*03/11/16 Ethan Strimling, Mayor City of Portland
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Our speaker/program this Friday will be Ethan Strimling, Mayor of Portland, Maine. Mr. Strimling is the second popularly-elected mayor for the City in nearly nine decades. Mayor Strimling was elected November 3, 2015 and was inaugurated for a four-year term on December 7, 2015. Mayor Strimling is the second full-time mayor for the city following changes to the City Charter approved by the voters in November 2010. Prior to these changes, the city’s mayor was elected by and chosen from among the nine-member City Council for a one-year term. As the city’s top elected official, the mayor provides community leadership and develops policies to guide the city by setting strategic goals and priorities for the city with the council. He also represents the city’s interests in Augusta and Washington D.C., where he advocates for the city, its residents, and businesses. Mr. Strimling also served in the State Senate for six years representing Portland as Chair of the Labor and Criminal Justice Committees, while also serving on Taxation. He also Chaired Maine’s Homeland Security Task Force.
Prior to becoming Mayor, Mr. Strimling spent 19 years as the CEO of LearningWorks, a not-for-profit company providing learning opportunities for at-risk youth, the immigrant community, and low-income families. Additionally, Mr. Strimling spent 8 years as a Political Analyst for the local NBC and CBS affiliates, as well as writing a column for the Maine Sunday Telegram and the Bangor Daily News.
Before working at LearningWorks, Mr. Strimling ran Treasurer Dale McCormick’s campaign for US Congress and he worked on legislative policy for Maine Congressman Tom Andrews. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, a Master’s degree from Harvard University, and he attended the Juilliard School as a Theater Student.
Ethan has been a resident of Maine since 1987. He married Mary Beeaker in 2004.