Now that the dust has cleared at the Expo and so many new families have been integrated into our beautiful state, we want to write a word of thanks to our mayor, Ethan Strimling.
Within days of the first families arriving, Mayor Strimling reached out to our community and from the moment the Expo opened as a shelter, Mayor Strimling showed up almost every day to check in on the families and make sure they were comfortable.
In our birth country, the mayor of a city would never check in on those who were so vulnerable. And if they did, it would only be with a massive security detail and TV cameras.
But Mayor Strimling always came alone. Usually in the evening. Sometimes for 15 minutes; sometimes he would play with the kids for an hour. But he would always walk through the entire shelter, say hello to as many as he could, and make sure people felt safe and were as comfortable as possible.
On more than one occasion a family came up to me to say that it gave them courage to know the mayor was watching over them.
But most important of all, the mayor set a tone for our city. A tone that said Portland is a welcoming community. A community that would respond differently than so many other communities.
That tone gave these new Americans great comfort and hope. And we are indebted to him.
Papy Bongibo
president, Congolese Community of Maine
Portland
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