If the early days of his candidacy are an indication, you're going to be hearing the word "progressive" a lot from Ted Wheeler in the months to come.
In announcing he'll take on Mayor Charlie Hales this morning—and yesterday, in a meeting at the Mercury offices—the Democratic state treasurer has crammed the word in at every chance.
"We can't call ourselves a progressive city unless we're making real progress for those who need our help the most," is a typical example of this. There are many, many more iterations.
Hales rode to office in 2012 on a platform that promised he'd cover the basics of city governance. Wheeler's hoping to unseat him by convincing voters he's dropped the tool belt along the way.
"I'm running for mayor because I know we can do better," Wheeler told dozens of cheering supporters at his official announcement atop Revolution Hall this morning. "Do we want to hear another politician ask for more time, or do we want real progress right now?"
It's the "right now" aspect of Wheeler's nascent campaign that's been most notable. The issues he's promising to do battle with—homelessness, affordable housing, money for street repair, income inequality—are fraught problems not just in Portland, but big cities around the country.
A whistle stop chestnut like, "How about this? Let's fill those potholes" is a great applause line—people loved it this morning—but it also belies the fact Portland's been trying to solve its transportation funding issues for more than a decade, with little success.
The specifics of Wheeler's plans for office are harder to parse right now. He indicated at this morning's announcement he'd likely support a gas tax increase (which, yes, many people argue is progressive) to patch those potholes, "as unpopular as it's going to be." It's a somewhat convenient answer—the City Club of Portland released a report today in which one of its committees clamors for a gas tax increase. (That would need to be voted on by the public.)
Wheeler also said he'd push to raise the minimum wage, that he'd support dedicating more urban renewal money to affordable housing, and hinted he was up for increasing the system development charges that developers pay for new buildings (a recent increase to those charges for city parks spurred a lawsuit). Oh, and he's "totally jazzed for the journey ahead."
Gauging Wheeler's support isn't easy just yet. Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel's on board (her chief of staff was holding a sign behind Wheeler as he spoke), and state Rep. Lew Frederick spoke at the announcement. Former mayoral candidate and New Seasons co-founder Eileen Brady—who fell to Hales in 2012—was among the loudest voices in the crowd this morning, taking up a chant of "Ted! Ted! Ted!"
Brady said afterward she thinks Wheeler will be "a visionary mayor who gets things done. He's the right man for the job." She said she and Wheeler aren't personal friends.
UPDATE, 2 pm: There's a list of endorsements listed on Wheeler's website, including Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill, County Commissioner Judy Shiprack, former US Attorney Dwight Holton, and a bunch more.
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Meanwhile, Hales, who asked Wheeler to coffee recently to gauge his interest in the mayor's office, released a statement of his own this morning. It welcomed the treasurer to the race, and gave plenty of hints of what to expect from the mayor in the months to come.
In just 3 ½ years we’ve taken the city budget from a record $21 million budget hole to being $49 million in the black. We’ve invested the money in transportation, affordable housing, parks and youth. Unemployment is down to 4.8% and Forbes magazine just named Portland one of the best cities in America for business and career opportunity. Most importantly, we’ve done this while staying true to Portland’s values, doing our part to fight climate change and strengthening the relationship between police and the community. There is a lot more work to do, but this is a record that all of us can be proud of. I’m looking forward to the campaign.
