Benjamin K. Grant

Education

We are also a gateway to education for so many who come to this country with little experience, or with experience that doesn’t transfer smoothly to the US system. We need to find ways to bolster language acquisition and speed up the process of translating credentials across borders. Our goal should be for Portland to be top of mind for anyone looking for a place with world-class education. Learn more

Environment / Energy

We need to eliminate the coal piles along the Fore River. Citizen advocacy has brought significant attention to this issue, and now it’s time for the elected leadership to get involved. It is a health hazard for far too many people to tolerate any longer. Learn more

Portland is known as the "Forest City" and our parks, trails, and green and open spaces help make our quality of life here great. But that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement. Currently the Bayside Community, one of our most diverse, has the lowest Tree Equity Score due to urban renewal and industrial uses. Learn more

The City and Schools should both double-down on energy audits for all major buildings. Without aging infrastructure, I am sure that audits will reveal savings and environmentally-friendly renovations that make sense. Learn more

Housing

The bottom line is that there is no “correct” way to surgically start enough housing to meet the City’s needs - the needs are too great. We need thousands of more housing starts, and it will take a mix of projects and approaches. Learn more

I don’t believe that large, permanent “encampments” are a solution. On the whole, they are not good for anyone - the unhoused, service providers, or community members. Learn more

Infrastructure / Transportation

We need greater frequency and predictability in the bus system. Learn more

We should be part of a regional effort to oppose sprawl-inducing projects like the Gorham “Connector” (read: Boondoggle). They are bad to the environment, bad for population density, bad for land conservation, and will set back the cause of public transportation for years. Even on it own terms, it does virtually nothing to solve the “problem” it was designed to address. Learn more

Several side streets have become alternate routes around major intersections (think Hersey St. To avoid Woodfords Corner, for instance). I will work to promote appropriate traffic calming measures in these areas to increase the safety of residents and pedestrians. Learn more

Social Services

We are still at a deficit in mental health and addiction services. It does seem clear that those efforts yield results, we just can’t achieve the breadth of offerings that the situation demands. This is a resource issue - in other words, more beds and more qualified staff. Learn more

To put it bluntly, the addiction epidemic (and its close cousin, the mental health epidemic) require massive resources and attention. In the end, the investment is worth it - from both a compassion and resource perspective. Like the issue of housing, we just need more. More beds, more providers, more patience, and more success stories. No one anywhere has “solved” addiction, but we have to believe we can manage it better. Learn more

Wages / Job Benefits

We need to be competitive with surrounding towns and, where we can, with the private sector. We need to make sure benefits are attractive. And, we need to ensure front-line City workers are happy in their work, respected by the elected leadership, and fairly treated by supervisors. Learn more