After the resignations of two of its members in recent months, the Standish Town Council last night voted in a replacement for one of the open council seats.

Michial Russell was sworn in as the new town councilor at large, replacing Councilor Gene Nesbitt, formerly of Highland Road, who resigned because of a move out of state. Appointed by the council, Russell will fill the position until elections in June of 2006.

“We had many people apply for this and we feel he is the best candidate,” said Councilor Phil Pomerleau during Tuesday’s meeting.

In a phone interview on Wednesday, Pomerleau said he believes Russell will “bring new direction to the council,” adding that he’s “really looking forward to seeing that younger age group represented.”

Council Chair Cindy Hopkins said of the new appointee, “he adds a new, needed dimension” to the council. She added that Russell “comes highly recommended.”

For Russell, age 28, of 29 Weeman Road in Steep Falls, this is his first stint as a town councilor. He has experience in community service as a former member of the Department of Parks and Recreation in California.

His line of work also gives him a thorough knowledge base in public safety. For the past four years, Russell has worked for Gorham and Cumberland County dispatch. Previously, he worked for an ambulance service in California.

Russell’s wife Amy grew up in Scarborough and, when they married in 2000, they chose to live in Maine over California because of its more rural, less developed way of life. Although the couple and their two young boys have only lived in Standish since April, they lived close by, in Buxton, since their move to Maine.

An avid deer hunter and self-proclaimed homebody, Russell looks forward to representing the people of Standish on the council.

“I’ve always had strong opinions on representative government,” he said. “Who’s speaking for the people?”

And Hopkins believes he’ll do a great job.

“He’s personable and he thinks things through,” Hopkins said of Russell. “He’s his own person and I like that – he will vote his conscience.”

Gene Nesbitt, who Russell replaces, moved to Mansfield, Connecticut because of a job offer his wife received to teach at the University of Connecticut. Nesbitt is still employed as a professor at Tufts University outside of Boston.

Nesbitt was a Standish councilor for over five years, serving on the Public Safety Committee, the Finance Committee and the Economic Development Committee.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Nesbitt said, “It was a good experience – very time consuming, but I enjoyed it. I didn’t want to leave before my time was up.”

Although he acknowledges it’s difficult to break into a new area, Nesbitt would like to become involved in Mansfield local government.

“He was the hardest working councilor I’ve ever worked with,” Pomerleau said of Nesbitt. “He carried the load, especially on Public Safety and Economic Development.”

Gerald Spencer

Recently, Gerald Spencer of Whites Point Road also resigned from the Council.

“I’ve resigned because of health reasons,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday, “in fairness to the general public who elected me and fairness to other council members. Being sick is putting a burden on other people.”

When asked to comment on Spencer’s resignation and commitment to the council, Hopkins said he had been outstanding and a joy to work with.

“Jerry firmly believes in giving 100 percent,” she said, “and because he can’t do that right now he felt he needed to step down.”

Spencer has been a council member for the past five years and served three additional years during the 1980s.

Reflecting on his time on the council, Spencer said he felt they all “put their personal feelings aside so they could do what was best for the citizens of the town and for the town as a whole.”

During his time on the Council, Spencer served on the Finance Committee, the Capital Improvement Committee and the Ordinance Committee.

He said his main goals were to keep a lid on taxes and to try to help people with any personal problems they encountered in their neighborhoods.

“Some I could help and some I couldn’t,” he said.

He is particularly proud of the work he did on the Capital Improvement Committee – keeping costs down and striving to find the best equipment at the best price for the town.

“I’m going to miss him greatly,” Pomerleau said. “He was on Capital Improvement with me for four years. He has excellent ideas, common sense and a heart of gold.”

Tuesday’s meeting also saw the appointments of a number of individuals to various committees. Louis Dudek and Thomas Leen were appointed to the Board of Appeals through June of 2008. Brent Levin was appointed to both the Public Safety Committee (through June 2006) and as an alternate to the Saco River Corridor Commission (through November 2008).

George McNeil was also appointed to the Saco River Corridor Commission through November 2008. Christopher Parkin was appointed to the Planning Board and Peter Walker to the Budget Committee, each of them through June of 2006.

Michial Russell takes his seat as the new Standish Town Councilman. He was selected by the council to fill the at large position left open by the resignation of former Councilman Gene Nesbitt.