Keith Wilson was born in Portland, Oregon. He earned a high school diploma from Roosevelt High School, an associate degree from Portland Community College in 1983, a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University in 1986, and a graduate degree from the University of Portland in 1998. His career experience includes working as a CEO.[2]
Wilson has been affiliated with the following organizations:[2]
Shelter Portland Chair and Founder
Oregon Trucking Association
Alumni Association Board of Directors
Veteran Employment & Rent Well Program Mentor
2040 Portland Freight Plan Community Advisory Committee
Shelter Now Advisory Board Member
Director & Founder of Breathe Easy Oregon
Clackamas Workforce Partnership Board of Directors
Word is Bond Vice Chair Board of Directors
US High Speed Rail Association Executive Committee Member
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Keith Wilson in round 20 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
0.2
634
0
There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
Total votes: 309,963
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Keith Wilson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wilson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I was born and raised in North Portland. There were five kids crammed into a 900-square-foot house, and my parents taught us the value of hard work, community, and civic responsibility and that everybody—and I mean everybody—matters.
I attended Roosevelt High School, Portland Community College, Oregon State University, and the University of Portland. I spent my first five years out of school working abroad, and my travels eventually took me to over thirty countries. As much as I loved what I did and learned, I returned to join the small freight business my father founded.
I’m proud of my time in the trucking industry and my role in transforming our family company. I grew the business six times over and hired a team where more than half of our management are women, BIPOC, or LGBTQ+. Our equity and safety culture is unparalleled, and we’ve done it while building the most environmentally-friendly fleet in Oregon.
I am also the founder of Shelter Portland, an innovative non-profit organization making progress in the battle to end unsheltered homelessness. I have assembled a team of experts with a winning blueprint to compassionately and immediately eliminate unsheltered homelessness without further burdening our taxpayers. We’ve seen real results but have so much more work to do.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve a community that has given me so much, and I want to return Portland to the most livable city in the world. If you want this too, I hope you’ll join me.
Desmond Tutu once said, "Don't raise your voice, improve your argument." His inspiring words have been a guiding principle for me for many years. The sentiment and spirit of this quote highlight the struggles of Tutu and Nelson Mandela during apartheid in South Africa. They used their inner strength to listen to their detractors, tried to understand the issue from their perspective, and then responded with a well-thought-out argument that considered every point of view. They cared deeply for their community and eventually changed the nation by constantly improving their argument. We have significant challenges in Portland, and we will not overcome them by getting angry or punitive. Instead, we must strengthen our argument and program to ensure everyone in Portland matters.
The Mayor of Portland is a coin with two sides. One side is operational, setting the tone and making decisions for twenty six critical city bureaus. I will focus on results-oriented collaboration and eliminating dysfunction, waste, and mismanagement. The other side is inspirational, lifting voices, telling our story, and showing the nation why we’re the entrepreneurs and creatives of the future. Both sides of the coin must work together in harmony to repair, restore, and revitalize our incredible city.
Our new form of city government is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and Portlanders want to see results.
The city council represents the voice of the people, raising issues and collaborating on problems. The mayor is the focal point for the vision and mission of the city, delegating much of the day-to-day management to the city administrator.
Together, we’ll use my operational expertise and the representation of the city council to shift from the current system of haphazard crisis management to co-create the future of our city.
Portland is a place where everybody matters, and we refuse to leave anyone behind. We’re unusual, a large city with a quirky, small-town feel. From the rivers to mountains, farmers markets to sports teams, seasons, food, and visitors, we’re second to none.
The City of Portland must solve unsheltered homelessness within the next 12 months.
We see the impact everywhere. On average, our emergency dispatch system takes 400% longer to arrive than it did just ten years ago. Our businesses are leaving, and our urban core recovery is among the worst in the nation. Portlanders have seen their standard of living suffer, impacting everything from empty storefronts to declining school enrollment.
If we care about other priorities: our economy, our ecology, our schools, and our families, we must first solve this public safety problem NOW.
The future of Portland and the State of Oregon are inextricably linked. I’ll partner with Governor Kotek, support her record of success, and help her turn around the self-inflicted mismanagement of the current city commissioners. Oregon’s state government deserves an accomplished partner to lead Portland’s revitalization.
Our federal government has the power to make investments that can supercharge Portland’s revitalization and better the lives of every citizen. I have the experience and leadership to pursue and win grants and other federal support to benefit every corner of our city.
At the same time, we must stand up for the nonnegotiable values of our city—I won’t let a hostile federal administration bully our citizens or disgrace Portland without a fight.
However, that graciousness comes with limits: we will no longer tolerate our city as a testbed for federal interference, violence, and abuse of power.
Law enforcement is a tough job, and Portland won’t compromise on high standards of professionalism and conduct. The mayor’s job is to set the tone and make decisions for the city that set up our police, prosecutors, and first responders for success, not failure.
Most importantly, I’ll support our law enforcement by holding them to the same standards I hold myself to. That means respect, accountability, and the unwavering belief that everyone in this city matters.
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