PORTLAND — City Councilor Justin Costa on July 12 ended his campaign to be the city’s next mayor.

“In some ways this is a difficult decision. I would love to do the job and I still believe that my experience on the council and School Board makes me the best-qualified person for it,” Costa said in a press release.

Costa said personal matters left him without the time required to run a campaign.

“We had a death in the family, a serious cancer scare, and I just got engaged last week,” he said. “All of that has meant that I haven’t been able to dedicate my time to campaigning, and I don’t see that changing fast enough to allow me to run the kind of campaign I want to.”

Costa, whose council term is up next year, urged supporters to switch their allegiance to either District 2 Councilor Spencer Thibodeau or former School Board member Kate Snyder. Incumbent Mayor Ethan Strimling, Thaddeus M. St. John and Travis H. Curran have also taken out nomination papers for the position as of July 11.

“I have worked with each of them for years,” Costa said of Thibodeau and Snyder. “Whatever differences we may have are more like a family squabble than anything else. Both are honest people who know how to work with others and either would be a huge improvement over our current mayor.”

« Previous

Letter: Fishing feels impact from Citizens United

Next »

Topsham Police Beat: July 19