The Portland, MaineCity Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Portland, Maine. It is a nine seat council, composed of representatives from the city's five districts, three councilors elected citywide and the full-time elected Mayor of Portland. The eight councilors are elected for three-year terms, while the Mayor is elected for a four-year term. The Council is officially non-partisan, though councilors are often known for their political party affiliation. In 1923, the system was changed from a strong mayor system to a weak, largely ceremonial mayor position due to the influence of the Maine Ku Klux Klan, which resented the perceived growing political power of ethnic and religious minorities. In 2011 the city charter was changed to allow an election for mayor again in 2011. Subsequent elections were held in 2015 and 2019. In 2020, voters approved a proposal to switch elections for City Council and school board to ranked-choice elections. The Portland City Council meets at Portland City Hall, an historic 1909 building on Congress Street.
Kate Snyder is a non-profit executive who beat incumbent mayor Ethan Strimling as well as city councilor Spencer Thibodeau in the 2019 Portland, Maine mayoral election. Days after the election Snyder told the press “We know the issues and we’ll continue to work on them".
District 1: Belinda Ray
Belinda Ray was elected in 2015 to represent District 1 following the retirement of Kevin Donoghue. Ray is a resident of Portland's East Bayside neighborhood, having lived there since 2004. She helped found the East Bayside Neighborhood Organization, and served sequentially as Vice President, President, and Community Organizer of EBNO. Ray was elected to succeed Donoghue as the District 1 councilor in a five-way race in which she garnered 39% of the vote.
District 2: Spencer Thibodeau
Spencer Thibodeau is a real estate attorney and native of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was elected in 2015 to represent District 2 following the retirement of David Marshall.
District 3: Tae Chong
Tae Chong Is a business counselor and former liaison for the Portland Police Department . He was elected to represent District 3 in 2019 beating four others including former councilor Edward Suslovic.
District 4: Justin Costa
Justin Costa was first elected to the City Council in 2014, when Cheryl Leeman retired. Leeman held the seat from 1984 to 2014. A Democrat, Costa had run for the Maine House of Representatives and been twice elected to the School Board prior to being elected to the City Council.
District 5: Kim Cook
In November 2017, Cook defeated Marpheen Chann and Craig Dorais for the open District 5 seat following the retirement of David Brenerman.
At-Large: Pious Ali
Elected to the council in 2016 after serving one term on the City's Board of Public Education 2013-2016. Ali works at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service He is an alumnus of the Institute for Civic Leadership, and in 2015, was named Lift360’s Most Distinguished Alumnus. A native of Ghana, Ali immigrated to the United States in 2000. and has lived in Portland since 2008.
At-Large: Jill Duson
Jill Duson is serving her 4th term on the City Council. She was first elected in 2001 after serving a term on the School Committee from 1998 to 2001. She holds a B.A. from Antioch College, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a certificate in Senior Executive in State & Local Government from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government. She served as Director of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services for State of Maine and as a seasonal employee for L.L. Bean. She resides in the North Deering neighborhood. Duson won re-election in November 2013 over challengers Gregory Smaha and Christopher Shorr.
