The last eight years have been tumultuous for Portland, and no one knows that better than outgoing Mayor Ted Wheeler.

The big picture: Axios Portland sat down with Wheeler to discuss his tenure — and his unique perspective on the city's challenges — as he prepares to enter private life.

Flashback: Wheeler's mayoral term was punctuated by crises.

• Among them: the COVID pandemic and associated shutdowns, a dramatic increase in homelessness, new and deadly types of street drugs and more than 100 days of sustained racial justice protests.

Throughout, Wheeler faced criticism for his decisions as Portland's problems drew national attention.

• "I actually believe history will reflect back on this administration much more kindly than maybe people view it through today's lens," he said.

Between the lines: Wheeler said one of his biggest regrets was not pushing harder for big projects like a Major League Baseball stadium, the OMSI Master Plan and getting the James Beard Public Market up and running more quickly.

• "Instead, I spent a lot of time on tarps, tents, litter, graffiti, needles and human waste," he said.

The big picture: One of the most high-profile moments of his term came in July 2020 when he joined a racial justice protest in downtown Portland.

• After remarks on stage — punctuated by boos and calls to resign — Wheeler ended up on the front lines of the protest and was among hundreds who were tear-gassed by federal agents.
• The incident made national headlines, but did little to quell tensions.
• "I wasn't there because I wanted to be," he said. "I was there because I was told that I had been an ineffective leader because I had not (previously) been there."

Yes, but: Despite the challenges that engulfed much of his term, he's proud of how he responded to the city's biggest issues.

• There were no city-run shelter beds when he entered office, he said, and today there are more than 700.
• The city also created new programs to deal with litter and graffiti.

What he's saying: "I feel very good about where I'm leaving the city."

What's next

Many of the wildfires that blackened a record 1.9 million acres in Oregon this year raced across the high desert east of the Cascades, leaving ranchers wondering how they'll recover after the grasses their cows graze on went up in smoke.

The big picture: Cattle are the second most valuable commodity in Oregon — worth nearly $800 million in 2022.

The latest: We asked Matt McElligott, president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, how things are looking in the rangelands east of the Cascades.

• This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What impact did ranchers see from these fires?

• "Loss of rangeland was the biggest one, but there was infrastructure too, like fencing, and some people lost cattle."
• "When you lose your rangeland, that's your pasture so you have to find new pasture somewhere else, or you have to switch to hay, or you have to depopulate (sell off cattle)."

Are there lingering impacts from these fires?

• "If the range is burnt, we won't know how the grass and forbs will come back until spring. Some of them won't be able to graze for a year at minimum."

Keep reading

🛌 Multnomah County officials plan to lease a Motel 6 in North Portland to expand a program that provides housing to Black Portlanders experiencing homelessness. (The Oregonian)

📝 More than half a dozen high-level staffers have submitted their resignations from the Secretary of State's office ahead of Secretary-elect Tobias Read's swearing in next month. (OPB)

❄️ Local and state transportation agencies are teaming up to keep roads passable if and when winter weather hits, which has not always been our strong suit. (KGW)

📽️ "My Own Private Idaho" — Gus Van Sant's 1991 movie about a narcoleptic hustler set in Portland — has been added to the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress. (KOIN)

Portlanders may already recognize Dan Ryan. He's been on the City Council since 2020 and is the only sitting commissioner to carry over his seat in the new form of government. 

The latest: Axios asked Ryan, who will be representing District 2, what his top priorities will be once his new term begins — plus one fact constituents may not already know. 

• Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Top priority: Small business growth in North and Northeast Portland

What he's saying: "Businesses in St. Johns, Mississippi, and NE Broadway, to name a few, have been continuously overlooked," he told Axios via email. 

• "I will focus on the Main Streets in my district and bring livability results for them in partnership with public safety and infrastructure bureaus like police and transportation."

🧑🏻‍🌾 Fun fact: "I have been a devoted gardener since I was 10 when I was elected president of the Jolly Green Giants 4-H Club — my first elected position."

Meira here. By now, y'all know I don't love the winter months. I'm famously allergic to holidays and become incessantly pessimistic in the cold, wet and dark (I am from California).

Yes, but: One thing that has been sparking inspiration lately is looking up. Literally.

• On my daily afternoon walk, catching a glimpse of the vast, sprawling skeletons of tree branches is like art. Each unique in its own way.
• It's also fun to find the intricate nests of birds and squirrels perched high up in the trees.

❤️ So if you're struggling to trudge through these grueling months to brighter, greener days, I encourage you to look up, too.