An Introduction

Hello, fellow Portlanders. My name is Anthony Zeli, and I'm running for School Committee in District 2, which includes the West End, Parkside, St. John Valley and Oakdale neighborhoods. I want to use this first blog entry to briefly introduce myself.

I first came to Maine after graduating from Marlboro College in 2003, in order to be with my partener of 8 years, Anna Trevorrow. I have been proud to live and work in Portland ever since and cannot imagine a better place to live.

I work at WGME, Channel 13, as a Broadcast Technician. I am also currently invovled in creating a nonprofit organization to promote the film industry in Maine. So it is not surprising that growing the creative economy is an interest of mine, and I hope that being a member of the School Committee will afford me oppurtunities to create relationships between the schools and our arts and culture enterprises.

Outside of work I have been invovled with local and statewide politics and community activism. I cannot imagine a life without serving the community in my spare time. Politics is so often stigmatized as a nasty and unfortunately even dishonest business. But, the truth is, the majority of the people who choose to run for office truly care about their neighbors, and they work tirelessly to make positive differences in our lives. I have been proud to help many fine candidates run for office, advance the debate, and get elected.

And now it is my turn. I was hesitant to jump into the public spotlight. It definitely isn't an easy decision. I have a great amount of support, though, and I have the time and energy to devote to the position if I am lucky enough to be chosen by the voters of Portland.

Here are some of the initial issues I want to work on and talk about in the campaign:

1. We should continue to invest in Reiche as a community center. Our schools are for all of us, and I want to work to bring our community together around our schools and the education of our youth.

2. Let's "green" our facilities with more efficient heating and insulation. Oil is one of our largest budget lines. Why are we burning our money away? We can heat water with solar power, use natural gas, and upgrade windows and insulation with money that is being provided by the State and Federal governments for just those purposes. This will save local taxpayers an amazing amount of money in the long term.

3. We need to improve our student retention rate by advertising our excellent schools and working with the city to provide more housing downtown.

4. We should explore creative ways to reduce expenditures without cutting existing social services.

5. After working with my partner, Anna Trevorrow, I have learned a great deal about progressive education models, and want to support and expand the expeditionary learning programs.

During the months ahead I hope to have a dialog with my neighbors and learn about your concerns. So don't hesitate to contact me: zelidistrict2@gmail.com.