- Pious Ali announces bid for Portland mayoral elections
- The Ghana-born politician is the first African-born Muslim American to be elected to public office in Maine
- He migrated to the United States and New York City before moving to Maine in 2002.
Making history in 2016 as the first African-born Muslim elected to Portland’s City Council, Pious Ali is seeking to make history again after announcing his bid for mayor.
Ali, who also was the first African-born Muslim on the Portland school district’s board, still serves on the City Council, under current Mayor Kate Snyder, Portland Press Herald reported.
“Portland is a city with robust community values, tremendous heart, and unlimited opportunity,” Ali said in a statement issued Monday night.
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“We are also a city that is changing. In many ways for the better, but in some ways that change has made life hard for too many Portland families.”
Ali added he is determined to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and create equal opportunities for all Portland residents.
“As economic growth squeezes out middle class families, and workers earn wages below what is livable, and climate change threatens our working waterfront, and as our housing crisis pushes more families to the street and young families to surrounding communities, we need a mayor who will take bold collaborative action to address these challenges,” he added.
A native of Ghana, Ali has worked as a photojournalist for a range of print publications. He migrated to the United States and New York City before moving to Maine in 2002.