SOUTH PORTLAND — Only one of three City Council elections will be contested when voters go to the polls Nov. 7.

Three candidates will compete for two at-large seats on the School Board, where three other seats will either be uncontested or open to write-in candidacies.

The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers was Friday, Sept. 8.

Katherine White Lewis of 153 Mussey St. and Christopher Breen of 114 Margaret St. will face off for the District 2 City Council seat being vacated by Mayor Patti Smith. Smith has served three consecutive three-year terms and cannot run again due to term limits.

Lewis, director of development at Greater Portland Landmarks, ran unsuccessfully against at-large Councilor Maxine Beecher last year. She is also president of the South Portland Land Trust. 

Breen previously ran unsuccessfully for the Portland City Council in 2001 and the Portland Board of Education in 2005. 

Councilor Claude Morgan, of 75 School St., has no opposition in his bid to keep his District 1 seat for a second consecutive term. Morgan was mayor in 2007 while he served a previous three-year term.

Also running unopposed is District 5 candidate Adrian Dowling of 80 Brickhill Ave. Dowling is a member of the Planning Board and serves as chairman of the Arts and Historic Preservation Committee. He also represents the city on two Portland International Jetport committees.

Dowling would fill the seat now held by Councilor Brad Fox, who decided not to seek re-election. Fox said he wants to take a year off to recuperate from recent health problems.

School Board

There are five seats to fill on the School Board, including the District 2 seat that was recently vacated by Otis Thompson.  

Since the deadline to qualify for the ballot passed without anyone filing, that seat could go unfilled unless a write-in candidate emerges, City Clerk Emily Scully said. She said potential write-in candidates should contact her.

Three candidates will be running for two at-large seats, including incumbent Mary House, of 131 Elderberry Drive. The other at-large representive, Karen Callahan, is not seeking re-election

Also running for at-large seats are Stanley Beretsky, 61 Adelbert St., and Heather Johnson, 84 Colchester Drive.

Two School Board incumbents who were previously appointed are running unopposed. Matthew Perkins, of 70 Elderberry Drive, is running in District 4 and Elyse Tipton, of 25 Hall St., is running in District 5.

Absentee ballots will be available Oct. 12-Nov. 2. 

Melanie Sochan can be reached at 781-3661 ext.106 or msochan@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter @melaniesochan.

South Portland City Hall, 25 Cottage Road.

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