What We’re Fighting For
We need bold leadership that makes no excuses and has the courage to address the urgent needs of the City of Portland.
The people of Portland are our greatest strength. We are persevering as a community through one of the most terrible periods in our city’s history. I am heartbroken by the suffering on our streets and the struggles of hardworking families. Every day I see ordinary Portlanders offering a helping hand, and believing in one another. We are in a moment that demands bold and proven leadership. To me, this means being honest about the problems we face, collaborating on solutions, and having the courage and political will to fight for community-driven solutions.
Our policy platform promises a livable , safe, and equitable future for our beautiful city. Portlanders agree that we want to stop the violence, clean up the streets, and house everyone. No exceptions, no scapegoats. In partnership with the community, we won historic and impactful policies. In my 3 years on council, I have championed the highly effective Portland Street Response that reduces the workload on our Police Bureau, established the nationally recognized Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund that is building our Green Economy, and at the height of the George Floyd demonstrations, led the police reform measure that 82% of voters approved, establishing new standards of transparency and accountability.
Each day I am inspired by the people of Portland, their resilience, their gifts, and their vision for our beautiful city.
Jo Ann Hardesty
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Expanding Community Safety
A cornerstone of community safety is trust. From ending gun violence and domestic violence, to reforming our crisis response infrastructure, I will work to ensure a sense of safety for our children and families here in Portland. This means having the right emergency response at the right time, and upholding high standards for accountability and community oversight.
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Housing for All
Safe, healthy, and affordable housing is a human right. Yet even with the median family income $96,900 for a family of 4 we do not have enough housing for middle and low income Portlanders. A successful affordable housing strategy requires a collaborative approach, advocating at the federal, state, county and local levels. We need a range of housing to serve Portlanders at every income level, especially those in the range of 30-60% of Median Family Income.
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Transportation & Climate Justice
Our streets are for people first. This means prioritizing safety, neighborhood connectivity, and fulfilling our promise to neighborhoods that lack basic infrastructure. We must also calm high-crash corridors. With new state and federal funding, we anticipate having the capacity to fund significantly more new projects. Because transportation contributes 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, leading the region, we need urgent and bold action to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
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Equity & Access
Every resident in Portland deserves a basic measure of humanity - a steady job, a stable home, safe streets, quality schools - and Jo Ann believes this means both governing to ensure access to our political process and leading with equity in our policy-making. This means being intentional about who lives in our communities by developing new leadership and innovative ways of engaging Portlanders in culturally-specific ways.
More details coming soon.