City Clerk Cathy Jones Meets With The Two Candidates Before the
Run off” This Morning.

Danielle C. West, Who is Serving as Interim City Manager with Jen Thompson, Esq. Who Is Replacing West as Head of the Legal Department This Morning at the Ceremony.

Brandon Mazer won an at-large seat on the Portland City Council this morning in a brief,outdoor ceremony in front of city hall.  Mazer won “by lot” – that is a card of his and that of his competitor, Roberto Rodriguez, were placed in a wooden bowl on a table in Ganley Plaza.  Just after 10:00 am, City Clerk Jones picked one out of the bowl.

Jones announced that Mazer had won the run-off between the two candidates for an at-large seat on the Portland City Council.  The run-off was necessitated because Rodriguez and Mazer received the most votes in the four way race for the seat.  But neither of the two reached a 50% majority of the votes that is required by ranked-choice voting in Portland.

About 100 people watched as the ceremony took place this morning under sunny skies, but cold temperatures.

Prior to the run-off, Mazer said that he hadn’t slept well last night.  In contrast, Rodriguez said he slept well.  Riobriquez owns a small business; Fresh Food Gardens.   He builds gardens for residences and currently has 28 gardens.  His business is five years old. Mazer is chair of the Portland Planning Board, and is an attorney for Perkins, Thompson and works in the regulatory compliance sector in the beverage industry.

Following the ceremony Mazer seemed surprise by his victory.  “My heart was racing.  It shows that every vote matters,” he said.  “This tie  is such a rare occurrence.”