Keller Auditorium Keller Auditorium, formerly known as the Portland Municipal Auditorium, the Portland Public Auditorium, and the Portland Civic Auditorium, is a performing arts center located on Clay Street in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part ...

. In 2010, moved from Portland to

to accept a job as Director of the mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability in the administration of Mayor

Michael R. Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

. He left that position in 2012 to become director of planning of a project to revitalize parkland around

Jamaica Bay Jamaica Bay is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lower New York Bay to the west, ...

. Since 2013, Bragdon has been executive director of TransitCenter, a New York-based non-profit organization which commissions and conducts research and advocacy related to urban transportation.

References

External links

Archive of David Bragdon's Metro Council President newsfeed
on Metro website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bragdon, David 1959 births Living people Metro councilors (Oregon regional government) Oregon Democrats Politicians from Portland, Oregon New York (state) Democrats Harvard College alumni Catlin Gabel School alumni Reed College alumni

Personal

Early life and education

Career

See also

References

External links