Portland, Maine City Council

The Portland, Maine City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Portland, Maine. It is a nine seat council, composed of representatives from the city's five districts, three councilors elected citywide and the full-time elected Mayor of Portland. The eight councilors are elected for three-year terms, while the Mayor is elected for a four-year term.

The Council is officially non-partisan, though councilors are often known for their political party affiliation.

In 1923, the system was changed from a strong mayor system to a weak, largely ceremonial mayor position due to the influence of the Maine Ku Klux Klan, which resented the perceived growing political power of ethnic and religious minorities. This was reversed after the mayoral election of 2011.

The Portland City Council meets at Portland City Hall, an historic 1909 building on Congress Street.

Ethan Strimling is a former State Senator and Executive Director of LearningWorks, a non-profit organization in Portland's West End neighborhood. Strimling was elected mayor in 2015 against incumbent Michael F. Brennan and Green Party member Tom MacMillan. Strimling had previously run unsuccessfully for mayor in the 2011 contest, finishing second to Brennan.

Belinda Ray was elected in 2015 to represent District 1 following the retirement of Kevin Donoghue. Ray is a resident of Portland's East Bayside neighborhood, having lived there since 2004. She helped found the East Bayside Neighborhood Organization (EBNO), and served sequentially as Vice President, President, and Community Organizer of EBNO. Ray was elected to succeed Donoghue as the District 1 councilor in a five-way race in which she garnered 39% of the vote.

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