PORTLAND, Maine — Former Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling sat in a civil courtroom Tuesday, two blocks from his old office at city hall.
He and his attorneys attempted to defend an eviction lawsuit brought by his landlord, Geoff Rice. Strimling helped form the Trelawny Tenants Union in his Congress Street building co-founder Wes Pelletier claimed is at least 100-members strong.
Strimling, who was mayor from 2015 to 2019, was served eviction papers in August. He said it was retaliation for unionizing.
"I'm almost positive it's because of my leadership within the Trelawny Tenants Union," he testified when his lawyer, Scott Dolan asked why he thought he was targeted.
Rice disagreed. Through questioning, he and his attorney, David Chamberlain, told the court the relationship between the two had soured gradually, with Rice having "had enough" when Strimling wanted to challenge him over a $50 charge for a window being left open in Strimling's apartment.
Besides, Chamberlain argued, since Rice claims retaliation wasn't the cause, landlords aren't required to cite a reason for eviction or for not offering a lease renewal, both of which happened in Strimling's case.
"You made no promise to anybody that you would be offering lease renewal?" Chamberlain asked Rice on the witness stand.
"That's correct, no one," Rice, a landlord of 61 years, answered. "And it's my prerogative to make them or not make them."
Rice and the tenants union have been at odds since long before Strimling's court date.
In February, the newly formed Portland Rent Board ruled in favor of complaints from the union, saying Rice could no longer charge tenants for a share of taxes on his penthouse or businesses on the building's first floor.
It also assessed Rice a $15,000 fine for violating a rent control ordinance that Strimling himself had fought for, being a longtime tenant advocate before, during, and after his term in office.
Back in the courtroom, after the all-day hearing, the judge adjourned for a final time to review a pile of evidence and eventually make a ruling at an unknown date.