GORHAM – Two incumbents are facing a pair of challengers in a race for two Gorham Town Council seats in the municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Michael Phinney and Noah Miner are seeking re-election to three-year terms, while Suzanne Phillips and Daniel LeVasseur are making their bids for the Town Council. Key issues in the growing community are affordable taxes for property owners while providing needed services and economic development to broaden the tax base.

Phinney has served 15 years on the council with several terms as chairman and vice chairman. He has served on several council committees.

Miner was first elected to the Town Council three years ago. He chairs the council’s Economic Development/Capital Improvements Committee and is an ecomaine director.

LeVasseur is a board member of the Gorham Economic Development Corp., and this year, he served as treasurer of Gorham Founders Festival Committee.

Phillips has filled a key role on a commemorative committee that is publishing a historical book about the past 25 years in Gorham.

Gorham voters will also elect three members to the School Committee from a slate of four candidates – Dennis Libby, Anne Lawrence, Sara Nelson and Timothy Burns.

GOCAT TV, the local cable access station, will host candidate nights for both the Town Council and School Committee in televised forums with live streaming from the Municipal Center. Meet the Candidates for School Committee will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20; Meet the Candidates for Town Council will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 26.

The American Journal asked each of the four candidates two questions about their candidacy. Here are their responses:

Noah F. Miner

Age: 36

Marital status: Married, three children

Occupation: Stay-at-home father; Gorham town councilor; field engineer, General Electric, 1998-2003

Political experience: Gorham Town Council 2008-present; member ecomaine board of directors and executive committee.

Q: Why do you want to serve on Town Council?

A: I would like to continue serving the people of Gorham. My wife and I have made a conscious decision to settle in Gorham and raise our family. It is in our best interest to strive for a Gorham we can all be proud of and afford to live in. As an engineer, I spent time learning how things work and apply those skills to municipal government. I do my homework, research the issues, and ask questions until I’m satisfied I have a thorough understanding of the issues prior to making a decision. I respectfully listen to anyone who calls or speaks to me about town issues, and base my decisions on what is the best for the overall citizenry.

Q: What are the two top issues facing the town?

A: The town of Gorham needs to focus on its future, and levy a tax that is fair, affordable, and wisely spent. I did not support the bonding of a $3 million athletic facility that would have raised taxes in this time of economic limbo. I have not and will continue to not vote for expansion of the Industrial Zone until amendments are made to restrict uses that are not compatible with high traffic, residential or gateway areas. I will continue my quest to see that the 18-year-old comprehensive plan gets amended to reflect the Gorham we have now. I will provide continued support of business and commercial growth that is well thought out and will not have an adverse effect on the surrounding area. I will continue to make strides to improve the village area and capitalize on the village we have that other are municipalities are trying to replicate.

Michael Phinney

Age: 44

Marital status: Married to Kimberly Post Phinney, five children, two granddaughters

Occupation: Vice president, Phinney Lumber

Political experience: Gorham Planning Board for 51?2 years, serving as the chairman for three years; member of the Gorham Town Council, served for the past 15 years. I have served as both the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council a number of times. I have also served as the chairman of numerous Council committees. I am a Corporator for Gorham Savings Bank, and I have served on the Board of Directors of the Retail Lumber Dealers of Maine. I was selected this year as the Gorham Business Person Of The Year, by the Gorham Business Exchange.

Q: Why do you want to serve on the Town Council?

A: I enjoy serving on the Town Council. Watching the town grow and change and knowing that I have had a hand in influencing those changes is very rewarding to me. I also enjoy representing the townspeople of Gorham, and I hope they think that I am doing a good job.

Q: What are the two top issues facing the town?

A: The two top issues facing the town are how we can provide the services that our citizens want, while figuring out how to minimize the tax load that we all have to deal with. This economy has greatly impacted all of us. We still want a great education for our children, we want our roads plowed, we want a strong police department, and we want a top quality fire and rescue department. Yet all of these things cost money, and much of that comes from our taxes. Right now we just can’t afford huge tax increases. There are no easy solutions, but there is one big thing the Town Council can do, economic development.

