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I was recently interviewed by Gayla Patton, Editor of the St. Johns Review Newspaper, and I think this sums up my background very nicely.This article was posted with permissions by Ms. Gayla Patton.  Please read it and comment on my blog at http://blog.friendsformikefahey.com Let's start this conversation.

 
Mike Fahey to run for City Council seat

By Gayla Patton, Editor St. Johns Review 

    One of North Portland’s favorite life-long residents has decided to join the political race, or more accurately, rejoin the political race.

   This month Mike Fahey filed his intent to run for City Commissioner Sam Adams’ seat.

   Fahey has a long list of accomplishments which includes his two-terms as an Oregon State Representative for District 17 from 1995 to 1999; Executive Secretary, Pacific Coast Marine Carpenters District Council, the House Economic Development Sub-Committee; Financial Secretary and Business Manager, Shipwrights Local 611; Executive Board Member, Northwest Oregon Labor Council, and Journeyman Shipwright Carpenter.

   Fahey’s commitment to his North Portland community, the city of Portland, and to the State of Oregon started when he was just 19 years old.

   He was born in 1946 at the old Kaiser Hospital and with his eight siblings lived in Vanport until the flood of 1948 destroyed the community. 

    His parents moved here from Minnesota specifically to work at the shipyards where his Mother also had a job as a boilermaker. “She was tough,” said Fahey, “but you had to be in those days. My Mom and Dad raised nine kids and even though the times were difficult, they were also simpler times.” Fahey reminisced that in those days neighbors helped each other in times of need without question, and “you weren’t afraid to let your kids go play in the park by themselves.”

   During his childhood Fahey said his family like many other families of that era went through some hard times, but with his great sense of humor said, “We recycled cardboard back then……by  putting it into the bottom of our shoes as soles.”

   He said he remembers not having a lot of money but that it didn’t hinder fun times in the neighborhood as he, his siblings and other neighborhood kids played games like Hide and Go Seek, First Bounce of Fly, Kick the Can and making scooters out of apple crates.

    But in 1955 his oldest brother Jimmy was killed in Germany. “That was really hard, he recalls sadly. “My Mom and Dad were never the same after Jimmy died.”

    Fahey and his family lived in a big house on Buchanan and Willamette Blvd.  He attended St. Andrews Grade School, Assumption Grade School, North Catholic High School and Roosevelt High School. He left school to go to work as many did in those days, but got his GED from Portland State. He went to several colleges, one of which was Lewis and Clark.

   In 1965 he received his draft notice. After going through his physical, quitting his job, saying good bye to his friends and packing his bags, he reported for duty. Fahey said the Officer in charge called out seven names, his being one of them, and told them to go into an office. The Officer said to me, “Mr. Fahey, the US Government will not be requiring your services at this time.”

   “But I want to go,” said Fahey.

The Officer repeated his words and when Fahey objected again, the officer said, “Mr. Fahey we’d take your mama before we’d take you.” Apparently during the orthopedic ex-rays for his physical exam it was discovered he had curvature of the spine, a compressed disk, and Scoliosis.

   Fahey said he was disappointed and felt empty inside as he slowly made his way home to break the news to his parents and to inform his mother they’d rather take her than him. His Army turndown did answer some of Fahey’s questions though about why his father always thumped him on the forehead and slapped him on the back to stand up straight. “I thought I was standing up straight,” said Fahey. “Apparently I wasn’t.”

   In 1965 he began a career at Malarkey Roofing. At that job, and at the tender age of 19, Fahey was elected to his first political position when he was voted in as President of the United Paper Workers and Paper Makers Local 689 Union. He worked for ten years but after being hurt on the job was forced to take 13 months off to recuperate. After his recovery, he went to work on Swan Island as a Journeyman Shipwright, where he became Foreman and ran the Navy overhauls. He was then elected business manager for Shipwright Local 611 in a paying position.

  It was Fahey’s ambition, awareness and his concern for his fellow man and his city, that led him into a full-fledged political career; and it was also those qualities that led him to opening the Carpenter’s Food Bank in 1983.

   The Food Bank which Fahey still works at on a weekly basis serves 450 to 550 people. He runs it, orders food, raises money and makes sure its doors stay open so on the third Friday of every month those who need it, can come fill their grocery sacks. The Food Bank is located at 2225 N. Lombard.

   It was in 1992 that Senator Bill McCoy encouraged Fahey to run for Mayor of Portland against Vera Katz. He took the challenge because he felt Portland’s needs were not being addressed. He didn’t win that race, but in 1995 he ran for State Representative for District 17 and won. He served two terms in Salem from 1995 to 1999. He then ran for Labor Commissioner for the State of Oregon and lost by just 1000 votes. “That was a hard race,” he said. “I traveled 26,000 miles in 5 ½ months and attended 313 different meetings.”

   It was just after that race that he decided to head into private enterprise and in 1999 opened Discover Mortgage on N.Greeley. He ran that until 2007 then decided to sell the building and the business and spend more time with his family.

   Mike and Sandy Fahey have been married for 35 years and together they have four children and eight grandchildren. It was last summer when Sandy had some health issues and Mike decided he wanted to her help her through them. “She’s my best friend,” he said, “it was a good opportunity for me to take care of her.” It also gave him time to watch his 12-year old granddaughter Alexa Flatner play in the State Fast Pitch Softball Tournament  in Puyallup, Washington and his grandson Austin Fahey, who played for the West Linn Cal Ripkin Babe Ruth league, win the State 2007 Championship. Austin then went to Everett, Washington where his team won the Regionals which took them to the World Series in Van Buren, Arkansas where the team took fifth. And, Grandpa Mike was there for all of it.

  “I’m used to working 16-hour days,” he said. “I enjoyed taking the summer off and spending it with my family, but I’m not ready to retire. I think I still have a lot to offer.”

   With Sandy on the road to recovery, and after discussing it with her and the family, Mike decided there are some issues occurring in the city where he could offer his skills and knowledge. “I’ve had a lot of experience in many areas,” he said. “I understand finance and business, I have negotiating skills, and I understand the challenges of what it takes to keep a business’s doors open. I know what small businesses are up against.”

   Fahey said he also understands how hard it is for families of today to make ends meet. “Many times every bit of the money families make today goes into their day to day living. It’s important that we understand what they are going through and why.

Improving the city’s economic climate will help that.”

   Politics is in Fahey’s blood and he believes he can offer solutions to the city’s challenges. He believes one would be for the city’s bureaus to have better communication with each other. He also believes city budgets need to be examined.

    Other concerns are finding a way to keep jobs in Portland and a way to bring in new ones, improving transportation with better street maintenance; finding a way to keep senior citizens in their family homes; improving services for senior and disabled persons and finding a way to open Wapato Jail. 

   “I love Portland,” he said. “It’s been good to me and my family. I don’t want to see it go backwards. We have to start getting more jobs here that pay good wages that also have good benefits. I’m optimistic for the city’s future. It’s a matter of putting the right parts together to take care of the city’s current problems and to make Portland more livable.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike Fahey
6809 N. Armour St.
Portland, OR 97203
503-289-5626

 e-mail: mike@friendsformikefahey.com