Nomination papers for the November 2023 election will be available Monday, July 31, 2023 at 8:00am at the City Clerk's office and must be returned by Friday, September 8, 2023 at 4:30pm.


The following offices are up for election:

City Councilor - District 1
City Councilor - District 2

City Councilor - District 4 (for the unexpired term expiring December 2024)
City Councilor - District 5
School Board - District At-Large (2 seats)
School Board - District Three (for the unexpired term which expires December 2024) 

School Board - District Five (for the unexpired term which expires December 2024) **Due to the resignation of Elyse Tipton in a letter dated August 8, 2023**

 

 

run-for-office.png

City of South Portland
  General Municipal Election
November 7, 2023

 

Offices for Election
Requirements & Resources
-red-star-logo.gif List of Candidates -red-star-logo.gif
Nomination Paper Deadlines
Nomination Petition Signature Requirements
Petition Reminders & Requirements
Campaign Finance Reporting
Campaign Signs

 

Candidates running for City Council and School Board are voted on "At Large", which means all registered voters of the City vote on these races. 

Requirements:

  • All candidates for School Board or City Council must reside in and be registered to vote in the city district for the office you are running for and remain a resident of the City for the duration of your term.  At-Large candidates may live anywhere in the City. (City Charter Sec. 208 & Sec. 901). 
  • Candidates running for Warden or Ward Clerk must be residents of the district for which they are elected.
  • Those running for City Council may not hold office of emolument or profit nor any position of employment in any city department, including but not limited to the department of education, whether full or part time. (City Charter). 
  • If running for School Board, please be aware of the School Department's Master Policy Book.

Resources:

Holding public office is a large time commitment and responsibility. Those interested in running for office, particularly for City Council, should review the helpful information posted on Maine Municipal Association's "Running for Local Office". 

Candidates will want to be familiar with the duties, rules, and policies of the office before deciding to run for office.  Prior to the inauguration ceremony (1st Monday in December), newly elected Councilors will receive on-boarding with the City Manager and City Clerk, and will be encouraged to attend the "Elected Officials Workshop" training hosted by Maine Municipal Association.

School Board:

City Council:

Wardens & Ward Clerks:

If you have any questions regarding eligibility or duties of the offices above, please contact the City Clerk. 

 List of Candidates:

As prospective candidates take out nomination papers, their names, address, office for which they are running, date which nomination papers were taken out, and date which nomination papers were returned will be posted here. 

Should a prospective candidate return enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, that information will be indicated in the last column.

Per Charter, the political party (if any) of candidates do not appear on the ballot and are not posted here.  Candidates are not required to be enrolled in a political party in order to qualify for local office and voters do not need to be enrolled in a political party to receive a ballot. 

Office                                                                                                                                Name of Candidate                                                 Address       Date Papers Taken Out   Date Papers Returned   Qualified for Ballot? (Y/N)  
 City Council - District One  Linda Cohen  148 Breakwater Dr #305  7/31  8/28  Y
City Council - District One Brendan K. Williams 101 Summit Terrace Apt #12 7/31  9/5  Y
City Council - District Two Rachael Coleman 37 Hillside Ave 7/31  8/31  Y
City Council - District Two Jeffrey McDonald 114 Providence Ave 7/31  9/6  Y
City Council - District Four Roger Borelli Jr 3 Kenneth Rd 8/3    
City Council - District Four Steven Riley 241 Elderberry Dr 7/31  8/28  Y
City Council - District Five Kenneth Pinet 19 Pride Rd, Unit 1 7/31    
City Council - District Five Elyse Tipton 35 Hall St 8/8  8/28  Y
Board of Education - At Large Jennifer Ryan 88 Granby Rd 8/7 8/28   Y
Board of Education - At Large Claire Holman 56 Jefferson St 8/7  9/5  Y
Board of Education - At Large Eleni Richardson 54 Sylvan Rd 8/14  9/7  Y
Board of Education - District Three  Melinda Aloes 365 Evans St Ext 8/7  8/28  Y
Board of Education - District Three  Rosemarie DeAngelis 30 Buttonwood St 8/8  8/31  Y
Board of Education - District Five Jennifer Kinney 60 Albany St Ext. 8/23  8/31  Y

 

 

All nomination papers are issued and filed with the City Clerk,
located at City Hall, 25 Cottage Road.

Nomination Petition Signature Requirements

  • Candidates running for City Council or School Board need 100 qualified signatures of registered voters of the city. The Charter indicates not less than 100 or more than 300 signatures.  It is recommended that you turn in at least 130 to 150 signatures as some of the signers may not be registered voters or may have already signed and qualified another candidate.  We have provided you with 8 petition sheets with 25 lines on each page.  If you would like more, we would be happy to provide them to you upon request.  (City Charter [Sec.] 1004.  Nominations.)

