Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark died Tuesday. As mayor, he helped expand mass transit, including the MAX line, supported the development of downtown and the building of the Oregon Convention Center. He was also known for his ‘Expose Yourself to Art’ poster, which featured Clark flashing a bronze nude sculpture. As mayor, Clark created the nationally recognized 12-Point Homeless Plan as well.
He was 90 at time of death. Clark served as mayor from 1985 to 1992. He ran for mayor when no one else would challenge then-Mayor Frank Ivancie. He won with 54% of the vote. Under Portland’s rules for municipal elections, Clark’s winning more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary meant that there would be no runoff election in the fall, and his name was the only name on the ballot in the November general election. Clark was re-elected in 1988 after defeating 11 candidates in the primary and beating former Chief of Police Ron Still in the general.
At the time of death, his job was a barkeep at the Goose Hollow Inn; in 1967, he opened the Goose Hollow Inn tavern in Goose Hollow, Portland. Bud Clark sanctioned The Mayor’s Ball, an annual charity event featuring independent musicians from all over the Pacific NorthWest. While mayor, he commuted to work by bicycle, and was known for his distinctive cry of “Whoop, Whoop!”
Quotes he said as mayor:
“I think I did it accidentally one time, and it stuck,” he said.
“They do,” he said. “They say, ‘Mayor Whoop, Whoop.’ They don’t remember my name, which is fine.”
“I wanted to put Portland back on the map, and I think we succeeded in doing that.”
The cause of death was congestive heart failure, his daughter said.
