The candidates live in the district where a key waterfront redevelopment issue has provoked debate.

Covering the eastern portion of the peninsula, including Munjoy Hill, Bayside, India Street and the islands, District 1 is undergoing the most rapid change of any other area in the city, with numerous housing redevelopment projects and neighborhood-specific planning efforts.

The five candidates seeking the three-year seat range from a freelancer writer to an attorney to a retired firefighter, but most say they want to reach out and listen to the concerns of residents, who are anxious about their rapidly changing neighborhoods. Such anxiety has manifested itself in one lawsuit challenging the so-called “midtown” development in West Bayside and a referendum question on this year’s ballot that could impact the redevelopment of the former Portland Co. on the eastern waterfront.

All but one of the candidates oppose both Question 1, which establish a $15 an hour minimum wage in the city, and Question 2, which would protect scenic views by limited building heights on the former Portland Co. complex. Paula Guillemette Agopian said she supports Question 1, and would not publicly state her position on Question 2.

Paula Guillemette Agopian said she helped generate neighborhood opposition to the redevelopment of the Portland Co. Complex, by reaching out to the leaders of the group now calling itself Save the Soul of Portland. She wanted to attack the project by advocating for the strictest historic preservation standards possible, believing it would in effect cap the allowable building heights.

“I made it clear we should do something,” she said. “I thought historic preservation was our strongest leg to stand on.”

She believes property taxes are too high, but she said she doesn’t have enough experience with the city budget to recommend cuts. The city needs to find additional ways to make revenues, as a way to reduce taxes, she said.

She is concerned about new zoning rules adopted by the council that lessen parking requirements. Parking is already tight on the Munjoy Hill, she said, so on-street parking should be by-permit-only for residents.

Patrick Flynn retired as a lieutenant from the Portland Fire Department in February, and said he decided to run for council shortly after hearing Kevin Donoghue wasn’t going to seek re-election.

As a Peaks Island resident and longtime board member of Casco Bay Transit District, Flynn said his biggest asset is having lived and worked in the district for his entire life, being stationed at Munjoy Hill, Central Station and the fireboat.

As councilor, he would urge fiscal restraint as a way to reduce property taxes. He believes the city should refocus its efforts on providing core services, such as public safety and maintaining roads. He doesn’t believe the city can continue providing General Assistance to asylum seekers, if the state funds aren’t available

“Portland can’t lead the state on this,” he said. “We have to work with the state. We can’t keep spending money. I want to help them here, but we can’t do it on our own.”

Sean Kerwin said his diverse background will help him relate to a wide range of people. After being admitted to the Maine bar, he decided not to practice law and instead became a self-employed carpenter and builder.

“I listen deeply and I don’t attach ego to outcome,” he said.

He believes that the only way to address housing costs is to build more housing of all types, especially market-rate housing in West Bayside, while offering expedited reviews of affordable housing projects. “When that happens I think we’ll take some of the upward pressure off Munjoy Hill as well,” he said.

As a longtime member of the Bayside Neighborhood Association, he was frustrated that a small group of people who didn’t live in West Bayside were able to force a developer through a lawsuit to scale down a plan to build as many 800 housing units that had the backing of the city and the neighborhood association. He worries that Question 2 is providing a vehicle for people to express that anxiety, even though it does not address the fundamental problems.

“We can’t always be resorting to lawsuits and referendums to achieve a result that was not achieved administratively,” he said.

One of Brandon Mazer’s first cases as chief attorney for Shipyard Brewing Co. was a dispute between the brewery and the city over its sewer bill. The city was trying to get the brewery to pay for $1.5 million in sewer services for which it was never billed. They reached a settlement of $300,000.

Mazer said the incident didn’t inspire him to run for office, but it did teach him something. “I think I learned how political the city can be at times and how complicated it can be to get to a mutually beneficial solution that doesn’t need to be overly complicated when you have the right-minded people at the table,” Mazer said.

He believes that the anxiety East End residents are expressing could be addressed by taking a more proactive approach about future growth, rather than reacting to specific proposals. There needs to be a balance between protecting what’s here, and allowing the neighborhood change, he said, noting that gentrification is not necessarily evil.

“We can’t push the rewind button on the hill being the hot place to live, but we have to be cognizant that people are being pushed out,” he said. “I think it’s awesome the hill is as hot as it is.”

Belinda Ray sees her candidacy as an extension of the volunteer work she has done in the East Bayside community for years.

In addition to serving on crime task forces, she also helped found the East Bayside Neighborhood Association and helped write grants to improve the basketball courts.

“I’ve aways kind of been in that environment and always seen the value of volunteering to make my community a better place,” she said.

Ray, a freelance author who ghost wrote 13 books for the Sweet Valley High series and seven books for the Charm Club series, said her campaign has three broad planks: Responsible development by having clear procedures and expectations for developers and community members alike; improved handicapped accessibility throughout the city, which she said can be done by encouraging the use of “suit case ramps;” and civil discourse and a respect for diversity.

She wants the city to be more creative about how it communicates with residents, such as by providing more information about pending development projects at City Hall or online.

“I have a talent for bringing a lot of people together to work an issue and I am willing to pursue new and innovative ways to solve our problems,” she said. “I can talk to anybody and I will talk to anybody.”

 

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