Sense &
Sensibility
‘City
of
Roses’
Volume XLVIII • Number 2
Opposition Grows
on Warnings
Portland Center
Stage’s fresh
take on female-
centered classic
See Metro, page 9
NAACP, music
venues say new
requirements will
bring displacement
See Local News, page 3
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • January 9, 2019
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Longtime political activist Jo Ann Hardesty introduces members of her staff on her first day in office as a Portland City Commissioner, the first African-American woman
to hold the office and the third black city commissioner in City Hall history. Derik Bradly (left) is Hardesty’s policy director and Matt McNally is her community outreach
director. See additional photo with other members of Hardesty’s staff on page 15, inside.
A New Seat of Power
Tables turned as
activist Hardesty
takes office
by D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
Jo Ann Hardesty has taken office as Portland’s newest
City Commissioner, a historic benchmark for the city both
in terms of seating its first African American woman on
the City Council and tilting the governing panel to a wom-
an-majority for the first time in its history.
Hardesty, 61, is no stranger to City Hall, but mostly
in the role of a long-time political activist and critic of
city policies. On Jan. 2 she assumed political power for
the first time on the five-member council following a No-
vember General Election victory over former Multnomah
County Commissioner Loretta Smith. She replaces former
City Commissioner Dan Saltzman who did not run for
re-election after 20 years in office.
Hardesty’s priorities include improving Portland’s
houseless crisis by creating more affordable housing ini-
tiatives, stepping up efforts at police accountability, and
making public transportation more accessible.
The Navy veteran, former state representative, and
former Portland NAACP president, is the third African
American to be on the Portland City Council, but the first
since 1992. She has led a working class life, living in outer
east Portland, and has volunteered on numerous non-profit
boards, gaining a public following with her activism ef-
forts for police reform.
Hardesty was sworn in by the first African American
justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, Adrienne Nelson.
C ontinueD on p age 15