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Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle has never been afraid to shake things up. When he took office in 2008, becoming the city’s first new mayor in 16 years, Doyle was determined to breathe new life into a city he felt was growing increasingly stagnant.

Though he ruffled feathers in 2009 when he proposed Beaverton as the new home for the Portland Beavers Triple-A baseball team, Doyle said the ensuing debate generated some positive outcomes.

“It certainly added to people outside the area saying, ‘Gosh, Beaverton is alive,'” he said.

The issue also sparked conversations among Beaverton residents about how the city should redevelop neighborhoods, potentially incorporating urban renewal to revitalize underutilized areas and accommodate new population demographics.

“Nothing of consequence has happened in this city since I moved here in 1986 … and we’re working on a plan that will help re-energize certain areas of the city,” Doyle said.

Born in Chicago in 1948, Doyle saw firsthand how powerful a mayor can be. “I admired Richard Daley because he ran an interesting city that was clean and had no strikes,” he said.

Doyle’s family eventually headed for the suburbs, where he played basketball and tennis, ran cross country and participated in student government at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Ill. With two working parents, Doyle often was in charge of cooking dinner for himself and his two brothers before doing his homework each night.

“My mom immigrated to America when she was eight. My dad’s parents came from Ireland, and my dad grew up in an orphanage because his mom had died,” he said.

The first in his family to go to college, Doyle earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in physical education at Illinois State University. He initially planned to become a teacher, but got a job as a computer programmer to support himself while going to school.

In 1986, a job offer with Consolidated Freightways brought Doyle, his wife, Ann, and their two daughters to Oregon. By the following year, he was part of his Beaverton neighborhood’s effort to oppose a pair of road plans, and he began to entertain the idea of becoming involved in local politics.

Since then, Doyle has compiled a hefty resume of civic involvement. He served as a Beaverton city councilor from 1995 to 2008; he served a four-year term on the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Board of Directors; he is a board member for the Tualatin Hills Park Foundation; and he has served on several school committees.

In addition, Doyle, who has a granddaughter, has coached soccer, baseball and softball and worked to ensure equality in girls’ sports. Over the years, he has been involved with a dozen nonprofits dedicated to the arts, music and sports.

“What has served me well is that I love to lead by example, taking all the time and effort needed to get things done,” Doyle said. “I also love to empower other people to succeed in what they need to do, and my staff really appreciates that.”

Who was a mentor who helped shape you into the person you are today? What did that person teach you?

“My chemistry teacher at Maine West, Mr. Miller, had a great way to motivate and get people to be inquisitive. I also was inspired by John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.”

Tell us something about yourself that most people might not know.

“I can make a pot or a cup on a potter’s wheel. I haven’t done it in a while, but I love doing that.”