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District 2: Both have backgrounds that include the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service.

By TOM BELL, Staff Writer June 1, 2009

PORTLAND — Voters in District 2, which comprises the western half of the peninsula, will be represented on the Charter Commission by a young man who loves public policy. The question is: Which young man?

Daniel Jenkins, 26, and Robert O'Brien, 29, both were educated at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service.

Jenkins supports changing the charter to allow voters to elect a mayor. However, he doesn't know yet how strong or weak the elected mayor should be.

"I want to make the city more accountable. Right now, the city manager holds a lot of power, and he is an unelected individual," he said.

By electing a mayor, he said, voters can decide whether the mayor has lived up to his promises. "It's a more accountable way to do business."

Still, he said he's wary of a "truly strong" mayor, which he describes as a mayor who has veto power over City Council actions and can "ramrod" his agenda though the council.

He supports increasing the number of district council seats and reducing the number of at-large seats.

He said at-large races are simply a contest to see who can raise the most money. In district races, he said, candidates campaign door-to-door and must show they understand the community.

O'Brien, who chairs the policy committee on the Portland School Committee, said he wants a seat on the Charter Commission to help commission members understand how the school board operates and the fiscal realities it faces.

"I hope to provide the insight that few of the candidates can at this point on how the School Committee operates," he said.

He is open to the idea of an elected mayor, but that's not his issue, he said.

"There are a lot of people who say we need an elected mayor. But I'm not one of those people."

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at:

tbell@pressherald.com