BIDDEFORD — The four candidates vying for the city’s top seat engaged in Biddeford’s first and only mayoral debate Friday night, before a packed house in the Council Chambers at Biddeford City Hall.

The debate, hosted by the Youth Organizing for Better Opportunities Organization of Maine, consisted of several rounds of unscripted questions posed by a panel of youth culled from the city’s schools.

Candidates David Flood, Richard Giroux, Karl Reed, Sr. and incumbent Joanne Twomey fielded questions posed by those who are not yet old enough to vote. Yet the questions were pointed, and tested each candidate’s readiness to assume the helm.

YOBO’S co-founder, Biddeford native and University of Maine political science freshman Ryan Gavin, was on hand to moderate the event and said he was pleased to be able to moderate an event that will have an impact on the future of the place in which he grew up, was educated and fell in love with politics.

Topics ranged from renovations at Biddeford High School to revitalizing the city’s downtown commercial area and the discussions was largely amicable.

When asked what main concerns have been expressed to them by the citizens of Biddeford, three of the four candidates listed renovations to the high school as the primary issue consuming the minds of their constituents. The candidates unanimously expressed their support for the $34 million renovation plan that will appear before voters as a bond issue in November.

“I don’t want to be the mayor that loses accreditation,” said Twomey. “If the bond is not passed, we still need to address those problems.”

“The school’s the major issue that we decide on Nov. 3,” said Flood. Earlier in the year, Flood had proposed an amendment to the bond that would have lowered the cost to $28 million, a cost-cutting proposal of which he is still a proponent. But he stressed that he is still in favor of the current bond, and urged voters to pass it through.

His desire to cut the cost was the only disagreement among the candidates on the ailing school building. Giroux, Reed and Twomey stressed that the price tag is an essential element in addressing issues throughout the building, from inadequate insulation to the deterioration of stairs and doorways.

Twomey said that if the bond fails, step-by-step renovation projects would still have to occur, which, she said will cost more in the end.

“That is not my preference. I’m so hoping that won’t happen,” she said.

“I would go through the proper people, the professionals in this field, and find out what direction they have to go in,” said Giroux. “We need to do something. We just can’t let it go.”

“One thing I’m not going to cut is education,” said Reed.

Reed said that the most common concern he has heard from residents revolves around the state of the city’s downtown area. A downtown business owner himself, Reed spoke passionately about the need to frequent local establishments rather than large chain stores, citing job creation and the need to preserve a distinct local character along Biddeford’s mile-long Main Street.

His goal is to form a committee consisting of the “rockers and shakers of the city,” businessmen with visions of a direction for downtown.

“These people are what built Biddeford,” said Reed. “I’m hoping to get these people on board with a committee ”¦ to see what we can do. If you want the downtown to succeed, you need to be a part of downtown.”

Giroux disagreed, expressing his desire to attract popular, well-known stores to the downtown to attract potential shoppers. He also brought up the possibility of enlisting volunteers to help with beautification efforts in a campaign to improve the area’s aesthetics.

Flood cited his experience as President of the Heart of Biddeford, and was optimistic about the downtown’s future.

“I think by the end of the year we’ll have a historic zone there,” he said. “I’m hoping that will bring more jobs ”¦ and affordable housing on the second and third floors, and we can do that.”

“We are already doing so much,” said Twomey, referring mainly to the apartments that have been established at the Northdam Mill. “We need to stop the outgrowth of Route 111 and focus on the infrastructure right here.”

All four candidates expressed support for some kind of recycling program in the city, although each differed on the specifics. Giroux proposed altering the site of the Maine Energy Recovery Company and having food, trash, and waste materials processed in an area outside of town, which would help with odor problems in the Main Street area. Doing that, instead of producing barrels specifically for recyclables, as they are for trash, is something Giroux said would keep everyone from “getting in a tizzy.”

But Twomey and Flood each claim support for curbside recycling. Flood in particular cited his efforts to establish just such a program during his time on the City Council, saying, “I came the closest to getting a recycling program in Biddeford than we (ever) had. We would have ended up with a positive cash flow in the city from recycling, which is very unusual in the state of Maine.”

Reed was skeptical.

“Ifs and almosts don’t count,” he said. He stressed the need to use the schools to educate youth about the benefits of recycling, hoping to spread the behavior through example.

Perhaps the question that generated the most wildly differing responses came from Ryan Fecteau, a senior at Biddeford High School, who asked the candidates what their plan would be to create jobs that would entice students to come back and find work in Biddeford once they are finished with college.

All agreed that job creation is paramount to getting people to stay. But there didn’t seem to be a common thread among the candidates.

“The way to attract jobs is, you put together an advertising promotion,” said Flood, citing his experience owning and operating a newspaper. “You need to know the rents and parking requirements. I’m very comfortable in selling. That’s what newspaper people do.”

Reed went in a different direction.

“I look at alternative items,” said Reed. “If you want to own a house in the city, why don’t we give you a one-, two-year tax break, and you can take that and go start a business.

“I love alternative things,” he said. “I’d have every resident in Biddeford be a shareholder in the city of Biddeford. Go public. Wouldn’t it be great to own a share of the city you live in?”

Giroux sought help from a higher power, saying that the city needs to establish a closer relationship with Augusta in order to get those kinds of things done.

“We have a lot of things going on in the state of Maine that makes it very difficult for business to come in, and that’s a problem,” said Giroux.

Twomey largely avoided specifics, instead stressing opportunities that are already inherent in the city.

“The people tell me that the children they have in college are coming back and they are finding jobs,” said Twomey. “These are hard times, and we need to concentrate on those jobs. We’ve got UNE, which does great things. We’ve got the hospital. We’ve got great opportunities here. That’s where it starts: Right here at home.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.