A closer look at the candidates for the Portland City Council District 5 race
Portland’s District 5 city council race is taking shape as four candidates compete to replace outgoing Councilor Kate Sykes, with early voting beginning October 5 and the November 3 election approaching.
The district spans Riverton and parts of North Deering, and the candidates reflect a mix of ages and backgrounds. Michael Todd Chretien, 57, a Spanish interpreter and organic farmer on Washington Avenue, has knocked on 2,500 doors and aims for 4,000. He proposes building 5,000 housing units in five years to strengthen the tax base and says Portland should prepare for a “bloom of growth” driven by climate migration. “Either we figure out how to plan a city that’s affordable, welcoming and safe and secure for everybody, or we’re going to become a city of haves and have-nots,” he said. Chretien also wants officials to pressure the state over school funding and supports needle exchanges paired with zero tolerance for discarded needles on streets.
Jakobi Delgado, 19, a Portland High School graduate and University of Southern Maine economics student who manages a Dollar Tree, would become the youngest councilor if elected. He stresses that he cares equally about young residents and elderly people on fixed incomes. “I care equally about the young people in my district as I do about the retired people struggling to live off Social Security,” he said. Delgado opposes any budget that raises property taxes and wants to scale back or consolidate programs. He also proposes restructuring the council by adding a sixth district while removing an at-large seat, saying the current mix pulls attention toward national politics rather than local needs.
Kevin Gardella, 49, has lived in Portland for 27 years and works in eldercare while helping open a health practice. He criticizes large new developments like the 30-story Old Port Square tower as “loathsome” and favors redeveloping underused buildings and vacant offices for affordable housing, alongside easier accessory dwelling unit permits. Gardella supports secure treatment facilities when appropriate and wants more healthcare professionals conducting street outreach, while opposing ICE collaboration and police surveillance. “Currently, I do not see City Hall representing constituents,” he said.
Ilma López, 44, a Venezuelan-born restaurant owner living in Riverton with children in Portland schools, offers a small-business perspective. Her West End restaurant Ugly Duckling was recently vandalized, which she says reinforced her call for accountability and enforcement. She questions whether the city adequately represents business owners and notes that 80% of small businesses struggle. López favors redeveloping vacant spaces alongside new construction but calls a 5,000-unit housing target unattainable. “Portland is not broken, it just needs some tweaks,” she said.
All four candidates cite rising property taxes and housing costs as top voter concerns, alongside public safety and homelessness near Riverside Street. The winner will succeed Sykes, who has endorsed Chretien, in a district where residents say city agencies need to coordinate better and government should be more approachable.
