Portland’s defund the police commissioner, Jo Ann Hardesty, reportedly was ousted during Tuesday’s election by challenging political newcomer Rene Gonzalez.
Hardesty, a staunch progressive, conceded to lifelong Democrat Gonzalez on Wednesday.
“Earlier today, I offered my congratulations to Mr. Rene Gonzalez,” Hardesty said in a statement provided to KOIN by campaign manager Joseph Santos-Lyons. “I wished him well in his new role.”
“Comm. Hardesty just called to congratulate & wish me luck in my new role,” Rene for Portland also tweeted. “I want to thank her for her service to the city. Will have more news on celebration & transition soon, but do want to thank staff, donors, vols & my family for all the help.”
“Time to restore Portland!” Gonzalez’s campaign added.
PORTLAND POLICE UNION RAILS AGAINST ‘DEFUND POLICE’ COMMISSIONER AFTER RIOT SQUAD RESIGNATIONS
Hardesty, a leader of the local defund the police movement who galvanized Portland voters in 2020 to approve a ballot measure for a new civilian-run police oversight board, failed to resonate with the public’s since shifting concerns over public safety amid Portland’s surging violent crime and prolific homelessness encampments.
Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty addresses protesters as they take part in a rally against police brutality in Portland, Oregon late July 24, 2020.
(KATHRYN ELSESSER/AFP via Getty Images)
Last week, Hardesty, the first Black woman to serve on City Council, was the sole commissioner to vote against a resolution to create at least three large, designated campsites and ban the rest of the roughly 700 encampments currently scattered across the city. The proposal says more than 3,000 people are homeless in Portland, a 50% jump from 2019.
“I am proud of the values we represented and the accomplishments we brought to life in Portland,” Hardesty told supporters after she conceded on Wednesday, according to The Oregonian. “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.”
Gonzalez, a 48-year-old manager for both a law firm and a software company, campaigned as a centrist supporting law and order and dedicated to restoring livability in the city his family has called home for five generations.
Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty speaks to protestors during a candlelight vigil to support…
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