Jo Ann Hardesty
Portland City Commissioner
In office
January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2022
Preceded byDan Saltzman
Succeeded byRene Gonzalez
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 19th district
In office
January 1995 – February 2001
Preceded byAvel Gordly
Succeeded byJackie Dingfelder
Personal details
Born (1957-10-15) October 15, 1957
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Portland, Oregon, U.S.
EducationBaltimore City Community College (AA)
WebsiteJoann for Portland
Military service
Branch/service United States Navy

Jo Ann A. Hardesty (formerly Bowman,[2][3] born October 15, 1957) is an American Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Oregon who served as a Portland City commissioner from 2019 to 2022. She previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1995 until 2001.

Hardesty was the first African American woman and first minority women to serve on the council. A longtime activist for racial justice and other progressive policy issues, she is well known as an advocate for police reform and defunding. In 2021, Portland Police Bureau's internal investigation concluded their officers leaked a false accusation that she was responsible for a hit and run in an act of retaliation. Hardesty faced several controversies during her tenure in office, such as her handling of personal credit card debt, vacation time, and placing a call to 9-1-1 over a dispute with a Lyft driver.

Hardesty stood for the November 2022 election runoff to serve a second term, but lost the seat to challenger Rene Gonzalez.

Early life and education

Hardesty was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland as one of 10 children born to her longshoreman father and stay-at-home mother.[4] She graduated from Edmondson-Westside High School and earned an Associate of Arts degree in business and accounting from the Baltimore City Community College.[5][6]

Career

After graduating from high school, Hardesty joined the United States Navy. She served for six years and was stationed in the Philippines.[7]

After leaving the Navy, Hardesty settled in Portland, Oregon. She was elected to the Oregon House in 1994, holding office until 2001, when she resigned to unsuccessfully run for chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. She later served as executive director of Oregon Action, and became president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP in January 2015.[8][9] Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Hardesty and the NAACP chapter did not report her income to the IRS or pay taxes on it, which Hardesty then amended.[10]

In 2007 Hardesty began hosting "Voices from the Edge," a progressive talk radio program on KBOO, a community radio station in Portland. The call-in show addresses racial disparity, government accountability, environmental justice and politics on local, state and national levels.[11] Hardesty suspended the show during her 2018 campaign to avoid violating the FCC's Equal-time rule, then resumed the show in March 2019.[12]

Portland City Commissioner

2018 race

Hardesty ran for Portland City Council in 2018, for the open seat being vacated by the retiring Dan Saltzman.[13] The alternative newspaper Willamette Week endorsed Hardesty, stating she was the "best person for the job."[14] She was also endorsed by AFSCME Local 189, the local branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.[15] During the race, Hardesty called her top two running-mates "idiots" for their suggestion the unused Wapato Corrections Facility be utilized to house homeless residents.[16] It is now used as a homeless shelter. Hardesty won the race, against Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith; the final tally showed her receiving 61.8% of the votes cast.[17][18][19]

Commissioner term

Hardesty was sworn in as a city commissioner on January 2, 2019.[20][21] She is the first Black woman and first minority woman to serve on the council.[22] She is highly critical of the Portland Police Bureau.[23] Oregon Public Broadcasting describes Hardesty as "one of the city's most vocal police critic".[24] In 2020, Hardesty voted to cut $18 million in funding from the Portland Police Bureau budget. The vote failed 3–2.[25][26]

As acting Fire Commissioner, Hardesty was criticized for her month-long vacation in August 2021, which coincides with peak fire season in the region. "That means she will not be available for feedback, council or check-ins. We do not make exceptions for this," announced her chief of staff of the move. This was the first time in over twenty years that a city commissioner took a full month away from the position.[27]

2022 race

Hardesty ran for reelection to City Council on the 2022 ballot.[28] Hardesty was the first of the three frontrunners for the position who hit her limit on fundraising caps.[29] Oregon Public Broadcasting reported over a dozen "union and left-leaning advocacy groups" had endorsed Hardesty as of April 2022, as well as U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, both from Oregon, and Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.[30] Willamette Week also endorsed Hardesty for the second time, an endorsement which the newspaper's editorial department stated was met with "frustration and scorn" from readers and respondents.[31] Hardesty placed first in the primary with 44% of the vote.[32]

Having received less than 50% of the vote, she advanced to a runoff in the November 2022 general election.[33] Portland Firefighters Association announced in September 2022 that it was not endorsing Hardesty who was assigned to manage Portland Fire & Rescue. The union announced it is instead endorsing her opponent Rene Gonzalez.[34] In October 2022, Willamette Week withdrew their May support for Hardesty stating "Hardesty has proven unwilling or unable to make a compromise with those who disagree with her, and that's why we're withdrawing our May endorsement" and changed their endorsement to her opponent Rene Gonzalez.[35] While the election results had not been officially certified, The Oregonian announced Gonzalez had won by early November 9, saying he had "soundly defeated" Hardesty.[36] She conceded the race later that day.[37]

