“The meeting devolved into a shouting match between Strimling and several councilors, including a rival in the mayoral race, Spencer Thibodeau.” That quotation comes from an article in the Press Herald (“Several councilors say mayor misinformed asylum seekers about housing options” July 23).

As a Portland resident, I have become weary of grown men behaving in City Hall like bull elephants butting heads. And that’s why I’m supporting Kate Snyder for mayor
Kate has cleaned up messes, like the one at school board years back, when she and others put in the long hours and hard decisions to right the finances and reputation of that organization. She’s watched her own kids go through Portland Public Schools, and then has started an organization to raise money for those same schools. She believes that sensible outcomes are possible–if you first allow people to speak, and listen to what they say and care about.

One other thing: she’s a she. I don’t know why, but the mayor’s office seems to attract men with more than a few contentious bones in their bodies. It’s high time that we allow a woman, a smart and sensible woman, to bring people to the table in a manner that doesn’t result in “a shouting match.”

The Portland city charter describes the mayor’s office with verbs like “articulate,” “convene,” “facilitate,” and “consult.” These are talents Kate has in spades. This is what she does, both for a living and in every personal and professional interaction I’ve witnessed.

The mayor isn’t meant to be, nor has to be, the smartest guy in the room, or the loudest shouter in the room.

In fact, the mayor doesn’t even have to be a guy. The mayor can be, and should be, Kate Snyder.

John Spritz

Portland

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