Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, held an election for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

on November 8, 2011. In November 2010, Portland voters approved a citywide referendum changing the city charter to recreate an elected

position that had previously been removed in 1923. From 1923 until 2011, city councilors chose one of themselves each year to serve as mayor, a primarily ceremonial position. On November 8, 2011, former State Senator and candidate for U.S. Congress Michael F. Brennan was elected. On December 5, 2011, he was sworn in as the first citizen-elected mayor in 88 years. The new citizen-elected mayor serves full-time in the position for a four-year term, exercises the powers and duties enumerated in Article II Section 5 of the Portland City Charter,Portland City Charter
SEE: Article II Section 5. Mayor’s powers and duties. be elected using

instant-runoff voting Instant-runoff voting (IRV; ranked-choice voting (RCV), preferential voting, alternative vote) is a single-winner ranked voting election system where Sequential loser method, one or more eliminations are used to simulate Runoff (election), ...

, and, like the rest of municipal government in Portland, be officially

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

Ballot access

The declared candidates filed paperwork with city hall to allow them to raise funds for their campaigns. The nomination papers became available on July 1 and the candidates were required to submit at least 300 valid signatures of Portland voters between August 15 and August 29 to be placed on the November ballot. As of the August 29 deadline, 16 candidates submitted their nomination petitions, and 15 petitions were validated: Bragdon, Brennan, Bryant, Carmona, Dodge, Duson, Eder, Haadoow, Lapchick, Marshall, Mavodones, Miller, Rathband, Strimling, and Vail. Bennett fell five signatures short of the required 300.

Race

As of July 4, Christopher Vail was invalidated by city attorney Gary Wood from running due to his employment by the city as a firefighter but this was overturned shortly thereafter. As of July 8, Zouhair Bouzrara was in court facing charges after allegedly drinking alcohol, a violation of parole given to him a year early after being accused of threatening to kill a co-worker in July 2010. Bouzrara withdrew during the petitioning process.Mayor Watch 2011
The West End News

Endorsements

On September 27, David Marshall was endorsed by the Maine

League of Young Voters There are two main organisations with the name of "The League of Young Voters", one in the U.S. and one in Europe. The League of Young Voters U.S. The American organization, also known as the League of Independent Voters and the League of Pissed ...

. On October 11, Portland Tomorrow, a group made up of some former charter commissioners and other supporters of the elected mayor referendum, endorsed Michael Brennan. On the same day, the Portland Education Association endorsed Nick Mavodones. On October 17, the Portland Press Herald endorsed Michael Brennan. On October 26, Jed Rathband received the sole endorsement from the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee. On November 1, Ethan Strimling received the endorsement of John Eder. On November 1, David Marshall received the endorsement of

Maine Green Independent Party The Maine Green Independent Party is a state-level political party affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. It is the oldest state green party in the United States. It was founded following an informal meeting of 17 environmental ...

. On November 1, Nicholas Mavodones received the endorsements of Carpenters Local 1996 and AFSCME Local 481. On November 5, The Portland Daily Sun endorsed Michael Brennan.

Candidates

On the ballot

* Charles Bragdon,

Munjoy Hill Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown and south of East Deering. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the neighborhood had a large Irish and Italian American po ...

resident,Nomination Papers
listing of candidate status & contact information maintained & published by Portland City Clerk perennial municipal candidate & taxi-driver. Bragdon has run for office as a Democrat, Green and unenrolled. * Michael Brennan, Back Cove resident, former

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

, former

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

, unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

in 2008, Co-chair of the National Board of Advisors of Casey Family Services, former adjunct faculty member at the

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students See also * New England Coll ...

, and currently works as a policy associate at the

Muskie The muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy''), often shortened to muskie, musky, ski, or lunge, is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name ...

School of Public Service at the

University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Gorham and Portland, Maine, United States. It is the southernmost university in the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universities, Go ...

. * Peter Bryant, Back Cove resident, retired merchant seaman and former

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

* Ralph Carmona,

resident, resident of Portland for under one year,LULAC leader ponders mayoral bid
''

Portland Daily Sun ''The Portland Daily Sun'' was a free newspaper that was distributed to retail and business locations in Portland, Maine between 2009 and 2014. History The paper was founded in 2009 by Mark Guerringue and Adam Hirshan of Country News Club, in ...

