It's not easy running a business in good times, let alone during a pandemic requiring so many shops, stores, restaurants, and offices to shut down their public facing facilities. Here in Portland, our small businesses--the shops and restaurants, bars and bookstores, artist studios, coffee roasters, yogis, makers, retailers, and manufacturers--are the lifeblood of our city. Here's how you can support them in this era of social distancing. 

As if it's not bad enough to be termed "non-essential," businesses in Portland--from book stores to art shops to music purveyors and more--have been faced with local restrictions that have prohibited them from pursuing any form of revenue stream during the COVID-19 pandemic. I've been hearing from A LOT of folks on this one over the last few days, and here's the gist of what I've been writing in response.

Tonight at HHS & PS I expect we'll vote on a resolution that provides guidance to staff around the CIty's shelter policies. I'll post the resolution including that guidance once it's approved, but in the meantime, I wanted to let folks know where we are in our process to replace the aging and inadequate Oxford Street Shelter. I created the pdf below to help clarify the process to date, illustrate the process yet to come, and give people some basic information about the requirements the shelter will have to meet. Take a look!

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to announce that I will be withdrawing from the mayoral race. This has been a very difficult – I would even say grueling – decision to make, but I am convinced it is the right one for me and for my family.

At this point I'm sure many of you are aware that unprecedented numbers of people seeking asylum in the United States are arriving in Portland, Maine. I know there are disagreements about the role Portland should play in issues that ultimately require state and federal assistance and that people have different perspectives with regard to how the City should handle its Community Support Fund. We will be discussing those issues at our City Council meeting on Monday, June 17th, and public comment will be taken at that time. 

Right now, however, we - as a city, a region, and a state - need to find a way to deal with the crisis at hand. 

To that end the City of Portland is working with community partners, the American Red Cross, and the State Center for Disease Control & Prevention to operate a temporary emergency shelter at the Portland Expo. That facility opened on Wednesday, June 12th at 5pm. 

Numerous people and groups have reached out to learn how they can help. If you are interested in volunteering or making donations to assist in this effort, here are some things you can do.
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• To volunteer to help at the Expo, please visit this page on the United Way website. And please be patient. As shelter security is of the utmost importance, volunteers need to be screened before they can be admitted to work with families and children residing at the shelter. Please do not show up at the Expo without receiving a volunteer assignment. You will be turned away. 
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• The most pressing need at this time is still for financial resources. To donate directly to the City to cover shelter/housing needs and basic necessities, visit this site where you'll find an online donation form and information about where to send or drop off checks. You can also donate by texting the word EXPO to 91999 and following the prompts. All funds received through any of these channels will go directly toward supporting asylum seekers in our community.
  
  
• If you are a social service agency or business that is looking to be involved in the city's coordination of resources, email Mo Puia.
  
  
• Physical donations are not being accepted at the Expo at this time. Please be patient. We will continue to need help beyond this week, and we need those of you who wish to donate items to be on standby for now. As soon as it becomes clear which items we need assistance obtaining, the city will make a list available and instruct people where to bring those items. 

Thanks to all who have already reached out to learn how they can help!

One of the things I've always loved about Portland is how willing people are to get engaged with issues that are important to them. We are a tremendous community, folks. I'm very proud to call this City home. 

Just a quick update for those of you who may have read What's Up with Rising Tide?

The bill giving municipalities the ability to place conditions on state liquor licenses cleared both chambers of the Legislature and was enacted as an emergency on May 30, 2019. That means it is now the law of the land, and we are right back to where we were with Rising Tide before the Council meeting that spawned the attention getting headline.

Speaking of that attention getting headline...

Imagine if instead, the headline following that April 22nd headline had read:

Council Finds Way to Allow Local Business to Keep Operating

It certainly would have been more fitting. Because, as it turns out, that's the real story here. 

On Monday, May 20th, the Council approved a budget that included the Fire Chief's plan to decommission Engine 1. In the days leading up to that meeting, I received a slew of emails and phone calls about the Chief's proposal, so first I want to thank everyone for reaching out. It was clear from the communications just how valued the Munjoy Hill Fire Station and the people that operate it are. I am gratified to see the community's passion around ensuring not only that our firefighters are treated fairly, but that the residents of the Hill and beyond are appropriately protected by our local Fire Department. 

It does appear, however, that there was some confusion about the Fire Chief's proposal and about the role the council would play in making this decision. This was evidenced by the number of people who called, wrote, or testified publicly to protest the closing of the Munjoy Hill station, something that was never being considered. To be very clear on that point:

The Munjoy Hill Fire Station is not closing.

I also heard from many people who were concerned that 12 firefighters would be losing their jobs. That is also not accurate.

There will be no reduction in force at the Fire Department, and no one is losing a job. There are 226 full-time employees in the Fire Department now, and there will be 226 on July 1st, when the new fiscal year and the new budget kick in. 

And after the vote, I heard from people who wanted to know which councilors had voted against keeping the engine. It seems that a lot of people were under the impression that the council would be taking a direct vote on Engine 1, which was not the case.

So what exactly was proposed, how did the vote go down, and what does it all mean for Munjoy Hill and the rest of the city? Good questions. Here's the deal.

When I saw this headline in the paper, I knew I’d have some explaining to do:

If you're wondering why on earth five councilors would vote to violate our own ordinance, you're not alone. Here's the explanation.  

Over the last two-and-a-half years we've been discussing homelessness in Portland front and center and in great detail at the HHS & PS Committee. We've  had many difficult conversations to date, and I expect we have many more ahead. 

That's why as we near a decision on the site selection for the new Homeless Services Center, I want to take a moment to celebrate some of the wonderful partnerships that have grown out of this process. Shining a light on the challenges of our current system has inspired multiple new community collaborations. These partnerships will help us, as a community, reach the goals set by the Council back in 2011 when it created a task force to develop a strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness in Portland, Maine. I'm pleased and proud that this process has helped move us closer to that aim.