‘Mayor Mike’ O’Callaghan was ‘living example of kindness and generosity’

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:

“He would routinely visit Splendid Cycles to thank us for providing an open water spigot to the public, occasionally bringing us gifts: freshly picked flowers, a potted orchid, and even once home made blackberry wine. He was a living example of kindness and generosity.”

Mike hailed from Anchorage, Alaska where he was known for decades of grassroots activism that focused on helping people in need. Whether it was giving away free food from the back of his bicycle trailer or free bicycles from a bike share program he created in 1977 — Mike never shied away from a bold idea and was the quintessential do-it-yourselfer.

In 1987, his work earned him a mention as an “unsung hero” in Newsweek magazine.

When Mike moved to Portland, he helped start the Right to Dream homeless camp and garnered headlines when he represented himself in a lawsuit against the city over the camping ordinance.

Mike had such an impact on his former hometown that the Anchorage Daily News published a where-are-they-now profile of him in 2020. Here’s an excerpt from that article:

“For several decades, Michael O’Callaghan was one of Anchorage’s most colorful activists and political gadflies. His causes were myriad and wide ranging. With him now in Portland, is there anyone left in Anchorage that combines his mixture of humanism, flair for the dramatic and quixotic inclinations?”

It’s still unclear what exactly happened before Mike was struck and killed. He lived along the Springwater Corridor, very close to the rail crossing at SE 8th and Division, and had likely made it across that same intersection countless times without any problems. What we do know is that Portland has lost a wonderful human who embodied much of what makes our city so special.

Rest in peace Mayor Mike.

Learn more about Mike:

• Alaska public access television show profile from the 1980s.
• Mayoral campaign website.