The South Portlander

Thank you Tom for running! It sounds like you’ll bring common sense to the Council—lacking until Tom Blake got elected. If Claude Morgan is smart (which he likes to tell everyone), he’ll sit this one out cuz you’ll win by a landslide. Tell us how we can help your campaign? Thanks!

Tom would be an excellent councilor.  He has been a voice of reason on the board of appeals for years.

Say what you want about lawyers, but the council could use someone with legal experience.

I agree, sopo_westend. Particularly since they have decided they don’t really need a corporation counsel to attend Council meetings. Not sure if they are just short-sighted, or truly arrogant. Either way, Tom’s got my vote.

As the former City Councilor from District 1, I am thrilled that Tom Coward is running for this seat in November. Many of you know that I supported and endorsed Claude Morgan when he ran three years ago. However, I will NOT be supporting him again. I feel his ambition has gotten in the way of his serving the needs of South Portland.
My personal goal is to elect candidates with professional business and board experience. Until we elect Councilors who act like a true Board of Directors, and oversee the CEO (city manager), and answer to the shareholders (taxpayers), we will never reach our full potential as a City. This could be the best corporation in the State to work for or contribute to, yet we consistently get saddled with those more interested in bees, chickens and dogs than whether we have affordable homes, a healthy business economy, or quality educational opportunities.
For these reasons, I will be proud to support Tom Coward for the District 1 City Council race against Claude Morgan. Similarly, I will be supporting Patti Smith in her race for District 2. If you believe that South Portland has the potential to better serve our residents and businesses, then join me in voting for Tom Coward and Patti Smith for City Council in November. If you wish to get involved and volunteer, please drop me an email.
Sincerely,
David Jacobs

After being scolded by Linda Boudreau for daring to voice our displeasure with the current council, I am more determined to vote in new faces this election. I will vote for Tom Coward and Patti Smith, but does anyone know who to vote for against Jim Hughes?

I’ll tell you that Jim Hughes lost my vote when he reappointed Carol Thorne to the planning board. She is so pro-development, I expect to see her driving the bulldozer to clear trees on some of these new projects. Hughes says traffic is his number one concern and then he reappoints someone who promotes increased traffic...I don’t get it.

Has Mark Gandolfo taken out papers for District 5?  I’d vote for him over Jim Hughes any day.

Mark Gandolfo has indeed taken out (and handed in) papers for District 5.  I had a long chat with him and can report that he has plenty of great ideas for the direction of South Portland.  But even more than his ideas, he has a methodical, thoughtful way with issues, seeking facts before making a decision, and carefully considering all sides of a question.  He would really bring a breath of fresh air to the council!
Tom Coward