By Carol McCracken  (Post # 776)

The first of  two public meetings about the future of Portland will be held, tomorrow, Thursday, May 12th at the Portland Public Library’s Rines Auditorium.  The doors open at 5:30 pm and the public discussion takes place from 6 – 8 pm.  The event is hosted by the Maine League of Young Voters and Portland Tomorrow. 

Markos Miller, Hill resident, and one of the events’ organizers, said in a press release:  “We’re hoping that people from all over the city attend, so that they can talk about:  the issues they think matter in Portland in the years ahead, help to frame the discussion for our mayoral candidates, and take part in a live example of  ranked choice voting, which will be used in the November mayoral election.” 

Organizer of the event for the Maine League of Young Voters, Hilary Frenkel, said:  “Young people are a driving force behind Portland’s growth in recent years.  We’ve put a lot of sweat and love into this city.  Now it’s time, once again, for us to come together across different generations and communities to set a vision for the next five years of Portland, starting with the 2011 elections.”

Speaking on behalf of Portland tomorrow, a group working to identify and support candidates who best meet the characteristics for being an excellent mayor, John Spritz said: “These events give everyone in the city an opportunity to think about the kinds of questions we’ll all be asking mayoral candidates in the months ahead.  As we look for a new leader, we can also ask ourselves what sort of city we want that person to lead.” 

The second and final meeting in the series will be held Thursday, May 26 at Deering High School from 6 pm – 8 pm for the public discussion.