Personal life

Hardesty was married to Skip Elliott Bowman in 1995; they divorced in 2008.[2] By 2014, she was married to Roger Hardesty.[38]

In November 2020, Hardesty called 9-1-1 during a dispute with a Lyft driver. The driver had refused to roll up a window, citing Lyft's pandemic air circulation recommendations. Hardesty was picked up from Ilani Casino Resort, and was about to be unexpectedly dropped off at a closing filling station along I-5 when she called 911 to report safety concerns about being about to be left alone on the side of the road in the dark, telling the dispatcher, "Well, I've got a Lyft driver that decided he would just drop me off at a filling station. Well, I'm not getting out of the car, in the dark, at a filling station, not happening - all because I asked him to put the window up. I'm not leaving."[39][40][41] The event drew national attention.[42]

Hardesty was erroneously accused of a hit and run in 2021.[43] An internal investigation at the Portland Police Bureau found that there was no evidence behind the claims, and that the report claiming the incident was fabricated and disseminated to news outlets by three PPB officers, one of whom was acting as union president at the time. Hardesty has since filed a $3 million lawsuit against the Portland Police Association.[44] The Portland Police Bureau confirmed in a letter to Hardesty that the officers' actions were an act of retaliation.[45] Additionally, as a result of an internal affairs investigation, two of the officers involved received formal disciplinary action, and the former union president was fired by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler.[46]

In March 2022, Hardesty failed to appear in Multnomah County Circuit Court relating to $16,000 in unpaid credit card debt she had accumulated. The debt was accumulated between two credit card accounts through the Bank of America.[47] The judge ordered her to pay the full amount.[48] Hardesty resolved a case with an unknown creditor for $4,400 in unpaid debt in the past.[49]

In September 2023, Hardesty settled with the Portland Police Union with Hardesty receiving $680,000 over the claim two police officers who leaked information implicating Hardesty as a hit and run suspect. The police union's insurance carrier decided to offer a settlement.[50]

