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Panel agrees to host a debate on whether the city should have a popularly elected mayor.

By DENNIS HOEY, Staff Writer July 31, 2009

PORTLAND — The city's newly formed Charter Commission reached consensus Thursday night on the issues it should take up, and the idea of having a popularly elected mayor made it to the top of the list.

Commissioners said that if they can decide whether to recommend to voters that the city elect its mayor – such a question likely would be addressed by voters in November 2010 – many of the other issues, such as establishing term limits, changing the number of seats on the City Council and going with clean-election funding, will flow from that.

"The key question for us to answer" is whether we want a popularly elected mayor, said Pamela P. Plumb, the commission's chairwoman.

Commissioners wasted no time trying to move ahead on the elected-mayor issue. After voting to accept a list of nine charter-related issues to consider, they agreed to host a panel discussion on the mayor topic.

The debate, to feature a panel of officials who have had experience with both forms of government, likely will take place in late September or in October at a venue such as the University of Southern Maine's Abromson Center or the auditorium at Portland High School, they said.

Details about the time and place will be discussed at the commission's Aug. 27 meeting.

Commissioners also heard from a number of people on Thursday who spoke about extending the right to vote in city elections to non-U.S. citizens who are here legally. That will be one of the nine issues the commissioners will study over the next year.

Priya Natarajan, a teacher at Deering High School, said her parents came to the United States in 1980 and began paying property taxes, but did not have the right to vote. She urged the commission to recommend extending voting rights to non-U.S. citizens.

Pious Ali, a photojournalist from Ghana, moved to Maine in 2002. He said giving legal immigrants the right to vote would make them more engaged in their community and government.

His comments were included in a letter that Natarajan read to the commission.

"Extending the right to vote to our immigrant community strengthens the democratic process and makes our community more inclusive," said Jenna Vendil, who represents the League of Young Voters.

Mayor Jill Duson testified that the issue of voting rights should be addressed by the commission, but she took a different view, saying that "voting should be a privilege of citizenship."

Commissioners on Thursday also agreed that any charter changes that could improve the working relationship between the City Council and School Committee should be discussed separately.

Commissioner John A. Spritz, who chairs the Public Engagement Committee, released a list of ideas for drawing the public into the board's deliberations. Among them are having Plumb write a monthly newspaper column, establishing a Facebook page, and doing interviews on local radio and TV talk shows.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com