THANK YOU! NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED FOR THE YEAR. FY24 NOMINEES LISTED BELOW.
BALLOT LIVE JUNE 1. CHECK YOUR MAILBOX FOR VOTING CREDENTIALS.
This is your downtown. Make an impact!
Portland Downtown is a 501c4 nonprofit Downtown Improvement District dedicated to stimulating a thriving, vibrant, and sustainable downtown community. It is led by a volunteer Board of Directors and four full-time staff.
Portland Downtown is funded through a supplemental tax paid by property owners within the downtown district. To learn more about Portland Downtown’s work and impact, please review our 5-Year Strategic Plan and our most recent Annual Report.
If you or someone you know would make a great Board representative for Portland Downtown, please consider submitting a nomination for one of our open positions:
- At-Large Property Owner – 4 seats, 3-year terms
Mike Erickson, Holiday Inn By the Bay
Erin Kiley, Hammond Heirs & Portland Flee-for-All
Palo Peirce, Bricklight Properties
David Packard, PK Realty Management - Accommodations Representative – 1 seat, 1-year term
Stephen Nahley, The Docent’s Collection - Cultural/Non-profit/Education Representative – 1 seat,
2-year term - Professional Services Representative – 1 seat, 3 year
term - Residential Representative – 1 seat, 3-year term
Christy Evans
John Sterling
Deadline for nominations: April 15, 2023
Be in the know. Join our email list for news & updates.
NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED APRIL 1- APRIL 15
Please Note: You must be a qualified voter to cast a ballot in Portland Downtown elections. Voting is performed via a platform called Election Runner. If you are a qualified voter and did not receive information on how to vote, please email us here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who gets to nominate and vote in the election? While some of our Board candidates are elected by Property Owners, others are elected by Industry Stakeholders. Review the “2022 Open Seats” section below to learn how the nomination & election process works for each category. If you still have questions – we know it’s a lot! – contact us at elections@portlandmaine.com.
Can you nominate yourself? Yes!
How long is a Board term? Most of our elected candidates will serve a three-year term (with the exception of the Cultural/Non-profit/Education Representative who will serve a two-year term, and the Accommodations Representative who will serve a one-year term).
When does the Board term begin? July 1, 2023.
How often are Board meetings? Monthly.
What is expected of Board members? All candidates must:
- Be current on Downtown Improvement District assessment as applicable;
- Attend monthly Board meetings, currently held on the third Thursday of each month;
- Co-chair or actively participate in Portland Downtown committees such as Experience, Governance, Marketing & Events, Downtown Business, and Multimodal Transportation.
What else is expected of Board members? Please read our Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest documents to learn more.
What are the benefits of being a Board member? First and foremost, the greatest benefit is knowing that your volunteer service directly contributes to making our downtown clean, safe, and vibrant year-round. Our organization advocates for a wide range of issues that are important to downtown property owners, residents, and businesses. As such, you’ll be able to weigh in on those topics and be part of creating impactful solutions. We also have a lot of fun and being a member of the Portland Downtown Board is a great way to build professional and social connections.
What happens after I complete the online nomination form? A member of the Portland Downtown Elections Committee will make a personal phone call to the candidate to confirm his or her nomination. Once the nomination is confirmed, the nomination slate will go to the Board of Directors for final approval.
What is the voting / elections process?
Our Board Elections will take place online via a platform called Election Runner. Property Owners & Industry Stakeholders within the district will receive unique voting credentials and instructions by mail in June – and then you’ll cast your votes through the online portal.
How are election results communicated? After the online ballots are tabulated through Election Runner, all candidates will be notified via a personal phone call as to whether or not they were elected to the Board. Portland Downtown will also publicly announce the newly elected Board members via a press release. Candidates who are not elected to the Board are welcome to participate in our committees or volunteer.
Questions? Contact us at elections@portlandmaine.com
2023 Open Seats & Criteria for Nominating and Voting
Board nominations are open April 1-15
For all categories: the property owned, apartment rented, or business represented must be in the downtown district. View a map of the district here to see what’s included.
At-Large Property Owner (4 seats available; 3-year terms)
Only Property Owners in the downtown district may nominate, vote for, and elect candidates in this category. Candidates nominated in this category must own multi-unit (4+) residential or non-residential property in the district (or be an authorized representative of such an owner).
Accommodations Representative (1 seat available; 1-year term)
Only Accommodations Stakeholders in the downtown district may nominate, vote for, and elect candidates in this category. Candidates nominated in this category must represent an Accommodations establishment in the district such as a hotel or inn.
Cultural/Nonprofit/Education Representative (1 seat available; 2-year term)
Only Cultural/Nonprofit and/or Educational institutions in the downtown district may nominate, vote for, and elect candidates in this category. This is defined as: “educational, tax-exempt/non-profit” in our bylaws. Candidates must represent a downtown improvement district located educational, tax-exempt non-profit organization.
Professional Services Representative (1 seat available; 3-year term)
Representatives from the Legal/ Accounting/Financial/Insurance/Marketing/Technology/Business Consulting/Architects/Engineers/Medical/Counseling are eligible to run for this seat.
Residential Representative (1 seat available; 3-year term)
Nominees may be 1, 2, or 3 unit owners OR residential tenants. Qualified members of the stakeholder sector may vote for this Director seat. Property Owners will vote in alignment with non-property owner sectors (one vote per property owned, unweighted.