Beloved activist Commissioner JoAnn Hardesty called her opponent to wish him the best as she sung and danced the night away with supporters. Hardesty, meanwhile, was popular among voters in North and Southeast Portland. Some are wondering what is next with that type of support in the city. Hardesty was the first Black woman elected to the Portland City Council.
Portland was hot hard during the pandemic and uprising. Hardesty stood in the gap and listened to the concerns of people fighting against racism and police violence. As a city commissioner, she was one of five people responsible for Portland’s struggles with homelessness and crime.
Rene Gonzalez maintained a lead with 52.63% of the vote, notching 146,142 votes to Hardesty’s 130,610. Hardesty conceded the race to Gonzalez. The long time activist has not made s comment if she plans to run for re-election in 2024 when Portland’s city government will gain eight new city council seats.
Her opponent Gonzalez failed to claim large stretches of Southeast Portland between 60th Ave. and I-205, including the Mt. Tabor and Foster-Powell neighborhoods. Hardesty is a symbol — both in Portland and in many other places in Oregon — for the struggles under a succession of white, male leaders.
In her comments Tuesday night and in a statement Wednesday morning, she pledged to continue fighting for vulnerable Portlanders. She did not indicate whether she might consider running for public office again.
“My hope going forward is that our city will be a place where people of all backgrounds can thrive, where no one is scapegoated because they are poor. This place we call home is suffering,” Hardesty said in an email to supporters. “This is disproportionate and remains rooted in inequality and exclusion. We have made real progress, and now my colleagues on the council and across our community must shoulder the responsibility to create systems of care. My mission remains to help make it so.”