Businesses provide the tax base that helps to control everyone’s property taxes. The Town Council has to make sure we are doing everything we can to retain our existing businesses while we work diligently to attract new companies to Gorham. We have to make sure our codes allow the right businesses to locate here. We have to make sure our staff is professional and is working with our businesses to help them understand the process they have to go through, and make their review thorough but fair and timely. We have to make sure that there is land for businesses to locate, while making ensuring those same businesses don’t become a nuisance for our residents.

I have made economic development my priority for the past 15 years. When I first was elected to the Town Council, Gorham had a reputation as being a town that didn’t want business growth. I have worked diligently to change that. I have a very thorough understanding of the overall process. I run a small business here in town and I can see and understand the issues a business faces. I served on the Planning Board and saw firsthand the process that a business had to go through to expand or relocate here. I have taken those experiences and used them to help shape Gorham’s economic outlook for the past 15 years. I have helped add new industrial and business land. I have worked to rewrite our codes to make them more attractive to the kind of businesses we want to come here. I have also worked with our staff to make sure we have the right people in place to help make the process efficient for everyone. I have and will do everything I can to make sure that Gorham is, to coin a phrase, “open for business.”

Suzanne E. Phillips

Age: 35

Marital status: Married to Andrew Phillips

Occupation: Professional nanny for past 61?2 years; former preschool teacher, director of large child care business

Political experience: None

Q: Why do you want to serve on Town Council?

A: I have grown up in Gorham, and been educated in local schools as well as University of Southern Maine. I walked to school and the library from Green Street, and have always loved the character of the village. My first experience of Gorham as a community was the 250th celebration in 1986. It was then I discovered the spirit of this town, its rich history and its uniqueness. As other towns have grown through sprawl, Gorham remains a “small town” made up of citizens with a sense of independence and responsibility, sharing in a special community spirit. I hope to continue the traditions of preserving and celebrating Gorham. I would like to give back to the town that has given me so much.

Q: What are the two top issues facing the town?

A: Our town has grown in size into different neighborhoods over the years. This growth has added to the character of Gorham. Yet there is always the possibility of unchecked growth changing Gorham into a mere suburb of Portland. I envision growth in a different direction: one of attracting corporate and industrial development. The benefits to our community could be enormous: employment locally, corporate taxes and creation of related businesses. I would like to see responsible growth in our business districts. We need to attract new businesses as well as supporting existing businesses in their profitability and growth.

I believe that economic development will keep added tax burdens from our citizens. We can also look at ways to keep our current services and make them more efficient. In these tough economic times, town spending should be based out of necessity, similar to what families are doing to survive.

Daniel LeVasseur

Age: 29

Marital status: Domestic partnership

Occupation: Central accounting, Bill Dodge Auto Group

Political experience: Gorham Economic Development Corp. board member; two-time candidate for Legislature; treasurer of the Gorham Founders Festival

Q: Why do you want to serve on the Town Council?

A: I feel that I can help to make Gorham a better place to live and I am willing to work hard to see that happen. The Town Council plays a big role in the operation of our town and every decision that they make affects our town. I look forward to serving my community.

Q:What are the two top issues facing the town?

A: There are many issues that that we unfortunately have to face in our town due to the current financial climate. The first issue is making sure we have proper funding for our schools. With the recent change in the funding formula at the legislative level, we have to make sure that we can adjust our costs in Gorham to cover any difference that we will be facing.

The second most important issue is the budget. Our citizens are not prepared to absorb large tax increase in a down economy. As a council, we must work to control costs through continued and stepped up thrift and proper management of our departments. We must also work to increase our tax base in the industrial park and our commercial zones to create revenue without tax increases to homeowners.