Three candidates hope to win the District 2 seat on the City Council and represent the western portion of the peninsula.

Vying for the three-year term on the council are: Wells Lyons, a 35-year-old attorney and co-owner of Rogue Industries, a local wallet company; Spencer Thibodeau, a 29-year-old real estate attorney; and Rob Korobkin, a 31-year-old musician and computer teacher at a local charter school.

Lyons and Thibodeau oppose Questions 1 and 2 on the city ballot, which would establish a $15 an hour minimum wage in Portland and a scenic protection ordinance respectively. Korobkin supports Question 1, but opposes Question 2.

Rob Korobkin said his campaign boils down to one thing: Respect. “It’s important to have someone on the council who respects the people of Portland,” he said.

Korobkin said he stands out from the other candidates because he is comfortable around all types of people, including those who rely on public assistance. His term would give voice to those who don’t typically make it to council meetings, or have any traditional political influence.

“If I’m elected, it’s not about me. It’s about sharing power and opening things up,” he said.

As a councilor, he would ensure that the city’s housing replacement ordinance is enforced. Specifically, he’s upset that when the Eastland Hotel was sold and upgraded to a Westin Hotel, that the developer was not forced to pay the city $2.5 million (or $58,000 per unit) for the nearly 50 low-income housing units that were lost. The money would have gone into an affordable housing fund.

He would also advocate for more creative housing models, such as housing co-operatives in Portland that allow low-income residents to build equity in their buildings without having to make a large down payment. Such a model – Raise-Op – exists in Lewiston.

“We need to develop housing options that are outside of the free capitalist market,” he said.

He supports property tax relief to the elderly and longtime Portland residents living on fixed incomes and opposes tax breaks for large corporations. Technology should be better used to make government more open and transparent, he said.

Wells Lyons said creative solutions are needed to solve what he calls the biggest issues facing the city: heroin addiction and homelessness.

Regarding heroin, he wants the Portland Free Health Clinic to offer Vivitrol, a drug designed to reduce opiate cravings without getting the user high. He also wants the city to pass a so-called good-Samaritan law to protect people who try to help victims of drug overdoses, and wants to work with the police department on diverting drug users from jail into treatment. The city also needs to aggressively pursue grant funds to expand treatment options, even if it means sending people out of state to find the help they need.

“It’s a massive public health crisis the city has failed to address,” he said.

Instead of trying to ban panhandling in street medians, Lyons said the city should conduct a robust public education campaign to tell people, including visitors, to donate money to charities rather than giving to panhandlers. The city should also explore creating its own currency, such as tokens, that can only be used to purchase for food and shelter at local business for people to purchase and give directly to individuals. More housing options are also needed, he said.

“If we can get people the things they need and treat them like people rather than ignoring them we can make a difference,” he said. “Right now, we’re attracting young guys who want to drink all day.” Lyons said he is the only candidate to live on the peninsula and that his involvement in the community, including his work as a pro-bono attorney for the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project set him apart from the other candidates.

Spencer Thibodeau said his campaign is focused on investing in the city’s infrastructure – filling potholes, enhancing parks and public space, clearing sidewalks and streets of snow, and keeping crosswalks painted. He is also interested in mobility issues, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

“It’s the small things and tangible things that people want to get done and that’s what I’m running on,” Thibodeau said. “It’s time we cover our recycling bins and it’s time we start to look at how we pick up trash.”

He thinks the city could deliver some services more efficiently by upgrading its technology and offering more online services. To do that, the city should partner with the University of Southern Maine, which he called “one of the most under-utilized resources in the city.”

Not only are taxes too high, but residents are concerned that they are not getting a good value for their money, he said.

The city, he said, should provide incentives to landlords, similar to energy efficiency and loan programs already provided by the city, to upgrade the city’s old housing stock of single-family homes and apartment buildings.

He has been accused by his opponents of being conservative and tied too closely corporate interests, but Thibodeau said that is not true, pointing to his experience interning for liberal politicians like U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and volunteering for the Obama campaign.

Thibodeau, who attended Cheverus High School, said his work ethic sets him apart from the other candidates.

 

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