Ted Wheeler

Ted Wheeler
Born	Edward Tevis Wheeler 31 8, 1962
Birthplace	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, businessman
Known for	53rd Mayor of Portland, Oregon
Education	Stanford University (BA) Columbia University (MBA) Harvard University (MPP)
Children	1

Edward Tevis Wheeler (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 53rd mayor of Portland, Oregon, from January 1, 2017, to January 1, 2025. A member of the Democratic Party who was previously registered as a Republican, Wheeler has held a series of prominent public offices in Oregon spanning nearly two decades. Before becoming mayor, he served as the 28th Treasurer of Oregon from 2010 to 2016, and as chair of the Multnomah County Commission from 2007 to 2010. His tenure as mayor coincided with a turbulent period in Portland's history, marked by debates over policing, homelessness, protest movements, and urban governance. Wheeler was succeeded as mayor by Keith Wilson in January 2025.

Early Life

Edward Tevis Wheeler was born on August 31, 1962, in Portland, Oregon. He grew up in Portland and developed an early connection to the city's civic and business communities. Wheeler was raised in a family with ties to Oregon's business establishment, and his upbringing in the Pacific Northwest shaped his later interest in public service and fiscal policy.

Before entering politics, Wheeler was known as an avid jogger and outdoor enthusiast, reflecting the active lifestyle common among Portland residents. His early career included work in the private sector as a businessman, experience that would later inform his approach to state financial management and economic policy.

Wheeler was originally registered as a Republican before switching his party affiliation to the Democratic Party in 2001. Throughout his political career, he has been described as a moderate Democrat, a characterization consistent with his willingness to cross traditional partisan lines on certain policy issues.

Education

Wheeler attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently pursued graduate education at two Ivy League institutions. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School at Columbia University and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University. This combination of business and public policy training provided Wheeler with a dual foundation in both private-sector management and government administration, credentials he would draw upon throughout his career in public finance and elected office.

Career

Chair of the Multnomah County Commission

Wheeler's first major elected office was as chair of the Multnomah County Commission, a position he held from January 1, 2007, to March 11, 2010. He succeeded Diane Linn in the role and was himself succeeded by Jeff Cogen. As county chair, Wheeler oversaw the governance of Oregon's most populous county, which includes the city of Portland and surrounding communities.

During his tenure as county chair, Wheeler engaged with a range of local governance issues, including urban renewal policy. He participated in discussions about the impact of urban renewal areas on county finances and services, a topic of significant debate in the Portland metropolitan area. Wheeler advocated for greater transparency and accountability in how urban renewal tax increment financing affected county budgets and the delivery of public services.

Wheeler also oversaw infrastructure projects during his time as county chair. Among these was the development of a new Kenton Library, for which public meetings were scheduled to gather community input on the siting of the facility. The East County Courthouse also celebrated its grand opening during this period, representing a significant investment in public infrastructure serving residents in the eastern portion of the county.

Wheeler resigned from the county chair position in March 2010 to assume the office of Oregon State Treasurer.

Oregon State Treasurer

On March 11, 2010, Wheeler became the 28th Oregon State Treasurer, succeeding Ben Westlund, who had died in office. He served under three governors during his tenure: Ted Kulongoski, John Kitzhaber, and Kate Brown. Wheeler held the position until January 1, 2017, when he left to assume the office of mayor of Portland.

As state treasurer, Wheeler was responsible for managing Oregon's investment portfolio, overseeing the state's debt management, and administering programs such as the Oregon 529 College Savings Plan. He took steps to expand and promote the state's college savings programs, working to make higher education more financially accessible for Oregon families.

Wheeler also pursued initiatives related to environmental sustainability in the state's investment strategy. He announced steps to increase Oregon's investments in renewable energy, reflecting a broader trend among institutional investors to consider environmental factors in portfolio management. This approach aligned with Oregon's reputation as a state with strong environmental policy commitments.

During his time as treasurer, Wheeler also addressed consumer protection issues. He worked to end controversial fees associated with unemployment benefit debit cards, responding to criticism that the fee structures were burdensome for unemployed Oregonians who were already in financial distress.

Wheeler's tenure as treasurer coincided with a period of economic recovery following the Great Recession, and he was tasked with managing state investments during a time of both opportunity and continued fiscal uncertainty. His background in business, with his MBA from Columbia, informed his approach to the financial stewardship of state assets.

2016 Mayoral Campaign

In September 2015, Wheeler announced his candidacy for mayor of Portland, seeking to succeed incumbent mayor Charlie Hales, who chose not to run for reelection. His campaign kickoff drew attention as a significant entry into what was expected to be a competitive race for control of Oregon's largest city.

Wheeler secured endorsements from three former Portland mayors — Vera Katz, Tom Potter, and Sam Adams — lending his campaign a sense of institutional support and continuity in Portland politics. He also received support from organizations such as Basic Rights Oregon's Equality PAC, which endorsed him as part of its 2016 election slate.

