Shirley Huffman

Shirley Todd Huffman (August 30, 1928 – July 1, 2018) was an American politician and legal secretary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Raised in Dayton, Oregon, she settled in Hillsboro, Oregon, where she served on the city council before serving two terms as mayor from 1985 to 1993. During her time as mayor, plans for the Westside Light Rail were approved, with Huffman receiving credit for the extension into downtown Hillsboro. After leaving office, she served on the board of directors of TriMet and as a development coordinator for the city.

Early life Shirley Todd was born on August 30, 1928, in Bowdle, South Dakota. Shirley met Thomas A. Huffman when growing up in Dayton, Oregon, when both were seven years old. The Huffmans moved to Hillsboro in 1954 after Thomas graduated from Willamette University College of Law in Salem. and worked as a legal secretary for her husband until 1989.

Political career Huffman’s political career began in June 1977, when she was appointed to the Hillsboro City Council to replace resigned member Ted Clarno. She had been asked to join the council, and agreed to what she originally planned to be a short-term involvement in city government. In 1984, she ran for mayor, winning the November election after running unopposed and becoming Hillsboro’s first woman mayor. This work included representing the city at official events as well as lobbying on behalf of the city.

Huffman is credited with getting MAX light rail extended to downtown Hillsboro from its originally planned terminus at 185th Avenue. Her lobbying included an episode when she spoke roughly to the head of the Federal Transit Administration in a phone call ("I had to get a little stern with him," said Huffman), as well as trips to Washington DC. The resolution was later passed by the city council. She had helped develop a similar resolution for a group representing the county and ten other cities, with both resolutions sent to a task force created by the Oregon Legislature that was examining the role of Metro.

Huffman traveled to Fukuroi, Japan, in 1988 to sign an agreement that created a sister-city relationship with the Japanese city. Fukuroi officials had visited Hillsboro in June 1987.

While mayor she served on the board of directors for the League of Oregon Cities, including one year as president of that organization in 1987. Huffman was mayor from 1985 to 1993. She was praised for her work on behalf of the city by other elected officials in Hillsboro. "I think her power lies in her ability to get people to agree without conflict; she defuses any situation and is able to make things happen," said councilman Jim Lushina, While she was mayor Hillsboro grew from around 29,000 residents to approximately 40,000. Huffman then took a position with the organization as economic development coordinator later that year, with the city paying half the salary. She also became the chairperson for the Washington County Community Action Organization’s capital campaign in 1993 to raise $1.3 million for a new building.

In 1992, she joined the TriMet board of directors and spent eight years on the board, leaving in January 2000. In 1994, the League of Oregon Cities gave her their Jim Richards Memorial Award. Huffman later led the campaign to approve a levy to build two new libraries and convert the Shute Park branch into a recreation center in 2002. The measure was defeated by voters in May 2002. She also worked to develop the Hillsboro 2020 Vision plan adopted by the city.

At the end of 2014, Huffman was living in an assisted living facility in Hillsboro,