Ecopol Project - Portland State University

Retrospecting Ted Wheeler's Mayorship, and looking towards the future with Keith Wilson's new budget plan. 

Written by Elora Batson

While looking into Portland’s new mayor—and more importantly, his new budget proposal—I realized I was frightfully under informed about our previous mayor, Ted Wheeler, beyond the stigma his name has drawn over the years after pioneering two tumultuous terms in office.

Mayor Keith Wilson has presented a thorough blueprint to address the homelessness crisis in Portland—or rather, he bluntly acknowledges that it’s a long fight he is ready to start and continue for the hope of a brighter Portland. As I read through it, I immediately found myself more trusting of this plan than those I had seen during Wheeler’s years in office. People know Wheeler was dealt a tough hand: many economic and social factors influencing Portland’s livability tanked after the pandemic, and it has been a hard fight to get to where we are now. Though it doesn't always look it, considering how far behind we are compared to our sister cities in most categories (Mongue, 2025).

What brings me hope about Wilson is his direction and the specificity of his first-year plan. His goals are to alleviate the hardships of the homeless population in our community by opening up over 1,000 overnight and day beds each, with hundreds more specialized beds opening for intensive mental health and drug use/abuse cases. The night beds aim to decrease the number of unhoused deaths in Oregon, which skyrocketed 477% compared to 2023 (Portland.gov, 2025).

The remaining budget also looks hopeful, with Wilson taking a “back to basics” approach—a likely grounded reaction to Wheeler’s bright-eyed optimism about turning Portland back into the quiet and quirky paradise found in Portlandia. Wheeler doesn’t deserve the violent backlash he has received from some extreme reactionaries, but the plentiful criticism toward his decisions during and after a global pandemic seems to have inspired a sense of practicality in our current administration.

Wheeler also pioneered a new form of governmental structure that unites different Oregon bureaucratic sectors to communicate on the issues affecting all Portlanders (Kavanaugh, 2024), and I believe this decision will have a lasting positive effect that will couple nicely with Wilson’s direct and eager action to bring relief to our homeless neighbors.

          Sources

Mongue, K. (2025, February 28). 2025 state of the economy. Portland Metro Chamber. https://portlandmetrochamber.com/resources/2025-state-of-the-economy/#industries 

Mayor Wilson Presents blueprint to end unsheltered homelessness in Portland. Portland.gov. (2025, January 27). https://www.portland.gov/mayor/keith-wilson/news/2025/1/27/mayor-wilson-presents-blueprint-end-unsheltered-homelessness 

Shane Dixon Kavanaugh | The Oregonian/OregonLive. (2024, December 29). Portland mayor Ted Wheeler exits city hall after 8 years: “I held fast. I didn’t quit. I didn’t give up.” oregonlive. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/12/portland-mayor-ted-wheeler-exits-city-hall-after-8-years-i-held-fast-i-didnt-quit-i-didnt-give-up.html