PORTLAND, Ore. (Portland Tribune) — Mayor Ted Wheeler delivered a mostly upbeat end-the-message to Portlanders during a morning press conference at City Hall on Friday, Dec. 20

Appearing with officials from some of the agencies he oversees and the city-county Joint Office of Homeless Service, Wheeler said city government was made good progress addressing the most serious issues facing Portland in 2019. Among other things, he said homeless funding was at a record $34.1 million, the Portland Housing Bureau had opened a record 878 new affordable housing units, and work is about to start on redeveloping the Broadway Corridor area at the southern end of the Broadway Bridge into a new neighborhood.

“As the Mayor of Portland, I am proud of what we accomplished in 2019,” said Wheeler, who is running for reelection. “We did not shy away from the difficult work at hand, nor did we back down from those who threatened to stir up fear and violence in our community. Instead, we came together in an incredible show of unity, rolled up our sleeves and worked tirelessly to make Portland the most livable, vibrant, progressive city in the country.”

The positive tone was at odds with recent polls that show residents are losing faith in the future of the city. For example, a new FM3 Research poll conducted by the Metro regional government found that between July 2016 and December 2019, the portion of residents who think the city is heading in the right direction fell from 46% to 34%. Those who think the city is on the wrong track increased from 43% to 48%.

Asked about the poll, Wheeler acknowledged the growing unease. He blamed much of it on the changes that are taking place as Portland grows into a big city with big city problems, like homelessness, congestion and street trash.

Watch the entire press conference above

“Change is hard, especially for people who have lived here a long time,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler also blamed the partisan political split in the country and dysfunction in Washington DC for creating feelings of hopelessness.

“We have a cancer that is killing our democracy. Unfortuntely, we don’t have the luxury of name calling in Portland. We have to find solutions that work, and I believe we have,” Wheeler said.

Among the other accomplishments in 2019 that Wheeler highlighted are:

• Appointing an advisory committee for the Portland Clean Energy Fund approved by the voter — the first of its kind in the country — that will infuse social equity into our commitment to reduce carbon and move the city closer to meeting our 100% renewable energy goals by 2050.

• Launching Portland Means Progress to drive the hiring of local young people of color, and to promote intentional purchasing from small businesses owned by people of color, and to create more inclusive, equitable company cultures.

• Announcing nine new Portland Affordable Housing Bond projects this year, bringing the total to 12 and exceeding the promised 1,300 new units of income-limited housing.

• Increasing the city’s capacity to clean up problematic homeless camps from under 10 to up to 60 a week.

• Preventing the worst-case scenario when white supremacists threated to stir up hate and violence in Portland with a demonstration on Aug. 27.

“I remain optimistic for the future of Portland,” said Wheeler.