The deadline to qualify to run for local office in Portland this fall has passed and the list of candidates is set. Between the City Council and school board, six seats will be on the ballot in November.

All three of the Portland city councilors who were up for reelection have opted not to run for another term and only one incumbent school board member is vying to keep her seat.

The three councilors who will be stepping down come December – Victoria Pelletier, Roberto Rodriguez and Anna Trevorrow – are among the most progressive on the council. They are the only ones who last fall voted to temporarily sanction homeless encampments in the city, a measure that ultimately failed.

Pelletier has consistently been an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Trevorrow brought a successful proposal to deprioritize the enforcement of laws banning psychedelic mushrooms. And Rodriguez passed an amendment to a housing ordinance that required the city to allow for more housing than originally proposed.

With three progressive councilors leaving, the outcome of the election will have a major impact on the political makeup of the city. And the candidates running for those seats have a variety of backgrounds and political ideologies.

CITY COUNCIL AT-LARGE

Jess Falero: Falero has lived in Portland since 2016 but first made their mark on the Portland political scene last year when they organized Stop the Sweep rallies protesting homeless encampment clearings. Falero has said they were homeless before becoming a social worker and advocate for people living outside. Their website states that should they win a seat on a council, they would prioritize listening to constituents and building “a city where no one has to die on the streets again.”

Benjamin Grant: Grant has served on the school board since 2022 when he was elected to finish out Rodriguez’s term. He has two children in Portland schools and said in an interview this spring that if he is elected, he will approach his work on the council with an eye toward the impact of city issues on education. Grant served as chair of the Maine Democratic Party from 2011 through 2014 and was co-chair of Gov. Janet Mills’ transition team in 2019. He currently works as general counsel for the Maine Education Association, the largest teacher’s union in the state.

Grayson Lookner: Lookner has served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives and is seeking a third in tandem with his bid for a City Council seat. If elected, Lookner said he plans to serve in both positions simultaneously, which he said could create a stronger relationship between Portland and Augusta. He currently serves on the Legislature’s housing committee, where he said he has gained a deep understanding of how the state and city can work together to create more housing. Last fall, Lookner regularly attended Stop the Sweeps rallies at City Hall protesting homeless encampment clearings.

Brandon Mazer: Mazer became chair of the city’s planning board in 2023. By day, he works as a lawyer with a focus on municipal law. He ran for the same council seat in 2021 and lost to Rodriguez by just 35 votes. On his website, Mazer writes about his love for Portland – his hometown – and simultaneous frustration with the “divisiveness of Portland politics.” His priorities include addressing the housing crisis, inequity in schools and controlling property taxes.

Jacob Viola: The 32-year-old is a political newcomer and said in an interview this spring that his No. 1 priority as a councilor would be making himself easily accessible to his constituents. He also is concerned with housing affordability and climate resiliency. Viola grew up in South Portland and operated an ice cream boat on Lake Sebago as a summer job. Though he has never run for office, he worked in federal and state government in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., before moving back to Maine in 2021.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 

District 1 stretches from the Eastern Promenade park to High Street and includes the Casco Bay islands.

Sarah Michniewicz: Michniewicz serves as the president of the Bayside Neighborhood Association. She ran for the same council seat against Trevorrow in 2021 but lost in a close race. In that election, she spoke about the importance of regulating short-term rentals, improving public transportation and rehabilitating historic buildings. Michniwicz works as a freelance seamstress.

Todd Morse: Morse is a political newcomer who says on his website that accessibility as a councilor, a project to redesign Franklin Street, housing affordability and transit would be among his top priorities if he wins the election. He founded the Urbanist Coalition of Portland, “a grassroots advocacy group that works to make Portland a more livable city.” He currently serves on the city’s Community Development Block Grant allocation committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals. On his website, Morse writes that as a councilor he wants to create “a more affordable, walkable, bikeable, transit-accessible, safe, and sustainable city for everyone.”

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2

District 2 includes the West End, Valley Street and Oakdale.

Atiim Boykin: A political newcomer, Boykin works as a forensic intensive case manager with the state department of health and human services and previously was a crisis worker at The Opportunity Alliance. Boykin writes on his Linkedin page that “barrier removal” is central to his career.

Nancy English: English has lived in Portland for decades and has had a career as a food writer. She published a book about Maine restaurants called “Chow Maine” and for years wrote restaurant reviews in the Maine Sunday Telegram. On her website, she writes that Portland was an affordable place for her to grow her career and raise her daughter, but now, “life is too expensive.” English said she would strive to create more affordable housing and to move homeless people into shelter.

Catherine Nekoie: Nekoie has lived in Portland with her family for 40 years, and all three of her children were educated in the Portland school system. On her website, she writes that she is an avid marathoner. She and her husband have operated a hair salon on Oak Street for decades. As a councilor, her website states, her priorities would include converting State and High streets to two-way traffic, addressing concerns about the Sprague coal pile and making housing more affordable.

Robert O’Brien: O’Brien served on the Portland Charter Commission from 2021-2022 and has been a member of the city’s historic preservation board since 2016. He works as a housing specialist at Camoin Associates, an economic development consulting firm. O’Brien grew up in Portland and attended Deering High School.

Wes Pelletier: Pelletier has been a regular public participant at City Council meetings for years. He is an active member of the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and was a founding member of the Trelawny Tenants Union. On his website, he says that tenants rights, tax equity and improved public transit would be among his top priorities as a city councilor. Victoria Pelletier, no relation, has endorsed him to replace her on the council.

SCHOOL BOARD AT-LARGE

The school board seats have far fewer candidates registered. Both District 1 and 2 candidates are running unopposed, and just two candidates are competing for the at-large seat.

Maya Lena: Lena, a newcomer to Portland politics, is a substitute teacher and artist in Portland. She has children in the school system. In February, before she announced her candidacy, Lena said she supported smaller class sizes in elementary schools.

John Rousseau: Rousseau, also new to the Portland political scene, announced his candidacy just before the deadline to file paperwork on Monday. Rousseau wrote in a news release that he is a supporter of the city’s new strategic plan and “envisions a future where every student has access to quality education.” He is the parent of a recent graduate of Portland public schools.

SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 1

Abusana Bondo: Bondo is running unopposed to keep her seat on the school board, which she has held since 2018. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bondo has called Portland home for 15 years. She has five children, three of whom attend Portland public schools. Bondo serves on the board of The Opportunity Alliance and is the director of a nonprofit, In Her Presence, which seeks to empower immigrant women.

SCHOOL BOARD DISTIRCT 2 

Abdul Ali: Another political newcomer, Ali is running unopposed. On his Linkedin page, he describes himself as “an Ethiopian-American social activist.” He serves as the director of advocacy for Maine Youth Justice, a campaign to end youth incarceration in Maine through the closure of Long Creek Youth Development Center. He is also an artistic director with Maine Inside Out, an organization that uses theater to engage communities around the subject of incarceration.