Shane Bemis (born c. 1972) is an American politician who is the former mayor of

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, Oregon's fourth-largest city. He was elected mayor in 2006, at the age of 34, becoming the youngest mayor in Gresham's history. Prior to serving as mayor, Bemis served as a city councilor for Gresham for one term between 2003 and 2007.

Early life

Shane Bemis was born in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

, into a politically active family and ultimately chose to become politically. Raised in Billings, Bemis moved to Gresham when he was fifteen years old. After graduating high school, Bemis attended

Marylhurst University Marylhurst University was a private applied liberal arts and business university in Marylhurst, Oregon. It was among the oldest collegiate degree-granting institutions in Oregon, having awarded its first degree in 1897. Marylhurst was founded as ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communications. In his twenties, Bemis opened a Bellagio's Pizzeria franchise in Gresham. He credits his business pursuits with his belief in bringing a "business-oriented" approach to local governance in Gresham.

Political career

In 2002, Bemis ran for councilor in position #6 against John W. Dillow and won the election by a nearly two-to-one margin. After serving one term, Bemis ran for mayor in 2006 and was elected mayor over incumbent Charles Becker by a margin of 7,417 votes for Bemis to 5,208 for Becker. In 2007 Mayor Bemis pushed

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 ...

, the local transit agency, to tackle crime along the MAX light-rail line. This effort resulted in the creation of a transit-police precinct in Gresham. Bemis was named by the ''

Portland Business Journal Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

'' as one of the region's "Forty Under 40 Award" recipients in 2007. The "Forty Under 40 Award" honors 40 people in the region under the age of 40 who have shown great accomplishments in their professional lives and made outstanding contributions to their communities. Bemis is a prominent local business person in Gresham, where he is a restaurateur. Bemis was mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for the 2016 Oregon special gubernatorial election, but ultimately declined to run. Bemis announced his retirement June 16, 2020, citing the need to spend time with his family and keep his restaurant business viable during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

References

External links

An opinion piece on Shane Bemis from ''The Oregonian''
* * *

Bemis markets Gresham to solar industry

Mayor Bemis calls for volunteers

Gresham hosts green economic summit * Living people 1972 births 21st-century American politicians Mayors of places in Oregon People from Gresham, Oregon Oregon city council members Oregon Republicans {{Oregon-mayor-stub