Having served on the Portland City Council with current Mayor Ethan Strimling and Councilor Spencer Thibodeau, we agree with the Press Herald’s Oct. 17 endorsement editorial, which said that Mayor Strimling should not be re-elected. Strimling has failed to keep his campaign promise to bring people together, and it is time to turn the page from the unnecessary divisiveness and conflict that has marked Strimling’s term as Mayor.

But as colleagues who have seen Councilor Thibodeau’s diligence and hard work first-hand, we take issue with the Press Herald’s decision to endorse Kate Snyder, because Thibodeau “doesn’t have her experience and record of successfully managing complex public policy issues.”

While we appreciate Snyder’s leadership on the school board several years ago, we do not believe her background compares to Thibodeau’s more relevant council experience and knowledge of city wide issues. Thibodeau has worked on a range of complex matters, including four city budgets, affordable housing, property tax relief for seniors, and sustainable growth, to name a few.

In addition, Councilor Thibodeau has the positive relationships with the City Council and city staff to begin working as mayor on Day One.

We have elected two consecutive mayors with no council experience. Each had difficulty working collaboratively to move the city forward. This time let’s give someone with council experience a chance to make the position of mayor work for all of us.

That is why we will be making Councilor Thibodeau our first choice and Kate Snyder our second choice on our ballots and urge Portland voters to do the same.

David Brenerman

Former Portland Mayor and City Councilor

Brian Batson

City Councilor, District 3

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