Questionnaire

Portland Press Herald

Occupation

Not employed

Age

56

Length of time residing in town/county where seeking office

32 years

Party affiliation

Democrat (but Portland’s City Council is non-partisan)

Office seeking

Portland City Council, At-Large seat

Other personal/biographical information pertinent to the role (Limit to 200 characters, which is about 30 words)

Elected to school board chair, finance chair . Mayor through Covid. Worked in private sector, for state government, the Foundation for PPS. Served on fundraising cmte for Rising Eddy. UNE Trustee.

Education

BA - Skidmore College, 1992

Masters in Public Policy & Management - University of Southern Maine, Muskie School, 2008

Previous times you have run for elected office and previous elected offices held. List years of elections won and lost and years in office.

Portland School Board, At-Large - ran 2007, served 2007-2010

Portland School Board, At-Large - ran 2010, served 2010-2013

Portland Mayor, ran 2019, served 2019-2023

What are your top three top priorities? (Limit to 500 characters, which is about 75 words)

Affordability:

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.

Housing:

We need more affordable and middle housing, and the city plays a key role in fostering new development.

Transportation:

We need to make generational investments to improve safe walking, running and biking.

Why are you running? (Limit to 500 characters, which is about 75 words)

I'm running because I love the place we live and have broad, relevant experience that I believe will help our city find meaningful solutions to our daily challenges.

I will work to align increases in the city's annual budget with services people value most.

I will work to foster the creation of more housing.

I will work to address how we respond to crises on our streets.

I will lead efforts to invest in infrastructure to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

What is the biggest challenge facing Portland? The biggest opportunity?(Limit to 500 characters, which is about 75 words)

We don't have enough housing to meet demand, which drives up costs.

Add high construction and financing costs, and development or renovation becomes challenging for any housing developer. Thus, new units lag the market's needs.

The biggest opportunity is housing and intentional development of neighborhood nodes.

With more housing and development, we can shape how neighborhoods evolve to prioritize everyday life for residents.

Our biggest challenge and opportunity are the same.

Do you support more development – i.e. more housing construction and business building in Portland? Why or why not? (Limit to 500 characters, which is about 75 words)

Yes. Portland desperately needs more affordable housing including for those who perform critical life, safety and education functions, as well as for those in the arts, culture, food and drink industries that help define our sense of place and local economy.

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.

Recode has opened opportunities, let’s take them.

If you could change one thing about how Portland functions, what would it be and why? (Limit to 500 characters, which is about 75 words)

I believe we need to change our 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. Portland works hard and invests in shelter, services and support, but even in partnership with local nonprofits, it's not enough. We have an opportunity to work with the Legislature, counties and Governor to move from a decentralized system to one with better coordination and outcomes.