Jo Ann Hardesty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jo Ann Hardesty
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| Portland City Commissioner | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Saltzman |
| Succeeded by | Rene Gonzalez |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 19th district |
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| In office January 1995 – February 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Avel Gordly |
| Succeeded by | Jackie Dingfelder |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1957 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residences | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Education | Baltimore City Community College (AA) |
| Website | Joann for Portland |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
Jo Ann A. Hardesty (formerly Bowman, 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.
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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. She graduated from Edmondson-Westside High School 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. She served for six years and was stationed in the Philippines.
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. 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.
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. Hardesty suspended the show during her 2018 campaign to avoid violating the FCC's Equal-time rule, 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. She won the race, against Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith; 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 minority woman to serve on the council. She is highly critical of the Portland Police Bureau. 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 stood for the November 2022 election runoff to serve a second term, but lost the seat to challenger Rene Gonzalez.
Personal life
Hardesty was married to Skip Elliott Bowman in 1995; they divorced in 2008. By 2014, she was married to Roger Hardesty.
