Portland, Maine City Council
Encyclopedia
The Portland, Maine City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Portland, Maine
. It is 9 seat council, composed of representatives from the city's five districts as well as 4 councilors elected citywide. Beginning with the Portland, Maine mayoral election, 2011
, one of the four at-large councilors will be a full-time elected Mayor of Portland. 8 of the 9 City Councilors are elected for three year terms, while the 2010 recreation of the elected Mayor serves for four years. The Council is officially non-partisan, though councilors are well known for their political party affiliation. In 1923, the system changed from a strong mayor system to a weak, largely ceremonial mayor position due to the influence of the Maine Ku Klux Klan, which resented the perceived growing political power of ethnic and religious minorities.
The Portland City Council meets at Portland City Hall
, an historic 1909 building on Congress Street
.
and a City Councilor representing the West End
, Parkside and Oakdale neighborhoods of Portland, Maine
. He was elected to Portland's City Council in 2006 at the age of 28 and re-elected in 2009 unopposed. In March 2011, Marshall announced his candidacy for Mayor of Portland, becoming the first of three city councilors to announce their campaign. The November 2011
election will elect the first directly elected mayor of the city since the 1923 change to a largely ceremonial mayor position.
Marshall owns and restores an historic house in the West End as well as owning and managing Constellation Art Gallery on Congress Street
. In 2005, he and other Portland artists, with the support of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, protested city ordinances that regulated street artists, claiming that Freedom of Expression was being compromised. The city responded by creating an exemption to the street vendors ordinances, allowing artists to create and sell art in public. The following year, he ran for Portland City Council and won, becoming the first professional artist elected as a Councilor. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Portland Downtown District, which promotes economic vitality in downtown Portland.
District 3: Edward Suslovic
Suslovic is a former state representative and city councilor. He was elected to represent District 3 in 2010, defeating Will Mitchell, son of Democratic nominee for Governor
Libby Mitchell.
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. It is 9 seat council, composed of representatives from the city's five districts as well as 4 councilors elected citywide. Beginning with the Portland, Maine mayoral election, 2011
Portland, Maine mayoral election, 2011
The 2011 Portland, Maine mayoral election took place on November 8, 2011. In November 2010, Portland voters approved a citywide referendum changing the city charter to recreate an elected mayor position that had previously been removed in 1923. From 1923 until 2011, city councilors chose one of...
, one of the four at-large councilors will be a full-time elected Mayor of Portland. 8 of the 9 City Councilors are elected for three year terms, while the 2010 recreation of the elected Mayor serves for four years. The Council is officially non-partisan, though councilors are well known for their political party affiliation. In 1923, the system changed from a strong mayor system to a weak, largely ceremonial mayor position due to the influence of the Maine Ku Klux Klan, which resented the perceived growing political power of ethnic and religious minorities.
The Portland City Council meets at Portland City Hall
Portland City Hall (Maine)
The Portland City Hall is the center of city government in Portland, Maine. The structure was built in 1909 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.- External links :...
, an historic 1909 building on Congress Street
Congress Street (Portland, Maine)
Congress Street is the main street in Portland, Maine. Congress stretches from Portland's southwestern border with South Portland through a number of neighborhoods before ending overlooking the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill...
.
Current Councilors pending the November 8, 2011 election
- District 1: Kevin Donoghue, Green IndependentMaine Green Independent PartyThe Maine Green Independent Party is the oldest state Green party in the United States. It was founded following an informal meeting of 18 environmental advocates, including Bowdoin College professor John Rensenbrink and others in Augusta, Maine...
(since 2006) - District 2: David A. Marshall, Green Independent (since 2006)
- District 3: Edward SuslovicEdward SuslovicEdward J. Suslovic is a Maine politician. Suslovic, a Democrat, represented part of Portland in the Maine House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Suslovic ran and defeated incumbent John F. McDonough for the Democratic nomination for District 32...
, DemocratMaine Democratic PartyThe Maine Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Maine.-Current Democratic officeholders:The Maine Democratic Party is the minority party in both the Maine Senate and Maine House of Representatives. The party, however, holds both of the state's U.S...
(since 2010) - District 4: Cheryl Leeman, RepublicanMaine Republican PartyThe Maine Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine on August 7, 1854. The state Chairman is Charles M. Webster....
(since 1984) - District 5: John Coyne, Democrat (since 2008)
- At-Large: John Anton, Green Independent (since 2007)
- At-Large: Jill Duson, Democrat (since 2001)
- At-Large: Dory Waxman, Democrat (since 2008)
- At-Large: Nicholas Mavodones, Democrat (since 1997)
District 1: Kevin Donoghue
Donoghue was elected in 2006 to represent District 1 along with friend David A. Marshall. He was re-elected in 2009 by defeating cab driver Charles Bragdon.District 2: David A. Marshall
David A. Marshall (born March 7, 1978) is an American artist and politician. Marshall is a member of the Maine Green Independent PartyMaine Green Independent Party
The Maine Green Independent Party is the oldest state Green party in the United States. It was founded following an informal meeting of 18 environmental advocates, including Bowdoin College professor John Rensenbrink and others in Augusta, Maine...
and a City Councilor representing the West End
West End (Portland, Maine)
The West End is a downtown neighborhood in Portland, Maine. It is located on the western side of Portland's peninsula primarily on Bramhall Hill and is noted for its architecture and history. The neighborhood is home to a large number of historic homes and parks and, in 2010, it was called "one of...
, Parkside and Oakdale neighborhoods of Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. He was elected to Portland's City Council in 2006 at the age of 28 and re-elected in 2009 unopposed. In March 2011, Marshall announced his candidacy for Mayor of Portland, becoming the first of three city councilors to announce their campaign. The November 2011
Portland, Maine mayoral election, 2011
The 2011 Portland, Maine mayoral election took place on November 8, 2011. In November 2010, Portland voters approved a citywide referendum changing the city charter to recreate an elected mayor position that had previously been removed in 1923. From 1923 until 2011, city councilors chose one of...
election will elect the first directly elected mayor of the city since the 1923 change to a largely ceremonial mayor position.
Marshall owns and restores an historic house in the West End as well as owning and managing Constellation Art Gallery on Congress Street
Congress Street (Portland, Maine)
Congress Street is the main street in Portland, Maine. Congress stretches from Portland's southwestern border with South Portland through a number of neighborhoods before ending overlooking the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill...
. In 2005, he and other Portland artists, with the support of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, protested city ordinances that regulated street artists, claiming that Freedom of Expression was being compromised. The city responded by creating an exemption to the street vendors ordinances, allowing artists to create and sell art in public. The following year, he ran for Portland City Council and won, becoming the first professional artist elected as a Councilor. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Portland Downtown District, which promotes economic vitality in downtown Portland.
District 3: Edward SuslovicEdward SuslovicEdward J. Suslovic is a Maine politician. Suslovic, a Democrat, represented part of Portland in the Maine House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Suslovic ran and defeated incumbent John F. McDonough for the Democratic nomination for District 32...
Suslovic is a former state representative and city councilor. He was elected to represent District 3 in 2010, defeating Will Mitchell, son of Democratic nominee for GovernorGovernor of Maine
The governor of Maine is the chief executive of the State of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive....
Libby Mitchell.