Jo Ann A. Hardesty (formely Bowman,
born October 15, 1957) is an American
Democratic politician in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
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
woman of color
The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
to serve on the council. A longtime activist for
racial justice
Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...
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
Credit card debt results when a client of a credit card company purchases an item or service through the card system. Debt grows through the accrual of interest and penalties when the consumer fails to repay the company for the money they have ...
, vacation time, and placing a call to 9-1-1 over a dispute with a
Lyft
Lyft, Inc. offers mobility as a service, ride-hailing, vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, and food delivery in the United States and select cities in Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dyn ...
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
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
as one of 10 children born to her
longshoreman
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
father and
stay-at-home mother.
She graduated from
Edmondson-Westside High School
Edmondson-Westside High School is a public high school located in the southwest area known as Edmondson Village of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school is made up of two buildings, the Edmondson Building (located on Athol Avenue) which ...
and earned an Associate of Arts degree in business and accounting from the
Baltimore City Community College.
Career
After graduating from high school, Hardesty joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. She served for six years and was stationed in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
After leaving the Navy, Hardesty settled in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. 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
Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...
Board of Commissioners. She later served as executive director of Oregon Action, and became president of the Portland chapter of the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
in January 2015.
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...
reported Hardesty and the NAACP chapter did not report her income to the IRS or pay taxes on it, which Hardesty then amended.
In 2007 Hardesty began hosting "Voices from the Edge," a progressive talk radio program on
KBOO
KBOO is a non-profit organization, listener-funded FM Community radio station broadcasting from Portland, Oregon. The station's mission is to serve groups in its listening area who are underrepresented on other local radio stations and to provi ...
, 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. Hardesty suspended the show during her 2018 campaign to avoid violating the FCC's
Equal-time rule
The equal-time rule specifies that American radio and television broadcast stations must provide equivalent access to competing political candidates. This means, for example, that if a station broadcasts a message by a candidate in prime time, i ...
, then resumed the show in March 2019.
Portland City Commissioner
2018 race
Hardesty ran for Portland City Council in 2018, for the open seat being vacated by the retiring
Dan Saltzman
Dan Saltzman (born 1953/54) is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon who served as a commissioner (city councilman) on the City Council of Portland in Portland, Oregon, from 1999 through the end of 2018. As of 2017, he had served longer on the ...
. The
alternative newspaper
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...
''
Willamette Week
''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
History
Early history
''Willame ...
'' endorsed Hardesty, stating she was the "best person for the job."
She was also endorsed by AFSCME Local 189, the local branch of the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States. It represents 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees, including health care workers, correcti ...
.
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.
It is now used as a homeless shelter. Hardesty won the race, against
Multnomah County
Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...
Commissioner
Loretta Smith
Loretta Smith (born 1966) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as a Multnomah County, Oregon, Multnomah County commissioner from 2011 to 2018. She ran unsuccessful campaigns for Portland City Commission, Portland City Council i ...
; the final tally showed her receiving 61.8% of the votes cast.
Commissioner term
Hardesty was sworn in as a city commissioner on January 2, 2019.
She is the first Black woman and first woman of color to serve on the council.
She is highly critical of the
Portland Police Bureau
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB), officially the Portland Bureau of Police, is the law enforcement agency of the city of Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. While oversight of Portland's bureaus shifts among the five City ...
. Oregon Public Broadcasting describes Hardesty as "one of the city's most vocal police critic". In 2020, Hardesty voted to cut $18 million in funding from the Portland Police Bureau budget. The vote failed 3–2.
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.
2022 race
Hardesty ran for reelection to City Council on the
2022 ballot.
Hardesty was the first of the three frontrunners for the position who hit her limit on fundraising caps.
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...
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
Earl Francis Blumenauer ( ; born August 16, 1948) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1996. The district includes most of Portland east of the Willamette River.
A member of the Democrat ...
, both from Oregon, and
Multnomah County District Attorney
The Multnomah County Circuit Court, which composes the 4th Judicial District of the Oregon Circuit Court system, is the general jurisdiction trial court of Multnomah County, Oregon. Judith Matarazzo is the presiding judge of the Court, serving wi ...
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 18-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star and a ...
.
''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.
Hardesty placed first in the primary with 44% of the vote.
Having received less than 50% of the vote, she advanced to a runoff in the November 2022 general election.
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. 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. 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.
She conceded the race later that day.
Personal life
Hardesty was married to Skip Elliot Bowman in 2001.
By 2014, she was married to Roger Hardesty.
In November 2020, Hardesty called 9-1-1 during a dispute with a
Lyft
Lyft, Inc. offers mobility as a service, ride-hailing, vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, and food delivery in the United States and select cities in Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dyn ...
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
The ilani Casino Resort ( ) is a casino operated by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and located near La Center, Washington. The casino opened on April 24, 2017, after a lengthy legal battle over the tribe's right to establish a reservation on which to ...
, 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."
The event drew national attention.
Hardesty was erroneously accused of a
hit and run
In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions.
Additional obligation
In many jurisdictions, there may be a ...
in 2021. 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. The Portland Police Bureau confirmed in a letter to Hardesty that the officers' actions were an act of retaliation. 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
Edward Tevis Wheeler (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Portland, Oregon since 2017. He was Oregon State Treasurer from 2010 to 2016.
Wheeler was elected in the 2016 Portland mayoral election and re ...
.
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
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
.
The judge ordered her to pay the full amount.
Hardesty resolved a case with an unknown creditor for $4,400 in unpaid debt in the past.
References
External links
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardestyon City of Portland website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardesty, Jo Ann
1957 births
Living people
African-American state legislators in Oregon
Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
NAACP activists
Politicians from Baltimore
Portland City Council members (Oregon)
Women state legislators in Oregon
African-American women in politics
African-American female military personnel
Female United States Navy personnel
Military personnel from Portland, Oregon
Military personnel from Baltimore
Women city councillors in Oregon
African-American city council members
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
African-American United States Navy personnel