An ad hoc group is recommending three people serve as appointees to Portland’s newly created charter commission. The nominees will be considered by the full City Council at its meeting on Monday.
The committee is advancing Peter Eglinton, Michael Kebede and Dory Waxman as the slate of three appointed members to serve on the charter commission. A proposal to create the commission, which could significantly change the roles of mayor and city manager, passed easily in a vote last month by city residents.
Eglinton, who currently works as deputy director of the Efficiency Maine Trust, was formerly the chief operations officer for Portland Public Schools and a former board chairman of the Portland Board of Public Education. “I’m approaching this from the perspective of someone who cares deeply about Portland and values continuous improvement,” Eglinton said in a brief interview Saturday night.
He said he does not have a specific agenda for the charter but brings a knowledge of Portland, having been a resident for 19 years, and is skilled in collaboration. “I’ve been told I bring a calm and constructive tone to issues and that’s what I felt called to do in this case,” Eglinton said.
Attempts to reach Kebede, an attorney with the ACLU of Maine, and Waxman, a former city councilor, were unsuccessful Saturday night.
The ad hoc committee, composed of Mayor Kate Snyder, Councilor Nick Mavodones, Councilor Pious Ali and Councilor Tae Chong, interviewed 20 people for the appointments, according to a press release from the city.
The full council is expected to vote on the recommendations at its meeting Monday, which starts at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. The council is required to make the appointments by Aug. 14, 30 days after the vote to create the charter commission.
The City Council also needs to decide the method of voting to determine the number of commission members to be elected by the public, who will serve alongside those who have been appointed.
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