During the campaign, Wheeler staked out positions on several key issues facing Portland. He issued a statement on gun violence, calling for action to address the issue in the city. He also engaged in debates with other mayoral candidates over police reform, including the contentious 48-hour rule that governed how long officers could wait before being interviewed after a use-of-force incident. Wheeler and other candidates expressed differing views on the rule, which had become a focal point in discussions about police accountability in Portland.

Wheeler won the 2016 Portland mayoral election and took office on January 1, 2017.

Mayor of Portland (2017–2025)

First Term (2017–2021)

Wheeler assumed the office of mayor of Portland on January 1, 2017, succeeding Charlie Hales. Under Portland's commission form of government, the mayor serves as both the city's chief executive and a member of the Portland City Council, with direct oversight of certain city bureaus, including the Portland Police Bureau. As mayor, Wheeler also served as the city's police commissioner, a dual role that placed him at the center of contentious debates over law enforcement policy.

Early in his tenure, Wheeler pursued environmental initiatives. He supported a historic resolution by the City of Portland to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure within city limits, a measure that drew national attention and aligned Portland with a growing movement among cities to take action on climate change.

Wheeler's first term was defined in significant part by the challenges that arose in 2020, when Portland became a national focal point during the George Floyd protests. The city experienced sustained protests against police brutality and racial injustice, some of which were accompanied by property damage and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. Wheeler's role as police commissioner placed him in a difficult position, drawing criticism from multiple directions — from those who felt the police response was too aggressive and from those who felt it was insufficient to maintain public order.

The deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Portland by the Trump administration in the summer of 2020 further escalated tensions. Wheeler was himself tear-gassed while visiting a protest site near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, an incident that received extensive national media coverage. The episode underscored the complex dynamics of the situation, with Wheeler simultaneously serving as the city's top elected official and as a target of both protesters' frustrations and federal intervention.

Homelessness emerged as another defining challenge of Wheeler's time in office. Portland experienced a significant increase in its homeless population during this period, with visible tent encampments becoming a widespread concern among residents and business owners. Wheeler faced sustained pressure to develop effective responses to the crisis, navigating between calls for compassionate approaches emphasizing services and housing and demands for enforcement of camping regulations.

2020 Reelection

Wheeler ran for reelection in the 2020 Portland mayoral election. Despite facing significant criticism over his handling of the protests and homelessness, he won a second term, defeating challenger Sarah Iannarone in the general election. The race was closely watched as a referendum on Wheeler's leadership during one of the most turbulent periods in Portland's recent history.

Second Term (2021–2025)

Wheeler's second term continued to be shaped by the issues of public safety, homelessness, and urban livability that had dominated his first term. The city grappled with rising rates of gun violence and property crime, and the Portland Police Bureau faced staffing shortages that complicated efforts to address these challenges.

Wheeler also navigated a significant structural change in Portland's government. Voters approved a measure to replace the city's longstanding commission form of government — one of the last of its kind among major American cities — with a council-manager system featuring a larger city council elected by district. This reform, which took effect with the transition to new leadership in 2025, represented one of the most consequential changes to Portland's governance structure in over a century.

Wheeler chose not to seek a third term. He was succeeded by Keith Wilson, who took office on January 1, 2025.

Personal Life

Wheeler was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and has maintained deep ties to the city throughout his career. He has one child. Wheeler was formerly a registered Republican before changing his party affiliation to Democrat in 2001, a switch that reflected his evolving political views as he became more active in Oregon politics.

Wheeler is known as an avid jogger, a pastime consistent with Portland's culture of outdoor recreation and physical fitness.

Legacy

Wheeler's tenure in Oregon politics spanned a period of significant change for both the state and the city of Portland. His service as state treasurer from 2010 to 2016 was marked by efforts to modernize the state's investment strategies, including increased attention to renewable energy investments and consumer-friendly reforms to state financial programs. His leadership during the post-recession recovery helped stabilize Oregon's financial position during a period of economic uncertainty.

As mayor of Portland, Wheeler presided over what many observers have characterized as one of the most challenging periods in the city's modern history. The convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, sustained protest movements, rising homelessness, and debates over public safety created a governance environment of exceptional difficulty. Wheeler's dual role as mayor and police commissioner placed him at the nexus of these challenges, and his responses drew both support and criticism from various constituencies.

The transition away from Portland's commission form of government, which occurred during Wheeler's second term, represented a structural shift that will shape the city's governance for decades to come. While Wheeler was not the primary architect of this reform, it occurred on his watch and he participated in the transition to the new system.

Wheeler's career also illustrates the trajectory of a moderate Democrat in an increasingly progressive city. His willingness to stake out centrist positions, combined with his background in both business and public policy, defined a political identity that sometimes placed him at odds with Portland's activist left while also distinguishing him from more conservative voices in Oregon politics.