41 Facts About Ted Wheeler

Edward Tevis Wheeler was born on August 31,1962 and is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Portland, Oregon since 2017.

Ted Wheeler was Oregon State Treasurer from 2010 to 2016.

Ted Wheeler attended Portland Public Schools, graduating from Lincoln High School.

Ted Wheeler received a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University in 1985.

Ted Wheeler earned an MBA from Columbia University in 1989 and a master's in public policy from Harvard University.

Ted Wheeler worked for several financial services companies, including the Bank of America and Copper Mountain Trust.

Ted Wheeler finished 11th in a field of 12 candidates in the 1993 Boston City Council election.

Ted Wheeler was registered as a Republican until 2001 and described as "the wealthy heir to a timber fortune controlled by social and fiscal conservatives".

Shortly after his election as chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, Ted Wheeler worked with his colleagues to balance a county budget that had called for $22.3 million in cuts in 2009.

Ted Wheeler fought to preserve social safety net programs and to eliminate hidden fees from state-issued debit cards.

Ted Wheeler led efforts to construct new libraries in Kenton and Troutdale and to construct the new East County Courthouse in Multnomah County.

Ted Wheeler fought to fund repairs for the crumbling Sellwood Bridge.

Under Ted Wheeler Portland became Oregon's first municipality to "Ban the Box", which reduces employment discrimination against residents with a criminal record by removing the criminal history check box on forms.

Two days later Governor Ted Kulongoski appointed Wheeler to the office.

Ted Wheeler was elected to a second full term in the Oregon state elections, 2012.

Ted Wheeler practiced aggressive financial management, achieving more than $172 million in cash flow savings since 2013.

Ted Wheeler promoted environmental stewardship, committing to double Oregon's investments in renewable energy resources by January 2020, and double them again by 2030.

Ted Wheeler was chair of the Oregon Retirement Savings Task Force, which developed what became the OregonSaves program to assist state residents in saving for retirement.

Ted Wheeler launched a run for mayor on October 14,2015.

Ted Wheeler campaigned on addressing income inequality and ensuring government accountability.

Ted Wheeler was endorsed by Basic Rights Oregon, the Portland Business Alliance, and the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council.

Ted Wheeler was sworn in on December 30,2016, and his term began on January 1,2017.

Ted Wheeler assigned to himself the Portland Police Bureau, the Portland Development Commission, and the Portland Housing Bureau, among others.

Ted Wheeler, who oversaw the police department, said he saw this as a problem and that it would influence his budgeting decisions.

In September 2020, Ted Wheeler announced his intention to withdraw the city from the Joint Office of Homeless Services partnership with the Multnomah County in a push to get campers on downtown streets into shelters.

In 2017, after white supremacist Jeremy Joseph Christian murdered two people on a Portland train, Ted Wheeler called for a halt to far-right rallies in Portland.

Ted Wheeler declined to grant a city permit for an event to be staged by far-right provocateur Joey Gibson, and called on the federal government to revoke a rally permit granted to far-right groups in the federally owned Terry Schrunk Plaza.

In October 2018, Wheeler sought greater power to regulate protests, proposing an ordinance that would give him greater powers to control the location, duration, timing, and size of protests in Portland and to keep opposing groups physically separated.

On May 30,2020, Ted Wheeler imposed a curfew on Portland during the Black Lives Matter protests.

Ted Wheeler was caught in tear gas released by federal agents.

Ted Wheeler left after the first round of tear gas, after which Portland police declared a riot.

Ted Wheeler is a proponent of increasing Oregon's investments in renewable energy funds.

Ted Wheeler commissioned a study to determine whether Oregon can replace fossil fuel companies in its fixed income portfolio.

Ted Wheeler supported the City of Portland's ban on expanding fossil fuel infrastructure.

Ted Wheeler argued that the proposal would be redundant to the statewide Energy Trust of Oregon.

Ted Wheeler won the group's Fighting Spirit Award in 2008 following his executive order in 2007 enacting full healthcare benefits for transgender workers, and has been endorsed by the organization.

Ted Wheeler allows police to cover their name badges at protests.

In November 2017, Ted Wheeler met with other city leaders and local business owners several times to discuss shared security concerns.

Ted Wheeler lived in Southwest Portland with his wife and daughter.

Ted Wheeler is Episcopalian and occasionally attends services at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

On January 24,2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wheeler pepper-sprayed a man who confronted him and former mayor Sam Adams as they left a bar in Southwest Portland.