Former Portland City Councilor Justin Costa announced his candidacy for mayor Monday.
Costa, 40, served on the Portland School Committee from 2008 to 2014 and two terms on the City Council from 2014 to 2020, according to his campaign.
Since Portland returned to voters electing the mayor in 2011, the position has been fraught with political contentions and often at odds with the City Council and the city manager. Michael Brennan, the first popularly elected mayor since 1923, was ousted due to a bad relationship with the council in 2015. Then in 2019 Kate Snyder defeated the second popularly elected mayor, Ethan Strimling, who often battled with the city manager. City voters rejected a proposal to grant the mayor more power in 2022.
Costa joins City Councilor Andrew Zarro and a former councilor, Mark Dion, in the mayoral race. The incumbent, Snyder, will not seek reelection.
Costa, who is working as an accountant in Portland, graduated from Wesleyan University and the University of Maine School of Law, according to his campaign.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.