Lynn Peterson (American politician)

Lynn Ann Peterson (born October 22, 1968) is an American politician in the U.S. state of Oregon serving as the council president of Metro.[1] Metro is the only directly-elected regional government in the United States, and spans 24 cities in the Portland, Oregon three-county area,[2][1] along with many unincorporated suburbs in the Portland metropolitan area.

Lynn Peterson
President of Metro
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
Secretary of Transportation of Washington
In office
2013–2016
Personal details
Born (1968-10-22) October 22, 1968
Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMark Peterson
Residence(s)Lake Oswego, Oregon, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin

Career

Peterson's career began in 1988 as an engineer for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.[3] Peterson has worked as a travel forecaster for Metro, a transportation advocate for 1000 Friends of Oregon, a strategic planner for TriMet, and as an independent consultant.[4]

Peterson began her political career as a city councilor in Lake Oswego, Oregon from 2003 to 2006.[5] She served as the chair of Clackamas County Commission from 2007 to 2011.[5]

She resigned from the Clackamas County Commission when she was appointed to be a transportation adviser to Oregon governor John Kitzhaber.[6]

In 2013, she was appointed by Washington governor Jay Inslee as Secretary of Transportation, the chief of the Washington State Department of Transportation,[7] where she guided Washington's largest transportation funding package in its history: $16 billion.[3] In 2016, she was not confirmed by the Republican-controlled state senate, resulting in a controversial end to her WSDOT tenure.[8] Governor Inslee responded critically to the Republicans' action.[9]

Peterson was sworn in as Metro President on Jan. 7, 2019.[10] She received 78 percent of the vote, defeating one opponent to replace Tom Hughes, who had served the limit of two consecutive terms.[11] She had been endorsed by many Oregon elected officials, and her campaign included a 24-city bike tour.[12]

On September 7, 2021, Peterson announced she will run for reelection.[13] She won a second term in the primary by receiving more than 50% of the vote.[14][15]

On June 8, 2023, Peterson announced that she will be seeking the Democratic nomination for Oregon's 5th congressional district, currently held by Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer.[16][17]

Personal life

Peterson lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with her husband and three Alaskan malamute dogs.[5] In 2022, she wrote a book, Roadways for People: Rethinking Transportation Planning and Engineering, along with Elizabeth Doerr.[18]

References
  1. "Metro Council President Lynn Peterson". Metro. 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  2. "What is Metro?". Metro. March 24, 2014. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  3. Gragg, Randy (January 2019). "This Rising Political Star Could Redefine the Portland Region". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  4. Schiendelman, Ben (February 19, 2013). "Inslee Names Lynn Peterson to Head WSDOT". Seattle Transit Blog. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  5. Griffin, Anna (January 7, 2019). "Meet Metro's New Boss, And Prepare For Major Portland Area Changes". OPB. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  6. Zheng, Yuxing (February 22, 2011). "Lynn Peterson named Kitzhaber transportation adviser, will resign as Clackamas County chairwoman". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  7. Damewood, Andrea (February 19, 2013). "Lynn Peterson to Become Washington's New Transportation Secretary". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  8. Lindblom, Mike; O'Sullivan, Joseph (February 5, 2016). "WSDOT chief ousted by Senate Republicans after 3 years on job". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  9. caprecord (February 2016). "Gov. Inslee responds to Senate firing of WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson – TVW, Washington States' Public Affairs Network". TVW. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  10. "Metro Council President Lynn Peterson". Metro. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  11. Njus, Elliot (2018-05-16). "Lynn Peterson to lead Metro Council". Oregon Live. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  12. "Lynn Peterson Poised To Lead Portland Area's Regional Government". opb. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  13. "Metro Council President Lynn Peterson Announces Campaign for Re-Election". Elect Lynn Peterson. 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  14. Redden, Jim (2022-05-29). "Metro President Lynn Peterson wins second term". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-06-03.
  15. Oregon Secretary of State. "Unofficial Primary Election results for May 17, 2022".
  16. "Head of Portland's Metro council announces bid for Congress". kgw.com. June 8, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  17. "Home". Elect Lynn Peterson. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  18. "Roadways for People: Rethinking Transportation Planning and Engineering". Island Press.
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