As of 5:10 p.m., Nov. 6, Portland’s new mayor-elect is Keith Wilson, CEO of Titan Freight Systems and founder of the non-profit Shelter Portland, which battles local homelessness. Wilson won the election with a final total of 112,538 votes, according to the second round of Multnomah County’s City of Portland Mayor Preliminary Results.

Under Portland’s new ranked-choice voting system, there are 19 “rounds” of voting. In each round, the least popular candidate is eliminated, and their votes are transferred to the voter’s second-choice candidate. Wilson entered the first round with 76,000 votes, 30,000 more than the second-place candidate, Carmen Rubio. Wilson and Rubio would remain at first and second place, respectively, for all 19 rounds of voting, which ended with a 42,000 vote lead for Wilson.

Wilson was “born and raised in North Portland,” and attended Oregon State University and Portland State University, according to his campaign website Keithwilsonformayor.com, which also states that he is running to “bring REAL CHANGE to Portland.” Wilson considers ending unsheltered homelessness and open drug use to be his top priorities as mayor, and has a plan that promises to end both in 12 months.

Wilson’s plan calls for the opening of emergency nighttime shelters across Portland that “provide safety, security, shelter, and sleep but don’t offer services.” Wilson draws on his experience as founder of the Shelter Portland non-profit organization, which offers emergency nighttime shelters in partnership with community centers, churches, and businesses. Shelter Portland asserts that their nighttime shelters are “low cost, proven, and [use a] centuries-old method to care for our community and can be arranged in a matter of months.” For example, Shelter Portland works with the Portsmouth Union church in north Portland to provide 50 beds a night at a total cost of $4000 a month to the church.

Wilson also has experience as a business leader. As CEO of Titan Freight Systems, he says he “grew the business six times over and hired a team where more than half of our management are women, BIPOC, or LGBTQ+.” Titan Freight Systems, founded over 50 years ago, specializes in delivering cargo in the Portland area. Wilson also claims that it is the most environmentally friendly fleet in Oregon, and according to Ballotpedia, he lists climate and transportation policy as his passions.

In his acceptance speech on Thursday, Nov. 7, Wilson promised to “approach the job with humility,” and lead based on Portland’s shared values. He thanked his opponents, saying that their passion and innovation were crucial to the city. Wilson finished the press conference by saying he was excited to “repair, restore, and revitalize the city that we all love.”