Ted Wheeler took office as Multnomah County Chair on January 1, 2007 after winning election in 2006 with 70% of the vote. He is both the Chief Executive Officer of Multnomah County government and the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners.
Multnomah County is a billion dollar government enterprise. With 5000 employees it is a major employer in the region. The County is responsible for a wide range of services which include the public library system, the public health system, mental health services, a wide range of public safety services, after-school programs, and the Willamette River Bridges, among others.
Wheeler has been an active volunteer leader of several community organizations including Neighborhood House, the Boy Scouts of America, the Oregon Sports Authority and served as an overnight shelter host with the Goose Hollow Family Shelter for many years. He was the founder of Walk for the Wildwood, and was a founding committee member for the Heron Point Wetlands Rehabilitation Project.
Before taking office, Wheeler worked for several financial services companies including the Bank of America and Copper Mountain Trust.
Wheeler loves endurance sports, and is a veteran of three expeditions to Mt. Everest, which he successfully summited in 2002. He snow-shoed to the North Pole with his wife and twice completed the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.February 8, 2010
Support Nonstop Service for a Better Economy
The big storms this winter that shut down East Coast airports provided a great reminder of the importance of nonstop flights out of Portland. My young daughter is a great traveler but long delays in strange crowded airports are not fun for anybody in our family. Direct travel is also a great time saver. As someone who tries to eke every single minute out of every single day, I really appreciate the benefits of nonstop travel; as the Chairman of Multnomah County, I appreciate the good jobs and the accompanying vitality that international air service brings to our community. Read more »