Rex Burkholder, Portland Metro Councilor — Read The Dirt Read The Dirt

Rex Burkholder, Portland Metro Councilor

Rex Burkholder, Portland Metro Councilor    Rex Burkholder is a Councilor in the Metro regional government in Portland, Oregon. Metro is responsible for a range of regional scale services such as waste disposal and the Oregon Zoo as well as guiding regional land use and transportation decisions. In his eleven years on the Council he led reform of the Regional Transportation Plan using an outcomes-based approach. This included recognizing climate change and fossil fuel depletion as key trends, leading to unprecedented funding for walking, cycling and transit projects. He also led Metro’s first Strategic Plan leading to the adoption of 6 Outcomes for a Successful Region that guide all decisions made by Metro. The issue of climate change and its impacts on our communities and the natural world has been of concern to Burkholder for many years, serving on two committees that advised the Governor on mitigation and adaptation strategies. He also led Metro’s efforts to integrate climate change into long-range planning for the Portland region. Before coming to Metro, Burkholder co-founded and staffed the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, advocating successfully for inclusion of cycling into the region and the state’s transportation system, helping Portland become the #1 Bicycling City in North America 5 times running. He also co-founded the Coalition for a Livable Future, almost 100 community organizations working together for a sustainable and just region.