  • Candidates running for Warden or Ward Clerk must be residents of the district for which they are elected and need 30 qualified signatures of registered voters within that district. The Charter indicates not less than 30 or more than 100 signatures. It is recommended that you turn in above 30 signatures as some of the signers may not be registered voters within that district or may have already signed and qualified another candidate. We have provided you with 2 petition sheets with 25 lines on each page. If you would like more, we would be happy to provide them to you upon request. (City Charter [Sec.] 1004. Nominations.)

 

Petition Reminders & Requirements

  • A voter may only sign nomination papers for one candidate for each office per district, or two candidates when two at large seats are available.  (City Charter [Sec.] 1004.  Nominations.)
  • The petition circulator must witness the signature of each person who signs.  Circulators should not leave petitions in stores, businesses, etc. to be picked up later.   Each circulator must fill out this form on the back of the petition sheets they circulated.  The circulator must sign the sheet in the presence of a notary.  This can be done in the Clerks’ Office free of charge. 
  • It is unlawful to sign another person’s name to a petition (this includes the signature of one’s spouse).
  • The Clerks’ Office strongly recommends that candidates do not wait until the deadline to turn in petitions.  If there should be a problem with the petitions, there may not be enough time for the candidate to correct the problem.

Campaign Finance Reporting

Maine Election Law requires municipal candidates in cities and towns with a population of 15,000 or more to disclose their campaign contributions and expenditures, to comply with contribution limitations and prohibitions, and to meet other requirements of the law.   In South Portland, every candidate must register with the Clerk before accepting any campaign contributions or making any campaign expenditures.  Please review the "2023 Municipal Candidates Guide" for more information.  Registration forms are included in your nomination packet, and must be returned with your nomination paperwork even if you choose to exempt from collecting or spending campaign finances. If you choose to accept or spend campaign funds, you must file reports with the Clerk's office.  

CONTRIBUTION LIMIT: $575 PER CONTRIBUTOR
An individual, political committee, party committee, corporation or association may not make contributions to a municipal candidate aggregating more than $575.

ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS: RESTRICTED TO $10 OR LESS

For more information and forms regarding campaign finance, please visit the Maine Ethics Commission website here.

Campaign Signs

The City adopts the regulations set by the Maine Department of Transportation regarding the placement of temporary signs in the "public right of way" (ROW). Maine Department of Transportation  letter to candidates regarding placement of temporary signs.  

Reference to State Temporary Sign Law:  http://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/23/title23sec1913-A.html

The placement of campaign signs is also governed under State Election Law: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/21-A/title21-Asec682.html

 

A few general guidelines:

• Signs may be placed in the public ROW for a maximum of 12 weeks in a calendar year (6 weeks from January 1st to June 30th and another 6 weeks between July 1st and December 31st).
• The same sign may not be placed closer than 30’ from one another.
• Signs may not be placed within 250’ feet of polling places on Election Day, including City Hall while absentee voting is ongoing (30 days before Election Day).
• Signs may not be placed in public rights of way of less than 6’ wide (such as small medians).
• Signs may not be placed in roundabouts or rotaries (including the roundabout in Knightville).
• Signs may not be placed on or obstruct the view of traffic signals or signs or traffic safety equipment or block paths or roads.  Signs may not be placed on telephone poles. 
• Signs placed in the public ROW may not exceed 4 feet by 8 feet in size.

• On private property, signs may be erected at any time with landowner’s permission. Signs placed outside the public ROW must not exceed 50 square feet in size. Signs placed without permission on private property may be removed by the landowner. 

All temporary signs must indicate the name and address of the individual, entity or organization that placed them, and the date the signs were placed. 

Campaign signs must clearly and conspicuously state that the communication has been authorized and must clearly state the name of the person who made or financed the expenditure. There are few exceptions. 

Each year, the City Clerk receives several complaints about signs that are improperly placed or do not contain the required information. Please ensure your signs are properly marked with the required information – the name, address and date of posting can be done in a small sticker placed on the back of the sign, while it is typical to have the campaign authorization and finance information printed in smaller print on the bottom front of the sign. Signs placed in public right of way that violate the laws and/or do not contain the required information may be removed. Please make a plan to keep track of the signs you place, and be sure to collect them as soon as possible after the election – many times candidates choose to reuse their signs for future elections. Signs that are left up 6 weeks after their posted date will be removed.