Recently, Portland city commissioner and mayoral hopeful Rene Gonzalez spent over $6,000 of taxpayer money to make favorable edits to his Wikipedia page, as detailed in a new report.
In March, Gonzalez’s office enlisted the services of WhiteHatWiki, a company based in New York City, to implement the desired modifications to his Wikipedia profile, according to a report by OregonLive, which cited documents acquired through a public records request. Additionally, he asked for WhiteHatWiki professionals to train a “designee” on how to submit future edit requests, per the outlet.
The Wikipedia consultancy describes itself as “the leading ‘white hat’ ethical provider for Wikipedia strategy and problem solving, including crisis management,” as stated on its website.
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In this photo illustration, a silhouetted woman holds a smartphone with the Wikipedia logo displayed on the screen. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
WhiteHatWiki managed eight edit requests from Gonzalez, according to his chief of staff, Shah Smith, who spoke to OregonLive. However, the Wikipedia edit history indicates that only four of these edits received approval.
The confirmed edits included the addition of information regarding Gonzalez’s law degree at the beginning of his Wikipedia profile and an extra line detailing his efforts to pass a public drug use ban in Portland in 2023.
Requests that were not approved included one from Gonzalez to emphasize his father’s “Mexican American” heritage in the “Early life and career” section of his biography, as noted in the Wikipedia edit history.
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Gonzalez has positioned himself as a centrist who supports law and order. (Portland Police Bureau/Facebook)
The commissioner proposed changing the wording from “Gonzalez was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where his father worked as a trial judge and federal prosecutor” to “Gonzalez was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where his father, a Mexican American, worked as a trial judge and federal prosecutor.”
The volunteer editor denied this request, stating that his father’s ethnicity was already included in the personal life section of his profile.
When questioned about whether the expenditure of $6,400 was justified, the commissioner’s chief of staff strongly defended Gonzalez.
“Political adversaries working against progress are savvy and seek to manipulate events and their significance,” he remarked to OregonLive.
“To advance Portland, we need to be innovative in both our policy development and public discourse. This requires inventiveness in managing our public image and in educating our staff,” he added, according to the outlet.
Gonzalez, a self-identified “lifelong Democrat,” is one of the eight candidates vying for the mayoral position in Portland’s upcoming election this November, following Ted Wheeler’s decision not to pursue a third term. Gonzalez has served on the Portland City Commission since January 2023.
Gonzalez has faced vandalism as a political newcomer, portraying himself as a centrist who endorses law and order. His campaign headquarters has experienced multiple instances of broken windows leading up to the 2022 election, where he unseated incumbent Jo Ann Hardesty, an advocate for defunding the police. In 2024, self-identified anarchists claimed responsibility for “setting fire to a car” near a city commissioner’s residence.
PORTLAND, OR – AUGUST 30: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced that he would not seek reelection. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Gonzalez has not responded to Fox News Digital’s inquiry for comments.
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Ted Wheeler was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Throughout his tenure, Portland has confronted numerous challenges, such as soaring rates of homelessness and violent crime. His time in office also saw the city become a national focal point for protests and riots related to racial justice, which included months of nightly, often violent demonstrations, as well as the rise of Antifa.
A poll conducted in May 2024 revealed that an astounding 70% of voters in the Portland area disapprove of the current leadership by city council members and Wheeler.
Fox News’ Megan Myers and Hannah Ray Lambert contributed to this report.
