Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty supporters skewer challenger Rene Gonzalez over his group’s conservativ

Portland City Council candidate Rene Gonzalez came under fire Tuesday because an advocacy group he created during the pandemic to fight school closures supported school board candidates backed by organizations that oppose reproductive rights, acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth and some equity initiatives.

The attacks came from a handful of parents aligned with incumbent Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, whose campaign organized a press conference outside of Portland City Hall. Ballots for the Nov. 8 election are set to arrive at households within the coming days.

“Rene Gonzalez did not fight for our kids,” said Marcus Mundy, executive director of the Coalition of Communities of Color and its lobbying arm Building Power for Communities of Color, who spoke as both the head of a racial and social justice organization and as a father of four.

“Instead, he chose his own narrow agenda over LGBTQ kids, kids of color, kids who deserve to know about our history of race in this country.”

In 2020, Gonzalez, a lawyer and business owner, co-founded ED300, which led a statewide lobbying effort to reopen public schools and resume student activities amid COVID-19.

He and members of the group argued that ongoing school closures would cause tremendous academic and social harm to children, a view that Oregon educators, policymakers and public health officials pushed back against at the time.

The experience, Gonzalez says, was a catalyst for his decision to run for City Council. As a candidate, the father of three has relentlessly focused on livability issues, such as rising crime and unsanctioned homeless camps, and their impact on families with children.

Last year, ED300 endorsed more than two dozen school board candidates across the state. More than half were also backed by conservative, often-religiously aligned groups.

Among them: Oregon Right to Life, Oregon Moms Union and the Oregon Family Council.

Hardesty, who faces steep re-election odds as Portland voters fume over current city leadership, challenged Gonzalez on ED300′s links to these organizations during a recent debate hosted by OPB’s “Think Out Loud.”

Her opponent defended them, saying his organization was solely focused on school openings.

“I worked with the folks that shared that vision and commitment and we stayed entirely focused on what we agreed upon and not upon what we disagreed on,” he said. “And so that was the necessity of the moment. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Outside City Hall, Rashelle Chase Miller argued that Gonzalez and his group failed to uphold values cherished by a vast majority of Portlanders.

“He made horrible compromises that will harm children across the state” said Miller, an early childhood educator and founder of PDX Mxm Bloc, a mutual aid group. “He has shown his judgment cannot be trusted.”

In a statement Tuesday, Gonzalez campaign manager Shah Smith dismissed the press conference as a political stunt by a vulnerable incumbent looking to shake up the race.

“Rene is pro-choice and supports marrying who you love,” Smith said. “Today’s event by our opponent’s supporters is just another attempt to distract voters from her failures on crime and homelessness. It is an attempt to divide the city at a time when we need to work together to address our most urgent issues.”

— Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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