I am running because I have broad, relevant education, elected and work experience that I believe will help our city find meaningful solutions to our myriad municipal challenges. I'm running because I love the place we live in and I believe we need a city council that is willing to work together, among a diversity of opinions, to find solutions that make Portland more livable for everyone: from our youngest to our oldest residents.
Housing + Affordability: We need more affordable and middle housing, and the city plays a key role in fostering new development. Housing costs for renters and owners rise yearly with the property tax levy. Since 2022, residents have absorbed 4.8, 5.9, 5.0, 7.4 and 4.9% increases. Everyday costs are squeezing wallets; the city's budget must be in check and reflect investments people value most.
Safety: Everyone should feel safe in Portland. Whether at home or in the neighborhood, doing errands, going to and from work or school, walking, driving, everyone deserves to feel safe from harm.
Transportation: We need to make generational investments to improve safe walking, running and biking.
I believe we need to work to change Maine’s town-by-town approach to General Assistance so that town, city, county and state governments coordinate responses to homelessness, mental health crises and substance use disorder. One city’s response, supported by local property tax revenue, is not enough to address the loss of statewide services and the many needs that exist. Portland works hard and invests both in compliance with GA and beyond in shelter, services and support, but even in partnership with local nonprofits, it's not enough. I believe we have an opportunity to work with the Legislature, county government and the Governor to move from a decentralized system to one with better coordination and outcomes.
I think we need to always be looking at the latest research and data to inform our municipal decisions.
At this time, I believe Portland (Maine) ought to revisit the decision of a 100:1 needle exchange. Here are a few resources that help inform my thinking at this time: NYT “Cities Move Away From Strategies That Make Drug Use Safer”, The Atlantic's The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs, NIH: Harm Reduction Services to Prevent and Treat Infectious Diseases in People Who Use Drugs.
I believe harm reduction policies are well intended, and that they need to help people move to recovery. I also believe that people who live and work in Portland should be able to traverse the city’s streets, parks, pathways and schoolyards without coming upon a used needle.
To best serve Portland, we need to study, seek engagement of broad content area experts, and together determine how to move from 100:1 to another policy model that will seek to address people openly using needles on public streets, sidewalks and in parks to a model that preserves people’s dignity while also prioritizing health and safety in all public places.
We must always be evaluating what works and what doesn’t, and in the context of municipal policy evaluation we need to consider impacts to many constituencies. I am open minded to safe injection prevention centers as part of a larger policy context with clear goals so that we can build in evaluation. That said, I don’t think consideration of a safe injection site is a stand alone policy; I believe it could be considered as part of a more responsive and comprehensive policy response to needle distribution and use in our community.
I don’t believe homelessness, substance use disorder or mental health crisis to be a quick-fix kind of situation. There will always be people in crisis, who need help and compassion.
I think Maine’s towns, counties and the state will always be responding to people who need help.
First - we need to work hard, across the whole state, to have enough shelter, detox and recovery beds available, in addition to supported housing and transitional housing, close to where people are from, where they have friends, family and community.
I think the ideal is to meet as many people as possible at the moment by pairing them with available shelter and treatment.
If we can consistently pair those who need shelter and treatment I hope we can reduce the number of people at any one time who are in crisis because we are working as effectively as possible to keep pace with need.
Portland-based nonprofits do good and hard work to help people in need. I appreciate the work they do.
I believe Portland’s conditional use permit process, allowing both the city and operators/nonprofit to inform the what, where and how is good practice - and - it needs consistent engagement by all parties, including neighborhood groups, to assess and address effectiveness and impacts.
I do believe there is an important and active role for the city to play in the administration of services for the unhoused and also when services are provided outdoors, ie: food distribution.
To the question of licensing, I am open minded, and I am interested to know if the Portland Mayor, City Council and city staff are working with the City of Lewiston to understand how their October 2024 AN ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO HOMELESS SHELTERS is working.
Portland desperately needs more affordable housing. That means exploring all avenues with open minds and working to help create conditions that are beneficial to the creation of expanded and expedited housing opportunities in Portland as we have with Recode.
We need to add inventory for so many: including but not limited to the elderly, those who perform critical life, safety and education functions, people who work in the arts, culture, food and drink industries that help define our sense of place and local economy.
We also need supported housing for people in transition from homelessness. And we need housing that meets certain income eligibility requirements.
Beyond new development, I'm encouraged by restoration and reuse of buildings for housing and business, and believe the city has a larger role to play in fostering reuse.
I believe Portland and South Portland’s shared commitment to One Climate Future offers a solid long term plan for response to and planning in anticipation of climate and sea level rise change. I also believe the Maine Won’t Wait plan offers ambitious but realistic goals, within which all municipalities play an important role.
We all feel the impacts of climate change and sea level rise in real time. Life in Maine is changing, getting warmer and wetter. I believe we should do all we can to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and sea level rise. I will work aggressively to make investments in and improvements to local transportation infrastructure that allows us to move about by foot and bike safely are critical, and I am open to all local policy that will help us lower our carbon footprint.
Managing the municipal budget while being mindful of individual pocketbooks is critical.
Property owners, renters, those who work in Portland and those who visit all bear the impacts of increased costs, and it’s imperative that local elected officials are always mindful of the choices being made annually within the budget and how increases impact the various constituent groups.
During my time on the school board, we had to make cuts in overall spending due to the 2008 financial crisis and resulting years-long effects. I have also been involved in municipal budgets that seek to increase revenues by way of levers like parking meter charges and purple bag cost increases.
I think we need municipal officials who are constantly assessing drivers within the municipal budget as well as external factors that impact individual spending so that we’re managing within context and respectful of complex inputs.
I haven’t seen the proposal to reduce traffic on all streets to 20mph. That said, I am in favor of decreased speed limits to improve safety overall.
I am in favor of prioritizing and funding safe public infrastructure for people on bicycles, people walking, people pushing strollers, and people running, through our annual municipal budget.
We can never know exactly what’s coming down the pike. I urge Portland voters to think about how candidates will respond to the known issues, but also those that may surprise us. I offer Portlanders my experience, and also an open mind, a willingness to learn and to collaborate.