References

  1. ↑ "Jo Ann Bowman's Biography". Project VoteSmart. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Aguirre, Richard R. (March 16, 2001). "Representative Says Goodbye". Statesman Journal. p. 19. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Bundick, Nick (October 13, 2016). "Feud erupts over activism style". Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022. Jo Ann Hardesty, formerly Jo Ann Bowman, served as an aide to former Multnomah County Chair Bev Stein before winning a House seat
  4. ↑ Stevens, Suzanne (October 3, 2019). "City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty on sailing the world and the rewards of laughter". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  5. ↑ Parks, Casey (June 19, 2015). "Portland NAACP president says organization needs white members: 'It's a matter of survival'". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "Candidate's Statement for County Voters' Pamphlet" (PDF). multco. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  7. ↑ Queenz, UWB Zine (2019-06-10), "Jo Ann Hardesty", Badass Womxn in the Pacific Northwest, University of Washington Bothell and University of Washington Libraries, archived from the original on 2021-06-04, retrieved 2021-06-04
  8. ↑ "Joann Bowman Resigns from Oregon Action". The Skanner. April 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  9. ↑ Smith, Donovan L. (January 20, 2015). "New NAACP President JoAnn Hardesty on Civil Rights Now". The Skanner. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ Templeton, Amelia (September 17, 2018). "Jo Ann Hardesty Resurrected Local NAACP, With Scant Attention To Fiscal Oversight". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Voices from the Edge". KBOO. 2007-03-17. Archived from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ Redden, Jim (March 7, 2019). "Sources: Hardesty returns to KBOO Thursday mornings". Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  13. ↑ Monahan, Rachel (August 4, 2017). "Jo Ann Hardesty, Former Legislator and Head of NAACP Portland, Running for City Council Seat". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  14. ↑ "WW's May 2018 Portland City Council Endorsements". Willamette Week. April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  15. ↑ Friedman, Gordon R. (July 12, 2018). "Jo Ann Hardesty gets Portland City Council endorsement from key union". The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  16. ↑ Monahan, Rachel (April 2, 2018). "City Council Candidate Jo Ann Hardesty Says "Idiots" Are Seeking to House Homeless People at the Unused Wapato Jail". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  17. ↑ Monahan, Rachel; Shepherd, Katie (November 6, 2018). "Jo Ann Hardesty Is the First Black Woman Elected to Portland City Council". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  18. ↑ Templeton, Amelia (November 6, 2018). "Portland Voters Elect Hardesty As 1st Woman Of Color To City Council". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Jo Ann Hardesty". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  20. ↑ Monahan, Rachel (January 2, 2019). "Jo Ann Hardesty Officially Becomes the First African-American Woman to Serve on Portland City Council". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  21. ↑ Friedman, Gordon (January 2, 2019). "Jo Ann Hardesty sworn in to city council, cementing Portland's liberal legacy". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  22. ↑ Templeton, Amelia (November 6, 2018). "Portland Voters Elect Hardesty As 1st Woman Of Color To City Council". OPB. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Hardesty heads to runoff in Portland City Council race, will face Gonzalez or Mozyrsky". KOIN.com. May 19, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  24. ↑ "Portland fire union declines to endorse bureau's boss, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty". OPB. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  25. ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (5 November 2020). "Portland City Council Rejects Commissioner Hardesty's $18 Million Police Cut". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  26. ↑ "Proposal to further cut Portland Police Bureau budget fails". OPB. November 5, 2020. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  27. ↑ Monahan, Rachel (July 2, 2021). "Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Will Take August Off". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  28. ↑ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (April 25, 2022). "Portland police union backs Rene Gonzalez in race to unseat Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  29. ↑ Ellis, Rebecca (May 12, 2022). "Rich donors take major advantage of a loophole in Portland's public campaign financing system". OPB. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  30. ↑ Ellis, Rebecca (April 28, 2022). "Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty faces two challenges from the center". OPB. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Readers Respond to Our Endorsement of Jo Ann Hardesty". Willamette Week. May 9, 2022. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  32. ↑ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (May 20, 2022). "Which Portland neighborhoods voted for Jo Ann Hardesty and Rene Gonzalez: Interactive map". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  33. ↑ Ellis, Rebecca (May 17, 2022). "Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty appears headed to a runoff against 1 of 2 centrist challengers". OPB. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Portland firefighters, police back Hardesty's opponent for commissioner". KOIN.com. 2022-09-14. Archived from the original on 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  35. ↑ "WW's General Election 2022 Endorsements: Portland City Hall". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-11-06. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  36. ↑ Dixon Kavanaugh, Shane (November 9, 2022). "Rene Gonzalez, with law-and-order focus, ousts Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in contentious City Council race". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022. Portland businessman and political newcomer Rene Gonzalez soundly defeated incumbent City Council member Jo Ann Hardesty in a bruising race that offered striking contrasts in track records and policy and competing visions for how to best bring the city's multiple crises under control.
  37. ↑ Peel, Sophie (November 9, 2022). "City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Concedes to Rene Gonzalez". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  38. ↑ Theriault, Denis C. (June 16, 2014). "New Timeline to Hire Federal Police Reform Monitor: Sometime in August". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022. Citing my column, Hardesty on Monday week wrote a stinging open letter to city council about the lag. She and her husband, Roger Hardesty, also held forth on their consulting firm's Facebook page.
  39. ↑ Bernstein, Maxine (2020-11-10). "Jo Ann Hardesty, Portland city commissioner, calls 911, refuses to get out of Lyft car after driver cancels ride". Oregon Live. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  40. ↑ "Hardesty, Lyft driver each call 911 during ride from ilani". CBS. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  41. ↑ Millward, David (November 11, 2020). "US official demanding police spending cuts dials 911 in dispute with Lyft driver". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Portland Commissioner Hardesty's re-election campaign 'exceeds early fundraising goals'". KPTV.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-10-27. Hardesty has previously drawn national attention in 2020 for calling 911 on a Lyft driver after the driver refused to roll their window up
  43. ↑ "Portland police confirm Commissioner Hardesty had nothing to do with Wednesday hit-and-run". opb. Archived from the original on 2022-11-11. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  44. ↑ Levinson, Jonathan (December 30, 2021). "Investigation documented 3rd Portland officer who leaked false Hardesty hit-and-run report". OPB. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  45. ↑ Mann, David (March 1, 2022). "Portland police officer fired after falsely identifying Hardesty as hit-and-run suspect". KGW8. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  46. ↑ "City disciplines 2 other Portland police officers for leaking false information about Hardesty". KGW8. March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  47. ↑ Dixon Kavanaugh, Shane (March 29, 2022). "Portland commissioner hit with $16,000 judgment over unpaid credit card bills". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Portland's Jo Ann Hardesty is no-show in court debt hearing". Portland Tribune. March 29, 2022. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  49. ↑ Chasmar, Jessica (December 19, 2021). "Portland commissioner defends herself as 'budget hawk' after second creditor sues her over personal debt". Fox Business. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  50. ↑ Gaitán, Catalina (2023-09-21). "$680K settles Jo Ann Hardesty lawsuit against Portland police union". oregonlive. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
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