10x8_400_charlie hales.JPG

Mayor Charlie Hales will seek a second term.

(The Oregonian)

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales is officially running for a second term in 2016.

Hales told the Portland Tribune's Editorial Board on Friday that he was running for re-election. "I'm enjoying the job and believe I am the right person for it," Hales told the newspaper.

Dana Haynes, Hales' spokesman, confirmed the mayor's decision but had no additional information.

The first-term mayor's announcement ends weeks of speculation about when Hales would make a formal announcement.

In an interview in mid-January, Hales told The Oregonian/OregonLive he wasn't ready to formally announce re-election plans. At the time, Hales acknowledged asking campaign donors for contributions.

First, Hales pulled in $21,000 in contributions from developers and longtime supporters in the span of a few weeks. That trend had continued since mid-February, with the mayor reporting an additional $18,350 in contributions from prominent Portlanders such as Central Eastside developer Brad Malsin and Portland Timbers executive Mike Golub.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@cityhallwatch