“Portland is in a moment of profound transformation and opportunity,” says Portland mayor-elect Keith Wilson, as he gives his official acceptance speech Thursday, at the Charles Jordan Community Center in Portland, Ore., Nov. 7, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Portland voters elected a new mayor this week, trucking company CEO Keith Wilson.
Wilson, the 61-year-old boss at Titan Freight Systems, ran on a promise to end unsheltered homelessness within the first year of his administration. Voters selected him as part of a historic shift in how Portland leaders are elected using ranked-choice voting, and how city government is structured.
Wilson and the new 12-member city council will take office in January.
OPB “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller talked to the mayor-elect on Friday. The following highlights from the conversation have been edited for length and clarity.
Why Wilson thinks building low-cost overnight shelters will be effective in improving homelessness and public safety
“There’s this false choice between shelter or housing. And we think of shelter, we think about a four walled building that’s … very expensive to do. I know one facility in Salt Lake City that just opened – $37 million to build a shelter. That’s not what we’re talking about. … What this does is it takes a model that we perfected in Portland 30, 40 years ago and that most cities utilize tonight around the nation to simply provide lifesaving care.”
“It’s low cost. You use repurposed assets. It’s immediate, you flex up, you flex down. Think about an earthquake. We would never let people live and die on the street if they’re in an earthquake. It’s a crisis, let’s treat it like a crisis. …By setting up shelters, we can enforce our community safety laws. … You’re not going to be in a tent, you’re not gonna be a makeshift shelter and you’re not gonna be an RV. Because based on law, we have shelters available for those who are on the street. So therefore, it’s really hard to live outside, to sleep on the street at night unless you have those resources.”
What if the new city council doesn’t like his plan?
“I don’t want to start this relationship thinking we’re gonna fail. Start it from a position of, ‘we’re gonna succeed.’ They have all noted, they’re open minded. Now, I’m gonna work closely with them, go out to their communities, their neighborhoods and explain how we’re gonna do it. They all want to address the suffering on our street. Not one of them have said, ‘I want the status quo to remain.’ … Are they gonna want modifications and such? Absolutely. Will I entertain and bring those in? Yes. … Whatever I bring to them, they are gonna make it better and fit their constituents in their districts.”
Meanwhile, the city needs a new, permanent administrator
“I want somebody in a peer city, our size or larger, with a similar form of government with a record of success that we can hire and bring in that can come in and see the city with a clear eye, but know how to operate on a day to day in a high performing, complex environment because I need that help. … But we need somebody experienced who has institutional knowledge in Portland, so they can help the council and me with policy and development. So it’s a matter of strength-based hiring. We need somebody with outside experience who’s already been successful to come in and hit the ground running.”
A lesson from anti-apartheid leader Bishop Desmond Tutu
“Our family was poor. My father and my brothers never graduated from high school. I did – graduated and put myself through college. Every challenge that I’ve had I’ve worked hard to get around, and I realize that every no that gets put in front of me just is an opportunity to learn a different way to get around that challenge.”
“Desmond Tutu has been always one of those shining lights for me. … He said, ‘Don’t grow angry, improve your argument.’ It puts the onus on me instead of others. … If someone doesn’t see what I’m trying to explain or the vision that I have, it puts the onus on me to explain it better. … Let’s tie it back to Portland. Portland’s suffering right now, right? People think that we can’t get out of this. So that’s that ‘don’t grow angry, improve your argument’. … So that’s the optimism, is that I’ve had some serious challenges in my life and I’ve always been able to find a way around it. And now we have a huge challenge in Portland. So let’s work together to find a way around it.”
Portland Mayor-elect Keith Wilson spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation: