As the chair of the Charter Commission, which developed the popularly elected, full-time mayor, I would like to clarify our goal. It was to have a mayor elected by all voters, based on the candidate’s abilities and vision for the community. The mayor’s intentionally limited power requires a collaborative approach, building consensus with fellow councilors and working collaboratively with the city manager.
For the last four years our current mayor has struggled to understand that role, often creating public quarrels with the manager and the City Council and pursuing programs without building consensus first. This election allows us to select a mayor who will be a builder of consensus on policy issues, an attentive listener to the general public’s interests and a spokesperson for the city as a whole.
I encourage you to vote for a positive change in mayor this November. I’ll be voting for Spencer Thibodeau.
Pam Plumb
Portland
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