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Promising to further regulate landlords, proposing borrowing millions of dollars to mend Portland's aging infrastructure, and pitching the city on new swim spots on the Willamette River, Mayor Ted Wheeler's first-ever State of the City Address this afternoon contained its share of newsworthy items.

You just had to get through Wheeler's historical account of Oregon and Portland since their founding to get to them.

Not that that historical re-telling didn't have its place. Turning away from the day-to-day drama that has seen frequent disruptions of City Council meetings and set protesters outside of his home this week, Wheeler used his speech to nod to Portland's troubled racial past, and pitched a series of ideas he intends to take up in coming years.

Let's talk about those ideas:

•Wheeler re-affirmed his commitment to funding an Office of Landlord Tenant Affairs, one key portion of the housing platform he ran on. Budget proposals for the office have been vague, but Wheeler's speech made clear the office would venture into places Portland's not yet tread: licensing commercial landlords, registering all dwelling units in the city, and tracking eviction notices.

Exactly how the process will work wasn't clear from Wheeler's speech, but tracking eviction notices would offer clarity on the extent of evictions in the city, a picture of which is largely only available via anecdote currently. Requiring licensing could be a new revenue stream for assisting tenants.

"Ultimately this will help us protect tenants and landlords, alike. And I will work with representatives of both groups – over the long-term – to create a system that is functional, equitable and affordable," a written version of Wheeler's speech said.

Earlier this year, city council passed the strongest renter protections in the city's history, mandating that tenants get relocation assistance from landlords in certain cases. Those laws are only temporary, though, and are currently being challenged in court.

•Also on housing, Wheeler vowed to step up testing to ensure local landlords aren't discriminating against renters based on race, sexual orientation, or a host of other factors. Wheeler vowed to increase funding for such efforts five-fold. The city has a complex but lackluster history in enforcing Fair Housing Laws.

•Wheeler also warmed the hearts of the city's Budget Office by acknowledging the vast and daunting maintenance backlog Portland faces for its streets, bridges, parks, and other vital infrastructure. The city should be pouring $270 million more into that infrastructure each year than it does currently, the mayor says.

His solution: Wheeler wants to take money that's currently being used on urban renewal efforts and use it to pay for maintenance. Several Urban Renewal Areas—special geographic zones that scoop up a portion of property taxes to pay for improvements within their bounds—are set to expire in coming years. That means more money will be returning to the City's tax rolls. Wheeler says he wants to use that money to fund infrastructure bonds that'd help pay down the maintenance backlog (a gas tax passed by Portlanders last year helps some, but doesn't remotely cover the gap).

"I will offer my colleagues on the City Council a proposal to incrementally bond against these revenues, to make bold investment in our transportation system, roads, sidewalks, parks and public buildings," the mayor said in a written version of the speech shared with reporters.

That borrowing could begin next year, Wheeler said. His office didn't respond to an inquiry about how large a bond might be. And his chief of staff wouldn't talk about it after the speech.

Update, 3:15 pm:
Wheeler's office says it's thinking about starting off with a $50 million bond next year. Presumably the city would borrow more than that in coming years.

Original post:

"We can no longer put off needed investments in this area," Wheeler said. "The time for talk is done. The time for action is now."

•For a triathlete mayor who made a show of swimming across the river to drop off his ballot last May, it's perhaps no surprise that Wheeler wants to promote access to the Willamette. But Wheeler's really going for it!

Where former Mayor Charlie Hales took some incremental steps toward improving river access, Wheeler is talking BIG.

"Imagine floating docks for swimmers, a kayak launch, shower facilities, an overlook platform and pier, and a beautiful beach and improved access to the beach from the Eastbank Esplanade," Wheeler said in the written version of his speech, which got scotched in practice because he was going over time.

•Even bigger: Wheeler promised to direct city planners to start working on a strategy for burying Interstate 5's dirty, noisy path through downtown, which he acknowledged in his written remarks will not "be resolved in my lifetime."

"Portland has done it before, by turning the Harbor Freeway into a significant park and community gathering space," Wheeler said in his prepared remarks. "We can do it again by addressing I-5 on the Eastside."

•Wheeler talked about revitalizing the Rose Quarter, turning it into a "Downtown for the Eastside" while helping people who'd been displaced find homes there. A nod to keeping Memorial Coliseum in place got tepid applause.

•In a nod to the concerns over policing that have dominated his tenure to date, Wheeler vowed to refocus the bureau on community policing (a vow his predecessor was no stranger to) and pointed out that all Portland police officers will soon receive training on counteracting implicit biases (in place before he took office).

And Wheeler wasn't done with policing there. Most of the questions the mayor was asked during the customary question and answer period after the speech were focused on the PPB: Is Wheeler still looking for a new police chief? How will he make minorities feel comfortable with officers? And why won't cops just let protesters march on a bridge instead of cracking down with flash bangs and tear gas?

His answer on the last was the most interesting. He called it an "impossible situation" and said "I am probably the only commissioner in the US that actually has no policing experience."

"I don’t make tactical decisions," Wheeler said. "I set the standards. I set the values. Then I hold the chief and his team accountable for achieving those values."

He welcomed anyone who feels they've been treated poorly or too forcefully by police to file a complaint with the city's Independent Police Review.

The mayor said lots more, obviously. Here's the full address [PDF], as he intended to give it.