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Portland City Council candidates Jo Ann Hardesty and Loretta Smith clashed on style and substance at a forum tonight, as Smith looked to cut into Hardesty's 20-point primary lead with a series of jabs.
The forum, presented by the group Race Talks, was moved from Kennedy School to the Crystal Ballroom on West Burnside to accommodate a bigger crowd. A McMenamins employee estimated that 600 people were in attendance—even though it was a hot evening and the venue had no air-conditioning. (Smith said she wouldn't have accepted the invite, had she known about the AC.)
On substance, the strongest distinctions included their response to a question on whether the city should remain in the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a federal law-enforcement partnership that has long been controversial among civil-liberties advocates.
Smith wants Portland to stay in. "I think it's important that we have folks who have information, so everyone is safe," says Smith, while at the same time noting her support for the city as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.
Hardesty said she wants Portland out of the Task Force. And said that she will have three votes on the council for withdrawing from the joint terrorism task force.
"It is shortsighted for us to believe the Joint Terrorism Task Force has kept anyone safe at all," says Hardesty. "That will be my first order of business and I already know what my other two votes are"—a reference to the fact Hardesty would be the third city commissioner opposed, likely with Chloe Eudaly and Amanda Fritz. (Mayor Ted Wheeler has acknowledged Hardesty has the votes if she wins.)
But much of the night's fireworks hinged on personality contrasts.
Despite a rule against personal attacks during the forum, Smith was sharply critical of Hardesty at moments. She took a somewhat oblique personal shot by criticizing the Willamette Week endorsement that Hardesty had just praised. She derided the headline—"Jo Ann Hardesty says she's the angry black woman the City Council needs. We agree."—and said black women shouldn't engage with the stereotype of being angry.
Moderator Tricia Tillman also asked a question almost guaranteed to cause trouble in a hotly contested race: What did the candidates admire about each other? Hardesty gave a one-sentence answer, praising Smith's work with the SummerWorks jobs and internship program. Smith responded: "I would say that Jo Ann knows how to reinvent herself."
As the crowd responded with audible gasps, the moderator Tricia Tillman appeared to rebuke both candidates.
"That was not the spirit, candidates, of this question," said Tillman.