The man who died after being struck by a MAX light rail train on Wednesday was 81-year old Michael O’Callaghan. He was a lifelong activist who organized and implemented several successful community initiatives in over a half-century of public service. And he showed no signs of slowing down, as he ran an inspiring campaign for Portland Mayor just last year.
Some of us got to know “Mayor Mike” during his recent mayoral campaign and his regular attendance at Bike Happy Hour. Mike, who lived in a makeshift shelter on Portland streets for the past 15 years, was eager to speak during open mic and tell us about his ideas.
Zack Reinhardt, a mechanic at Splendid Cycles near the entrance to the Springwater Corridor path, told BikePortland that Mike was a good friend of the shop. “Mayor Mike was a fixture of southeast Portland,” Zack shared. “You could often find him drinking coffee at Spielman’s bagels on Division or riding his bike along the Springwater.”
Here’s more from Zack:…