Voters in Portland, Oregon, have elected political outsider Keith Wilson as their new mayor, following a campaign in which he capitalized on years of growing frustration over homeless encampments, open drug use and quality of life concerns to outperform three City Council members — including one ensnared in a driving record scandal — who had also sought to lead the city.
Wilson, the CEO of a trucking company and founder of a nonprofit working to increase homeless shelter capacity, ran on an ambitious pledge to end unsheltered homelessness within a year of taking office. The Portland native says he will accomplish this in part by increasing the number of nighttime walk-in emergency shelters in existing facilities such as churches and community centers.
