Former City Council Candidate Kezia Wanner Will Serve as Dan Ryan’s Chief of Staff

Wanner, a longtime city employee in various bureaus, was a favored candidate of the public safety unions.

Kezia Wanner (Whitney McPhie)
By Sophie Peel

Kezia Wanner, a recent candidate for the Portland City Council and a longtime city of Portland employee, will serve as City Commissioner Dan Ryan’s chief of staff in the new form of government.

Wanner ran for City Council in District 3 this fall. She didn’t win a seat, despite being endorsed by the fire, police unions and public sector unions, and receiving an endorsement and a monetary boost from the political action committee set up by the Portland Metro Chamber.

Now, she will serve as the chief of staff for sitting city commissioner Dan Ryan, who was re-elected to serve on the expanded City Council representing District 2.

Over the past 20 years Wanner has held a number of positions in city government. She wrote grants for the Portland Police Bureau in the early aughts, then moved onto a position as a budget and policy analyst for six years, then returned to the police bureau to work as a program manager. She then worked at the Portland Bureuau of Transportation for two years before moving to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to serve as its deputy director for close to three years.

She returned to the city in 2021, this time working for Portland Fire and Rescue in various leadership positions. Most recently, since May 2024, she’s worked for the Oregon Department of Emergency Management in compliance.

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