'', May 21, 2011 former

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

executive and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

lobbyist Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

* Richard Dodge, Riverton resident, Republican, commercial

real estate broker Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

* Jill Duson, North Deering resident, retired

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, former ceremonial mayor, at-large City Councillor and three time delegate to the Democratic Party National Convention, former Maine

* John Eder, West End resident, former state legislator with the

Rumors and Other Truths
West End News * Hamza Haadoow, East Deering resident, Somalia native and small business owner.Two more candidates register for mayor’s race
''

'', June 17, 2011 * Jodie Lapchick, West End resident &

marketing consultant Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or manufacturer. Products can ...

* David Marshall, West End resident,

affiliated

fine artist In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as p ...

and City Councilor for the West End, downtown and Parkside neighborhoods (District 2).Marshall to announce mayoral run
''

'', March 25, 2011 Marshall was the first sitting city council member to declare his candidacy in March 2011. * Nicholas Mavodones, Back Cove resident,

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, current ceremonial mayor and at-large City Councillor,First mayoral election likely to draw a crowd
ortland Press Herald November 4, 2010Time for Portland's mayoral candidates to make an appearance
''

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald'' (abbreviated as ''PPH''; Sunday edition ''Maine Sunday Telegram'') is a daily newspaper based in South Portland, Maine, with a statewide readership. The ''Press Herald'' mainly serves southern Maine and is focused ...

'', March 2, 2011 opposed charter change to elected mayor * Markos Miller,

resident, Served as co-chair of the Franklin Street Arterial Study Committee and teaches at

Deering High School Deering High School (DHS) is a public high school located on Stevens Avenue in Portland, Maine, United States. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district. It is one of the three public high schools located in Portland, the other ...

. * Jed Rathband, East Bayside resident, professional

PR consultant Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

, ran the committee that campaigned for the elected mayor in 2010,Three candidates file for mayor of Portland
Portland Press Herald, January 20, 2011 worked for the now defunct Maine Green Energy Alliance, former Maine

, former

for the Olympia Companies on

Maine State Pier The Maine State Pier is a municipal-owned deepwater marine facility and music venue located at the intersection of Commercial Street (Portland, Maine), Commercial Street and Franklin Street (Portland, Maine), Franklin Street on the eastern waterf ...

proposalThe Bollard
December 24, 2007 *

Ethan Strimling Ethan King Strimling (born October 19, 1967) is an American non-profit executive, television personality, and politician from Maine. Strimling was elected to 3 terms in the Maine Senate (2003–2009), one term a Mayor of Portland, Maine (2015–2 ...

, West End resident, former

with the Democratic Party, unsuccessful candidate for

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

City Council and for his party's nomination for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in 2008 * Christopher Vail, North Deering resident, Portland

firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

Mayoral hopefuls taking first step with finance forms
''

'', March 22, 2011

Write-in

* Erick Bennett, Parkside resident, Republican blogger and campaign media aide to Governor

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 74th governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 20 ...

,Bennett steps into mayoral ring
''

'', March 22, 2011 submitted nomination papers with insufficient valid signatures, announced Write-in candidacy on August 30 pending request of petition recount with Portland City Clerk's office

Withdrawn/Failed

* Nicholas Hall, failed to submit nomination papers * Robert Higgins, failed to submit nomination papers * Steve Huston,

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

activist who announced candidacy but never picked up petitions * Paul Schafer, failed to submit nomination papers * Jay York

Results

References

External links

Voter Registration/Elections
Official elections & voting information published & maintained by the Portland City Clerk

a bi-weekly non-partisan column dedicated to following the mayoral race

Special coverage by Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Maine League of Young VotersPortland Voter Guide

Maine League of Women VotersPortland Voter Guide

Portland's Mayoral Race Begins to Take Shape
Downeast.com, June 30, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Portland, Maine Mayoral Election, 2011 2011 Maine elections 2011 United States mayoral elections

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

21st century in Portland, Maine Non-partisan elections November 2011 in the United States