Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has just over a week left in the mayor’s office. And he’s in a thoughtful mood. This week, on the podcast, we let him look back on his eight years in office, give advice to his successors and talk about what’s next. OPB Portland city government reporter Alex Zielinski spoke with Wheeler. He spent nearly two decades in elected office – first as chairman of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners and then as state treasurer. He entered the mayor’s office in 2017 and oversaw a particularly tumultuous period that included the COVID-19 pandemic, massive protests for racial justice, an explosion of deadly illicit drugs and a surge in homelessness.
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