PORTLAND – Ethan Strimling on Tuesday will become the 19th candidate for mayor.

Strimling plans to announce during a morning news conference. He said several weeks ago he was considering a run and was gauging likely support.

The run will represent a return to politics for Strimling after being out of elective office for three years.

In 1999, Strimling ran for the Portland City Council and lost by 24 votes, but he challenged 35 ballots that were uncounted. An arrow indicating a write-in vote had been marked on those ballots, but no name was written in.

Strimling argued that those voters intended to vote for him because his name was directly above the write-in space. The council agreed and awarded those votes – and the council seat – to Strimling. After an outcry, the council reconsidered and Strimling said he would decline the council seat.

In 2002, Strimling won a race for the state Senate, and was re-elected twice. In 2008, he ran in the Democratic primary for the 1st Congressional district seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, but finished fourth in the field.

Since then he has become chief executive officer of LearningWorks, a non-profit that focuses on helping disadvantaged youth complete school.

 


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