Pious Ali, the first African-born Muslim elected to Portland’s City Council in 2016, has announced his bid for mayor.
Ali, who also was the first African-born Muslim on the Portland school district’s board, announced the decision in a Monday statement, according to multiple news outlets. He still serves on the City Council, under current Mayor Kate Snyder.
Ali was born in the African nation of Ghana. He attended high school in Nsawam, Ghana, where he graduated in 1989. Later, Ali worked as a photojournalist in Accra, the nation’s capital, for Ghana’s English-language weekly newspaper People & Places.
In 2000, Ali moved to New York. Two years later, he moved to Portland.
He became known for his outreach in Portland’s immigrant communities, and was elected to Portland’s school board in 2013.
Portland’s mayoral position has been cited as “one of the hardest jobs” in Maine, with Snyder declining to run for a second term amidst a slate of electoral and referendum wars between groups tied to the business community and progressive activists who favor sweeping changes.
Currently, Ali faces competition from fellow councilors Andrew Zarro and Mark Dion, along with Dylan Pugh and former Councilor Justin Costa.
Further information about the candidates was not immediately available on Tuesday afternoon.
