Three Newcomers Elected to Portland Board of Public Education

Three political newcomers were elected to the Portland Board of Public Education on Nov. 3, capturing every open seat on the ballot without facing a single opponent. Lucia Rico, Alexandra Reissman, and Richard Leone will be inaugurated in early December to fill the three seats vacated by incumbents who did not seek re-election.

The sweep, reported by Portland Public Schools, means that voters in Tuesday’s election had no contested school board races to decide. All three seats were open because the current board members holding them declined to run for re-election, leaving Rico, Reissman, and Leone to win their positions unopposed. The result hands control of these three seats to individuals who have never before held elected office, introducing fresh perspectives to the boardroom at a critical moment for the district’s governance and educational direction.

A Trio of First-Time Officeholders

Lucia Rico, 53, will serve in an at-large seat representing the entire district rather than a specific geographic area. Her professional and personal ties to Portland Public Schools run deep. Rico works for United Way, the community organization focused on health, education, and financial stability, and she sits on the board of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools, the district’s philanthropic arm. Her children are graduates of the school system, and she previously worked for Portland Public Schools as a substitute Spanish teacher, giving her firsthand experience with the district’s classrooms and its multilingual student population.

Alexandra Reissman, 44, won the District 4 seat, which represents a specific geographic portion of the city. She is the parent of three students enrolled in Portland Public Schools, so she will oversee the district while also dealing with the system as a parent. In addition to parenting three PPS students, Reissman works as a Reiki practitioner.

Richard Leone, 45, secured the District 5 seat. The father of a preschool-age child, Leone brings a corporate background to the board as assistant director of group benefits for The Hartford insurance company.

Board Members Step Down After Terms

The three seats were vacated by Usira Ali, Fatuma Noor, and Sarah Brydon. Ali held the at-large position and Noor represented District 4; each had served one three-year term on the board before deciding not to run again this year. Brydon, who held the District 5 seat, is completing her second three-year term and has served as chair of the Board’s Finance Committee, a role that placed her at the center of the district’s budget deliberations and financial oversight.

None of the three incumbents sought re-election, a decision that left the ballot without competition and allowed the newcomers to secure their seats without a vote cast against them. The departures mean the board loses the institutional knowledge accumulated by Brydon over two terms, including her leadership of the finance committee during a period of district budgeting.

Unopposed Elections and the Road to December

The new board members will be inaugurated in early December, beginning three-year terms that will shape district policy through late 2029. Board terms are structured in three-year increments, meaning these newcomers will have a full term to influence the district’s direction before facing voters again in the next election cycle.

Because all three races were unopposed, the election functioned more as an administrative transition than a competitive mandate. Voters did not have the opportunity to choose between competing visions for the district’s schools on Nov. 3. Instead, the incoming members will begin their service with a clean slate, unburdened by campaign promises made against opponents but also without the electoral validation of a contested race.

The backgrounds of the three newcomers suggest a board with strong connections to the community it serves. Rico’s dual experience as a former substitute teacher and foundation board member positions her to understand both the instructional side of the district and its fundraising needs. Reissman’s role as a current parent of three students means she will make decisions while directly experiencing the outcomes of board policy in her own household.

All three are political newcomers who will be inaugurated in early December to the Portland Board of Public Education.