Five candidates for Mayor of Portland convened Tuesday, September 26th, for the first televised debate ahead of the upcoming ranked-choice election in November, with the hot-button issue of homelessness taking center stage. The candidates agreed upon the seriousness of the problem but had differing ideas on solutions. 

“I think we need to look at this through the lens of compassion,” said City Councillor Pious Ali, when asked about the homeless encampments. He spoke out against clearing the encampments, and in favor of supportive housing, which is a housing environment that provides additional resources to residents with mental health struggles. Despite echoing a compassionate approach, Former City Councillor Justin Costa disagreed and called for the city to swiftly do away with the encampments, calling them “fundamentally not safe.” He expressed his concern for the citizens of Portland who have been accosted by homeless people before, citing himself and his family as an example. Costa continued, going after the city council saying that the city’s response to the homeless encampment on the bayside trail came too late, making the issue harder to deal with. 

Blaming “decades of inaction,” City Councillor Andrew Zarro agreed on the severity of the topic and optimistically shared that he believes there’s a solution. He referred to his proposal to prioritize transitional housing and work on removing barriers that prevent people from getting permanent housing, such as having a dog or a partner. Meanwhile, Political newcomer Dylan Pugh said he agreed with Zarro, warning about the lack of safety of emergency shelters, and asserted that we must prioritize the safety of all Portland residents.

In one of the more confrontational moments of the night, City Councillor and former Police Chief Mark Dion called out his fellow candidates for their ambitious solutions, stating that their policies would take years to realize. He then directly called out Governor Janet Mills to assist the city, asking for her to come “fully square with the city of Portland, and take an active leadership role to provide resources.” He additionally proposed his plan to relocate incoming immigrants to nearby communities that have more resources, to take the pressure off Portland.

Another fiery moment came later on, as Costa went after the current city council for failing to introduce the zoning proposals they were bringing up, such as Zarro’s proposal to prioritize 100 units of additional housing. “We have three members of the city council who are here right now” he exclaimed. “And any of these councilors could have introduced these zoning proposals at any time,” 

As expected, there were no disagreements on the seriousness of the issue. The differences in the candidates’ stances arise when looking for solutions. From how to handle the homeless encampments, to zoning proposals, to housing solutions, each candidate had their own take on fixing things, and in the end, had a productive debate on the issue.