Rent Board Needs Applicants to “Do Its Job”

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Only two applications from people interested in serving on Portland’s Rent Board have been received in the city clerk’s office as of this past Friday.  The new Rent Board requires seven individuals to serve on it with several at-large spots and one from each district in Portland to be filled.

To apply please send your resume to the Portland city clerk, Kathy Jones, at:  klj@portlandmaine.gov or call 207 874-8677 for more information.

The creation of the Rent Board came about as part of Question D on the November ballot in Portland. Question D called for common sense protections for renters not previously provided by the city of Portland. The Citizen Initiative passed decisively with more than 60% of voters approving it.

The Citizens Initiative, Questions A – E,  were sponsored by People First Portland, a non-profit, that obtained the endorsement of a coalition of other non-profits.  Most of the City Council of Portland and the Mayor were opposed to Questions A- E as well as the editorial page of The Republican Press Herald. The daily local editorial page feebily called such tenant protections too complicated to be resolved by referendum.

Additional applications need to be submitted to the city clerk by December 28 to be considered for this position.  Following the December 28th deadline, applicants will be interviewed by City Councilor Pious Ali.

If not enough people apply for the seven vacancies on the Board, it will be the determination of Councilor Pious Ali how to proceed from there.  The deadline could be extended beyond the December 28th deadline, but that is not known at this time.

For more background information, please visit posts dated December 7, 2020 and June 20, 2020.