Ethan: Phil, where have you been?
Phil: I’m sheltering in place for crying out loud! But more importantly, where have you been? It’s been six years since our last BDN column publicly pontificating on politics (try saying that three times fast).
Ethan: I just woke up from this crazy dream where I was elected the mayor of Portland. We got all this cool stuff done for kids and seniors and the environment and housing. That wasn’t a dream?
Phil: Perhaps for Democrats. But for my friends, it was a nightmare.
Ethan: Portland has people other than Democrats?
Phil: Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor. So, in all seriousness, how was your stint as mayor?
Ethan: A bit of “rough sledding” as we used to say before climate change, but we got a lot done. Record increases for school funding. Property tax and rent relief for seniors. Rebuilding elementary schools. We doubled the affordable housing being built, got City Hall powered by the sun, and we forced businesses who get corporate welfare to pay their workers a higher wage. Heck, we even protected immigrants from Trump!
Phil: Yeah, I heard you told the president to “ bring them on!” when he said he would send immigrants to all our sanctuary cities. Boy did he listen. Has the Portland Expo, aka public housing recovered yet?
Ethan: Yes! Indeed when the asylees arrived it was one of the most inspiring moments of my tenure. We were on the receiving end of a wave of the best and brightest from around the world. Just like when your ancestors arrived!
Phil: My ancestors came over in the 1630s.
Ethan: Could you be any more blue blood?
Phil: If by “blue blood” you mean a hard working, roll-up-your-sleeves, successful taxpayer, I will take that as a compliment.
Ethan: Quick questions, did your relatives use pocket squares like you? Did they bring those over on the Mayflower?
Phil: Ha! Nope, just a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from our brows as we tried to build our future, whilst keeping the government from further intruding in our lives.
Ethan: You must be loving our state-imposed shutdown these days.
Phil: Don’t get me started. We’ll need a whole column for that. Not to go back to the “rough sledding” you mentioned, but it does seem like during your stint as mayor you frustrated a few who helped you get elected — fellow councilors, real estate developers, landowners and employers.
Ethan: Yup. Unfortunately, some of them expected me to be their puppet. But my disappointments were not with the special interests (they behaved as they always do). My disappointment was largely with a majority of the city council blocking important initiatives on affordable housing and tenant protections, paid sick leave, and keeping our homeless from being kicked to the outskirts of town.
Phil: I thought you were all Democrats?
Ethan: I thought so too…
Phil: And what about your battles with the city manager? I have to say, in all my years on the Yarmouth Town Council, I never saw the city manager and council chair argue so much about who is in charge of leading the city. What the bleep happened?
Ethan: Well, as you know, the mayor of Portland is no longer simply the council chair. The mayor is now the official leader of the city, responsible for articulating, enacting, and ensuring the implementation of a vision. Some people are still having a problem with that. They want to go back to the “good old days” where an unelected city manager leads from behind closed doors.
Phil: I did pick up on the city manager’s subtle threat, or should I say attempt, to place his finger on the scale of the election by tacitly suggesting he would quit if you won re-election. That would not have been tolerated in my town.
Ethan: It shouldn’t be tolerated anywhere. Someday we’ll get the charter fixed.
Phil: You are right (yes I said it), change the charter to give the mayor the clear power to run the city.
Ethan: Wow, we’ve been apart for six years and we agree on something right out of the gate!
Phil: Maybe that means we should start doing this column on a regular basis again?
Ethan: I’m in, as long as next week we get to talk about what a great job the governor is doing protecting Maine people from COVID-19.
Phil: More like what a great job she is doing usurping through executive orders the rights our ancestors fought so hard to create.
Ethan: Your right to play golf?
Phil: She eased up on that one. It’s good to have my brother from another mother back.
Phil Harriman served as a town councilor and state senator from Yarmouth. Ethan Strimling served as mayor and state senator from Portland.