Jill Duson facts for kids

Jill C. Duson was born in 1953. She is an American lawyer, a lobbyist, and a politician from Portland, Maine. She has made history in Maine politics.

Jill Duson has served on the Portland School Board and the Portland, Maine City Council since 2001. In 2004, she became the first African-American mayor of Portland. This made her the first African-American woman mayor in the entire state of Maine. Her fellow council members chose her for this important role.

Jill Duson's Political Journey

Running for Mayor in 2011

In 2011, Portland created a new position for mayor. Before this, the mayor was chosen by the city council. Jill Duson decided to run for this new, directly elected mayor role. She was one of fifteen candidates. She finished in sixth place in that election.

Supporting President Obama

In 2012, Jill Duson was a delegate at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. This is a big meeting where political parties choose their presidential candidate. She was also a Democratic elector in the general election. An elector is someone chosen to cast a vote for president. Duson was a strong supporter of President Barack Obama.

Seeking a State Senate Seat

In June 2016, Duson ran for the Democratic nomination for the State Senate. She wanted to represent her district in the state government. However, she lost to another candidate, Mark Dion.

In November 2017, Duson was re-elected to the Portland City Council for her fifth term. Soon after, she decided to try for the State Senate again in 2018. She ran after Mark Dion announced he would run for governor. In June, Duson received about 41% of the votes in the Democratic primary. She lost to Heather Sanborn. She did not run for re-election to the City Council in 2020.

Making History in the State Senate

In 2022, Jill Duson was elected to the Maine Senate. This was a very important moment. She became the first Black woman to serve as a state senator in Maine's history.

Key Policy Ideas

Minimum Wage Discussion

In April 2015, Jill Duson played a big part in a discussion about the city's minimum wage. The mayor at the time, Michael F. Brennan, suggested raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. Duson proposed a lower amount, $8.75 an hour. Her idea passed the city's Finance Committee first. However, the full City Council later chose to support the original proposal of $10.10.

About Jill Duson's Life

Jill Duson grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania. She worked hard to get her education. She earned a bachelor's degree from Antioch College. She then got a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She also completed a special program for government leaders at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Outside of her elected roles, Duson has had several jobs. She worked as a lobbyist for a company called Central Maine Power. She was also a director for the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services in the Maine Department of Labor. She worked as a compliance director for the Maine Human Rights Commission. She also has experience in retail, working with L.L.Bean.