You are known by the friends you make, according to Aesop, and that’s also be true for enemies. Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling is opposed by landlords, developers, real estate attorneys, lobbyists and similar interests.

By contrast, Strimling’s background is one of “afflicting the comfortable,” as another old saying goes. His affiliations with organizations like LearningWorks and the NAACP and his work on housing and immigrant support tell us much about him.

Any more in Portland, you can’t swing a lobster without hitting a gleaming hotel or a glass-wrapped corporate headquarters or a point-four-million condo. The developers and landlords are doing well and don’t need more allies in City Hall. Let’s keep Ethan Strimling in the mayor’s office.

Joe O’Donnell

Portland