Mayor Wheeler defends Portland against Forbes' magazine criticism

Posted April 2021

By Garon Jones

Staff Editor

Mayor Ted Wheeler denounced a recent Op-Ed published in Forbes magazine which heavily criticized the city of Portland.

The article titled Death of a City: The Portland Story? written by Bill Conerly examined some of the characteristics that cause cities to fail, and criticized Portland for its “poor community leadership.”

Conerly pointed out a number of factors which he argues have caused Portland’s decay. The first being skyrocketing housing prices, pointing out that Portland ranks 11th out of 60 major metropolitan areas. The second being Portland’s homelessness crisis. Conerly cites millions of dollars spent on affordable housing as a solution the city has enacted which has failed time and time again, noting that “affordable housing” actually costs more to build than regular housing.

The Forbes writer also mentioned the riots sparked after George Floyd’s murder which emerged in several large cities across the United States.

“What’s unique in Portland, though, is the continued violence,” said Conerly. “The antifa mobs regularly commit vandalism and occasionally commit arson on occupied buildings or assault reporters.”

Mayor Wheeler commented directly on the article, criticizing it on a Zoom interview.

“It’s very unusual when somebody who lives in a community trashes the community for the national media,” said Wheeler. “I can’t understand what purpose that is serving, particularly when he’s wrong.”

Wheeler particularly saw the article as a misconception of Portland in relation to national issues as a whole, particularly Covid-19.

“The main issue confronting our economy today is Covid,” said Wheeler.

Regardless of the issue, Portland has gained attention nationally and many still view the city as a remnant of what it once was, even despite Covid-19. Conerly views the situation as dire.

“Can one die from shooting oneself in the foot?” said Conerly. “Yes, if the wound goes untreated. Portland has shot itself in the foot. Most likely, the people of the city will come around and seek treatment. But if they don’t, the wound will prove fatal.”