2019 Year in Review

Blog Post
2019 review of Commissioner Hardesty's first year in office
Published

Every month, Commissioner Hardesty emails updates to constituents to keep you informed of the work that is happening in city hall and what to expect in the coming months. You can view this month's email message here.

2019 has been a year of many firsts. 

Members of the public sit in the balcony of council chambers with their hands raised holding a thumbs up

As my team and I wrap up our first year in City Hall, I would like to thank you, the community, for being there every step of the way as we tackle some of our city’s biggest issues. Over a year ago, I told Portlanders what they can expect me to focus on: Access, Environment, Police, and Housing. Almost one year later, I want to share some highlights of what we accomplished together: 

JTTF. Within the first 30 days of entering office, we hit the ground running, pushing City Council to successfully vote to withdraw Portland from the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).  

People’s Budget. In preparation for the 2019-2020 city budget, our office hosted a People’s Budget Meeting to give Portlanders the opportunity to learn about how the city budget works and to tell our office what the community’s priorities are. I took everything we heard from the community and brought it with me when I proposed my suggestions for a budget that reflects the community’s needs.

Bringing City Hall to the community and bringing the community into City Hall. Last year I made a campaign promise to Portlanders that I would do my best to make sure the voices and ideas of the community are welcomed, heard, and included at city hall. My office held four community conversations in different parts of the city, with over 250 attendees. These events included providing interpretation, translation, space for children, and an accessible location. We do this because I am committed to making sure that meetings are welcoming and accessible for all Portlanders to participate. Whether it’s holding stakeholder meetings, asking for community feedback, inviting community members to pack city hall or testify, I take every policy item as an opportunity to ask the basic question: “are those with the lived experience or impacted by the policy included in the policy’s development?” 

Setting the Portland Clean Energy Fund up for success. In November, City Council voted to approve the final inaugural Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) committee members. This was a major milestone for PCEF, and we now have in place the grant committee members responsible for setting up and disbursing the funds to support living wage jobs, sustainable agriculture, green infrastructure, and residential/commercial renewable and efficiency projects in the Portland area. I look forward to supporting the leadership of this group

Portland Street Response. Perhaps one of the most exciting highlights to end on, after months of collaboration and input, the Portland Street Response pilot implementation plan was approved unanimously by City Council in late November. With over 800 endorsements, Portland Street Response envisions a more compassionate response to low acuity calls by providing a new branch of first responders with mental health and emergency medical training.  

There are also issues we took on but would not have known about without an engaged Portlanders like you, including looking into the contract between ICE and Portland Police Bureaureaffirming a person’s right to safe and legal abortion, and working with our labor partners on a labor peace agreement.

A group stands in council chambers, holding a banner that reads Fund Abortion Build Power

What’s next for 2020?  

Facial Recognition Software Ban. We are leading the way in protecting Portlanders’ privacy and civil rights as we develop a public and private sector ban on facial recognition software. Study after study has shown the major biases and inaccuracies this technology presents when reviewing faces of women and people of color. On top of the systemic flaws, there currently is no regulation around how and when your information is captured, and what happens to your image once it’s captured (whether it’s stored, sold, shared, etc.). A second work session is scheduled for January 28 to discuss the ban, followed by a series of community events to discuss how the policy impacts Portlanders. 

Fossil fuels. Recently, City Council voted to re-adopt a ban on new fossil fuel infrastructure. We continue tackling the dangers fossil fuels pose to our planet, community health, and resiliency by collaborating with bureau partners, the County. 

PPA contract. Contract negotiations with Portland Police Association is set to begin next year, and I look forward to making sure the public is educated on the bargaining process and able to have your thoughts and concerns heard by City Council. We started a community conversation about the upcoming negotiations through a series of public listening sessions, and my hope for this cycle is that we are able to come to an agreement that reflects the welfare and interest of the public. If you missed the two listening sessions on the contract and would like to offer your input to the city, you can do that here.

Portland Street Response pilot implementation. While we continue fine-tuning the program details, including meeting with our labor partners, here’s what you can expect for the pilot: the pilot will service the Lents neighborhood, and the two-person team will be dispatched to 9-1-1 calls where the person(s) are not violent towards others, not suicidal, and have no known access to weapons.  

Community events. Building from the success of our Community Conversations, I’m looking forward to hosting more events with the community in 2020. Similar to Community Conversations, these events will be held throughout different parts of Portland. Beyond hosting community events, my goal for 2020 is to push City Council to host more council meetings in the community during more accessible times. I also look forward to releasing an executive summary of what we learned from you last year at our events. 

Thank you, Portland, for having me as your City Commissioner. The issues we face are complex and they won’t be solved overnight, but I want to take a moment to appreciate and acknowledge you, your advocacy, and your involvement in making Portland a city that works for all its residents. We accomplished and learned a lot in 2019, and I know we’re entering 2020 with that momentum to continue tackling the things Portlanders are most concerned about. I hope you will continue joining me as we work to make sure our values are reflected in City Hall. 

Happy holidays and happy new year.