THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Saturday, October 1, 2011— Page 7
John Eder Age: 42 Occupation: grassroots organizer, mental health technician, student Neighborhood: West End The first person who breathes life into the trifling description of the duties of Mayor will have a major impact on its effectiveness and the way the office is ultimately perceived by citizens. What has been lacking these nearly nine decades is the full-throated voice of the citizens made manifest at City Hall. I will be that activist mayor making the most of the position in order to build consensus and realize our highest collective goals and ideals for Portland. The mayor‘s position is not a “me” proposition but a “we” proposition. It will take many citizens making our voices heard to bring about change at City Hall. I have a history as a grassroots organizer who has been organizing people around the most progressive issues to come forth in Portland these past t fifteen years, from Single Payer Health Care to Immigrant Voting Rights to just reform of marijuana policy. I have been organizing people for positive change as well as inspiring and mentoring the city’s young leaders, the young, the poor and the disenfranchised to get involved in politics. After serving two terms in the Maine State House as the nation’s highest elected Green Party official, I have a unique perspective as both an outsider and an insider to Maine politics. I will use my skills as both an organizer and a policymaker to harness the power and genius of the people of Portland so that together we can change the culture at City Hall to make for a more socially, environmentally and economically just Portland that we can all be proud of.
Jill Duson Age: 57 Occupation: Retired Attorney; Former Director, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Maine Dept. of Labor Neighborhood: North Deering Many define the role of elected Mayor by what it is not; not quite an Executive Mayor, yet much more than a ceremonial part-time Mayor who works fulltime for someone else. I supported the full-time, four year elected Mayor position because in the right hands it will make a tremendous difference for the
city of Portland. To be successful the new Mayor will need to wear a number of hats. Towards this end, I will serve as required in the following roles: Presiding Officer, Team Leader, Organizer, Advocate, Facilitator, Cheerleader, Critic, Lobbyist, Bridge Builder, Rainmaker, Auditor, and Evaluator. As Portland’s Mayor, I bring the skills of a technocrat who has led a complex statewide Bureau with a $24 million budget, a staff of 150 and 11 service points across Maine. I bring a track record of fiscal accountability having re-engineered the fiscal management process to eliminate a 10% budget deficit. I bring a rock solid commitment to service accountability and quality results in government service; having re-designed the case management process, improved performance standards and eliminated an 11 month waiting list for services. And, I bring the advocacy commitment of a child raised in poverty that finished high school, went to college and graduated from law school because of the helping hands of a community that understood everyone matters, everyone counts and everyone can make a difference. Amongst this field of candidate my record of commitment to public service and producing measurable results is unmatched.
Jed Rathband Age: 39 Occupation: Communications consultant, owner of Stones Throw Consulting. Neighborhood: East Deering Due to how the position is structured, Portland needs an innovative leader to be effective and attract new business, create jobs and change the stagnant status quo. More specifically, Portland needs a leader who is capable of building coalitions necessary to seize the opportunities to bring greater prosperity to our city. My first priority will be to integrate government, the private sector and not-for profit agencies into a coalition capable of identifying and pursuing opportunities to completion. The mayoral position is a new one. It needs to be molded and shaped with vision and skill, otherwise it could become another bureaucratic post with neither authority nor efficacy. We need an outsider, a
person with no debts to pay or allegiances to special interests, a person with skills both in the not-forprofit world and business world to set the bar for what future mayors of Portland are going to do. If the precedent is set well, and the office is organized in such a way as to maximize productivity and minimize waste, it will be a position of accountability, productivity and creativity. It will be a job at City Hall that finally lives up to its job description.
Ralph Carmona Age: 60 Occupation: Civic Leader Neighborhood: Munjoy Hill Today, the city’s economic vitality has increased in spite of city hall governance. This election provides and validates a centralizing full-time policy leader among what are now nine part-time mayors. The key will be to move beyond the part-time mindset and fragmented process; especially with a weak mayor having few formal duties or powers. What will be significant is to have a mayor with the ability to bring consensus among the city council, city manager and the key constituencies they represent; someone who is not locked into insider political conflicts that undermines the need for common ground. By bringing together these people and constituencies, the mayor can set a city agenda of immediate and long-term goals, and work to build and sustain buy-in to that agenda through respectful listening, persistent diplomacy and relationship-building. These are skills that require experience, patience, perseverance and honesty. Yet with the right person in the job, I believe it can be done. Part of this involves serious consideration of each councilor’s district constituency concerns, city policies, and vision. It requires ideas on viable economic growth, efficiencies and making them a part of the lobbying effort for these changes. This means going beyond City Hall and its established networks to meeting with regional and state officials, beginning with Governor LePage, to garner support for Portland as Maine’s leading city. This is a form of indirect lobbying in city hall, Augusta and Washington, D.C. Key to this success will be elevating Portland’s national stature, as a leading nation’s mayor, for the city’s interests. With Portland on the Rise as my agenda, city government can move forward working for the betterment of the city, making it a safer and more prosperous place for all of its citizens.
After epic September collapse, Francona out as Red Sox manager The Boston Red Sox announced Friday that they would not pick up their option on Terry Francona’s contract, parting ways with the manager who led them to the World Series championships in 2004 and 2007 after decades of failure. Francona, who managed eight seasons in Boston, oversaw a collapse this season in which the Red Sox lost 20 of 27 games in September to lose their playoff spot to the Tampa Bay Rays. “Nobody at the Red Sox blames Tito for what happened at the end of this season; we own that as an organization,” General Manager Theo Epstein said in a statement, using Francona’s nickname. “This year was certainly a difficult and draining one for him and for us. Ultimately, he decided that there were certain things that needed to be done that he couldn’t do after eight years here, and that this team would benefit from hearing a new voice.” Francona met twice at Fenway Park on Friday with Epstein and ownership, including John Henry.
The Red Sox have not won a playoff game since Oct. 18, 2008, getting swept in the first round in 2009 and failing to qualify the next two seasons. In a statement, Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and President Larry Lucchino said Francona, ownership and Epstein Francona agreed that the team “would benefit from an improved clubhouse culture and higher standards in several areas. Tito said that after eight years here he was frustrated by his difficulty making an impact with the players, that a different voice was needed,
and that it was time for him to move on. After taking time to reflect on Tito’s sentiments, we agreed that it was best for the Red Sox not to exercise the option years on his contract.” Francona instantly becomes a favorite for the open manager’s job with the Chicago White Sox, whose Class AA team he managed in the 1990s, when Michael Jordan played for him. Francona, who started his major league managerial career with Philadelphia, was 744-552 as manager of the Red Sox. Francona thanked Henry for the opportunity to manage and praised the fans. But he added that he was frustrated with his ability to reach the players. “I’ve always maintained that it is not only the right, but the obligation, of ownership to have the right person doing this job,” Francona said in a statement. “I told them that out of my enormous respect for this organization and the people in it, they may need to find a different voice to lead the team.” — The New York Times