Mark D. Zajkowski has lived in Cape Elizabeth for nearly 10 years. He recently decided to run for his first municipal office because he wants to support Cape’s schools and School Board, build reasonable commercial development in the town center and represent the voice of young families.

If elected to one of two open seats, he said, he would also work to minimize tax increases by finding savings in the municipal budget and finding creative sources of revenue to lower residents’ tax burden.

Zajkowski, 41, is married with two children. He earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and cell science from the University of Florida and earned his dental degree from UCLA. He later earned his medical degree from Harvard.

Zajkowski said one of the biggest issues he wants to deal with is appropriately funding Cape’s schools.

“They have been shortchanged for too long, and the ill effects of cost cutting have begun to strain the schools to an unacceptable level,” he said. “I will advocate for our schools and School Board in the budget process. I believe that we can give our professional educators what they need by finding savings in the municipal budget and raising revenue through outside sources and events.”

He will also work to reshape the town’s comprehensive plan, which, he said, in its current form is too complex.

“No resident has the time or energy to boil it down to the key points,” he said. “I would like to make it more of a strategic plan, condensed down to just a few pages, with the annual priorities ranked in order of importance and linked to the annual budget.”

If elected, he will also tackle the issue of balancing reasonable commercial development with preservation of open space.

“Our town can do a better job with development of the town center by helping cultivate locally owned small businesses and broadening the tax base,” he said. “We can also work to preserve the natural beauty that many of us came here for … open space and access for all. These key elements must be prioritized in the comprehensive plan and linked to the budget.”

Mark Zajkowski