Randy Leonard is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. He is currently a city commissioner in Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, serving his third term on the Portland City Council

Government of Portland, Oregon

The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...

.

Career

Prior to serving in Portland city government, Leonard served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly

Oregon Legislative Assembly

The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...

 and was a firefighter with the Portland Fire Bureau.

In 1994, he was elected to the Oregon State Senate

Oregon State Senate

The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...

 to serve Multnomah County in District 9 for a four-year term. A Democrat, he served in the Senate from 1995 through the 2002 special sessions of the legislature, with re-election in 1998.

Leonard was sworn in as a Portland city commissioner in front of the Smith Memorial Center in the South Park Blocks

South Park Blocks

The South Park Blocks form a city park in downtown Portland, Oregon. The Oregonian has called it Portland's "extended family room", as Pioneer Courthouse Square is known as Portland's "living room"....

 on November 26, 2002, by city auditor Gary Blackmer.

Personal life

Leonard and his second wife, Katie, live in East Portland.

On May 8, 2011, Leonard's daughter from his first marriage, 31-year-old Kara Marie Leonard, committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 by shooting herself in the head. She had struggled for several years with heroin addiction, achieving brief episodes of sobriety

Sobriety

Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...

with her father's help; he spoke publicly of her addiction in the 2007 documentary Finding Normal.

He has two other adult children, Ryan and Kyle, and one grandchild, Cole.

External links

• Leonard's webpage at the Portland city website