PORTLAND, Maine — Portland City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau announced on Monday that he won't seek reelection.
Posting on his social media pages, Thibodeau said he has "agonized" over the decision of whether to seek three more years of service on the Portland City Council. He said a number of factors went into his decision not to run again.
"There were a number of factors that went into this difficult decision and I certainly did not get into public service to just run for the sake of running. My commitment to each of you has always been to be the best City Councilor I could be. And, as I said when I was running, there will be a time when someone else will need to step up and serve. That moment is now," Thibodeau wrote.
Now, Thibodeau is asking others in Portland to consider running for his soon-to-be-open seat. "As I said when I was running," Thibodeau writes in the online posts, "there will be a time when someone else will need to step up and serve. That moment is now."
Thibodeau has served on the Portland City Council for six years and ran for Mayor in 2019, when he was defeated by sitting Mayor Kate Snyder.
Thibodeau's full post reads:
"LIFE UPDATE: More than six years ago, I made a decision that would change my life forever - to step forward and run for City Council. From that moment forward, I had the opportunity to meet many of you in coffee shops or on walks in the neighborhood or at your doors. Each of you brought forward different issues, challenged me on matters before the Council, allowed me to grow and learn. It was an experience I will never forget and I am so grateful to live in a community like Portland (and, especially District 2) with neighbors like you.
This made my decision even more difficult. After months of agonizing over whether to seek three more years of service on the Portland City Council, I have made the hard decision to not seek re-election. There were a number of factors that went into this difficult decision and I certainly did not get into public service to just run for the sake of running. My commitment to each of you has always been to be the best City Councilor I could be. And, as I said when I was running, there will be a time when someone else will need to step up and serve. That moment is now.
As many of you know, I am an institutionalist and I believe deeply in the traditions of the institution of our municipal government. I believe that regardless of the rhetoric, or the controversial issue at hand, or those holding the office, the institution will survive. But it will only survive if members of our community step up and serve, which is why I ask anyone out there interested in service to consider running for office.
I want to thank my family for their continued loving support over these years. I want to thank my colleagues that I have had the opportunity to serve with (some of whom have also moved on to other life experiences). And most importantly, I want to thank you (District 2) for giving this scrappy Portland kid an opportunity to serve the City that adopted and raised me. I will forever be grateful."