APRIL 2022.VOL. 22, NO. 04. PORTLAND, MAINE.
More City Councilors, Municipal Clean Elections & Universal Voting Portland Charter Commission advances proposals that could transform city politics. Of course, with twelve members there is the possibility of council votes Portland now has 5 city council districts. ending in a tie. Generally, a tie would be a The Portland Charter Commission’s prolosing proposal. Consider, a tied vote that posal would increase that number to 9, happened at the charter commission. The creating much smaller districts and proposal to increase city council pay (curincreasing the total size of city council rently an annual stipend set at less than to 12 seats. $7,000) failed with a six-to-six vote. An(Map Source: https://portlandmaine.gov) other possibility, the charter commission could recommend that the executive mayBy Tony Zeli or preside as a council president who can Although there is much to be decid- other hand, a district city councilor may break ties - similar to the Vice President ed, what the Portland Charter Commis- represent four or five neighborhoods. For who presides over and breaks ties in the sion has already advanced would be trans- instance, City District 2 covers the West Senate. formative. They have supported more city End, Parkside, St. John-Valley, and Oak(As of print, the commission has not councilors, universal resident voting rights, dale-USM neighborhoods. decided on a recommendation for a govclean elections, and more. The commisAs proposed, the charter commis- ernance model. But all proposals still unsion continues to convene weekly to meet sion’s recommendation adds four addi- der review include a mayor who runs an their deadlines. They must submit a pretional district seats. As such, the city coun- executive branch separate from the legisliminary report to Portland City Council cil would become a twelve-member body: lative city council. Also, still to be decided by May 9th and a final report by July 11th. three at-large councilors and nine district is whether the school board would grow Their recommendations in the final report members. to twelve members.) would go before voters in November.
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More City Councilors The Portland Charter Commission approved a proposal to increase the size of the Portland City Council to twelve seats by creating new, smaller city districts. Currently the city council has nine seats. The mayor holds one seat. Another three seats are at-large, and at-large councilors can live anywhere in the city and are elected by voters of every district.The other five are district seats. District councilors must live within the district and are elected only by voters in the district.
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On the current map, districts for Portland City Council are larger than districts for the Maine House of Representatives. So, a state rep in Portland might represent a neighborhood or two. On the
According to the literature reviewed by the charter commissioners, smaller districts can increase connection to the neighborhood and lead to more diversity in representation. Commissioners also noted that with more city councilors there would be more people to do the work and serve on council committees.
Universal Voting Rights
The charter commission voted to move forward with a recommendation for universal resident voting rights. The proposal grants all residents of voting age the right to vote in municipal elections and municipal referendums regardless of Representation is an issue that reso- citizenship status. nates for Portlanders who live on the isAt this stage, the commission aplands of Casco Bay. Currently, City District proved a proposal that the commission’s 1 covers the islands along with Munjoy attorney Jim Katsiaficas will draft into forHill, East Bayside, and the Old Port. Un- mal charter language. der the recommended proposal, the city However, attorney Katsiaficas advised council would redraw the district maps. They could give the islands their own the commission that the proposal is illegal representation. Also, they could consider under Maine law. The commission decided placing demographically diverse districts to seek a second opinion. They will vote such as Parkside or Bayside in their own again on the final charter language at a future meeting. districts.
Clean Elections The charter commission approved a proposal for clean elections, establishing a public fund to provide campaign financing for qualifying candidates who reject traditional financing. The proposal tasks the city council with drawing up the details of the program. The final costs are unknown, but an estimate provided by Commissioner Marpheen Chann puts the cost of a municipal clean elections program in Portland for the first fiscal year at approximately $287,734. That cost represents the paid staff person the charter proposal directs the council to hire.
Participatory Budgeting The approved participatory budgeting proposal directs the city council to develop a process where residents can direct a portion of the city budget either through direct proposal or vote.
Upcoming Meetings Portland Charter Commission meets weekly in April on Wednesdays starting at 6:00 p.m. The charter commission conducts meetings via Zoom. For more information, visit the city website at https:// portlandmaine.gov. Expect meetings to run for four or five hours as the commissioners rush to present a preliminary report to the city council by May 9th. Their final report goes before the council on July 11th. All recommendations from the charter commission will go before voters in November. Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. Reach him at thewestendnews@gmail.com.
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