He believes that Portland is undergoing an identity crisis. He understands the instinct of many city officials to embrace most economic activity because there was a time in recent history when storefronts on Congress Street were empty and the Old Port was a place to be avoided. However, he said he’d like to see the city begin valuing itself as an asset.

“We can push back against this idea that Portland is starving for growth,” he said. “We can’t let the fear of the past define how we make decisions now and in the future.”