Chuck Riley (Oregon politician)
Encyclopedia
Chuck Riley is an American politician in the state of Oregon
. A native of Illinois
, he is former consultant and former Democratic
legislator in the Oregon House of Representatives
. He served three terms representing District 29 which includes Hillsboro
, Forest Grove
, and Cornelius
in western Washington County
. He was the Democratic Party nominee for District 15 in the Oregon State Senate
in the 2010, losing to incumbent State Senator Bruce Starr
.
before enrolling in college. He took some classes at the University of Illinois, majoring in mathematics, before enlisting in the United States Air Force
in 1958. Riley remained in the Air Force until 1961 and spent some time at the Army Language School
learning Russian
. He later attended Southern Illinois University
as an art major and worked for the school before moving to California
where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab and for Santa Barbara County
.
In 1979, he moved to Oregon and settled in Washington County west of Portland
. He moved to Hillsboro in 1992 and worked for First Interstate Bank as a systems analyst. Riley also worked in the same position with Blue Cross of Oregon. He later ran his own computer consulting business. Riley is married to wife Katie Riley who teaches at Oregon Health & Sciences University, and they have four children. He enrolled at Portland State University
where he majored in art.
as a Democrat to represent District 29, running unopposed in the primary election. In the November general election he lost to Republican Mary Gallegos by a total of 434 votes. In May 2004, Riley defeated Elena Uhing in the Democratic primary for the same district. Riley then defeated Gallegos in the November 2004 election for the same seat.
In 2006, he faced off against Terry Rilling in the district that has more Democratic voters than Republicans. Riley won with 55% of the vote to Rilling’s 45% in the November election. In the 2007-08 Legislature, Riley was chairman of the Government Accountability and Information Technology Committee in the House. During the 2008 special session he also served on the Consumer Protection and the Workforce and Economic Development committees.
Riley faced Rilling again in the November 2008 election for the House seat after Republican primary winner Jeff Duyck was later declared ineligible. Duyck’s property spans two districts and the county elections office miscalculated where he was registered to vote and thus which seat he was eligible to run for. Politically, Riley supported Measure 50 in 2007 and Measure 49 in 2007, and is pro-choice on the issue of abortion. In 2009, he announced he would run for a seat in the Oregon State Senate
in 2010, challenging incumbent Republican Bruce Starr
in District 15. Riley lost to Starr, and in 2011 ran for a seat on the school board for Portland Community College
, losing in May to Deanna Palm.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, he is former consultant and former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
legislator in the Oregon House of Representatives
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 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
. He served three terms representing District 29 which includes Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
, and Cornelius
Cornelius, Oregon
Cornelius is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 9,652 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 10,895 residents.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
in western Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
. He was the Democratic Party nominee for District 15 in the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
in the 2010, losing to incumbent State Senator Bruce Starr
Bruce Starr
Bruce Starr is an American politician and businessman in Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives before winning election to the Oregon State Senate in 2002. There he joined his father Senator Charles Starr and they became the first father-son team to serve...
.
Early life
Chuck Riley was born in 1939 in Illinois where he grew up on his father’s farm. In 1957, he graduated from Mount Vernon High School in Mount VernonMount Vernon, Illinois
Mount Vernon is a city located near the center of Jefferson County, Illinois, in the United States. In the 2010 census, the city's reported population was 15,277 people....
before enrolling in college. He took some classes at the University of Illinois, majoring in mathematics, before enlisting in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1958. Riley remained in the Air Force until 1961 and spent some time at the Army Language School
Defense Language Institute
The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers...
learning Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. He later attended Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
as an art major and worked for the school before moving to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab and for Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
.
In 1979, he moved to Oregon and settled in Washington County west of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. He moved to Hillsboro in 1992 and worked for First Interstate Bank as a systems analyst. Riley also worked in the same position with Blue Cross of Oregon. He later ran his own computer consulting business. Riley is married to wife Katie Riley who teaches at Oregon Health & Sciences University, and they have four children. He enrolled at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
where he majored in art.
Political career
In 2000, Riley enter politics and ran for a seat on the Hillsboro City Council, losing to incumbent Karen McKinney. The following year he ran for a seat in the Oregon House of RepresentativesOregon 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 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Democrat to represent District 29, running unopposed in the primary election. In the November general election he lost to Republican Mary Gallegos by a total of 434 votes. In May 2004, Riley defeated Elena Uhing in the Democratic primary for the same district. Riley then defeated Gallegos in the November 2004 election for the same seat.
In 2006, he faced off against Terry Rilling in the district that has more Democratic voters than Republicans. Riley won with 55% of the vote to Rilling’s 45% in the November election. In the 2007-08 Legislature, Riley was chairman of the Government Accountability and Information Technology Committee in the House. During the 2008 special session he also served on the Consumer Protection and the Workforce and Economic Development committees.
Riley faced Rilling again in the November 2008 election for the House seat after Republican primary winner Jeff Duyck was later declared ineligible. Duyck’s property spans two districts and the county elections office miscalculated where he was registered to vote and thus which seat he was eligible to run for. Politically, Riley supported Measure 50 in 2007 and Measure 49 in 2007, and is pro-choice on the issue of abortion. In 2009, he announced he would run for a seat in the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
in 2010, challenging incumbent Republican Bruce Starr
Bruce Starr
Bruce Starr is an American politician and businessman in Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives before winning election to the Oregon State Senate in 2002. There he joined his father Senator Charles Starr and they became the first father-son team to serve...
in District 15. Riley lost to Starr, and in 2011 ran for a seat on the school board for Portland Community College
Portland Community College
Portland Community College is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland, United States. It serves over one million residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia...
, losing in May to Deanna Palm.