WINDHAM – With nomination papers filed Sept. 14, five candidates will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot vying for three open seats on the Windham Town Council, and three candidates will be on the ballot for two seats on the Regional School Unit 14 Board of Directors.

According to Town Clerk Linda Morrell, incumbent Councilor Peter Anania and former Councilor Robert Muir have returned nomination papers for a three-year at-large seat on the Town Council

Newcomer Roy Moore has returned papers for the Town Council North District, currently held by Anania, and is running uncontested.

Incumbent Kevin Call and former Councilor Donna Chapman are running for a seat representing the South District.

Jennifer Fleck, Pete Heanssler and Eric Colby are running for the two open seats on the Windham-Raymond School Board.

Morrell said she filed papers to continue serving Windham as town clerk, a two year-term. She is running unopposed. If elected, this year would mark Morrell’s 20th year as Windham’s clerk.

One notable candidate missing from the November ballot will be Scott Hayman, who has been on the council since 2009, serving two years as chairman. The Windham native initially took out papers for re-election to the Town Council at-large seat and then the North seat, but he did not return his papers for either position, Morrell said.

On Friday, when contacted by phone, Hayman said he felt it was time to vacate his at-large seat.

“Through the course of getting papers signed, I decided it was someone else’s turn and that I wasn’t going to run,” said Hayman. “My kids are getting older. They are 4 and 6 now, and it’s getting harder for me to get out of the house and spend time with them.”

Council At-Large

Robert Muir, who served on the Windham Council from 2003-2009, said his past experience and familiarity with issues facing Windham make him a strong candidate for the at-large position.

“I have experience with the budget and worked quite a bit with the budget in years past,” he said.

Windham, like many towns, is struggling financially because of the poor economy, Muir said. He wants to have a hand in making decisions regarding spending and in ensuring that the town provides certain services, while keeping residents’ interests in mind. He also wants the council to debate issues more openly.

“I want to [have] a thorough discussion about everything that goes before the council,” Muir said.

According to Muir, some items before the council include updating the town’s zoning laws, updating the comprehensive plan, which guides growth in town, and revisiting the idea of possible development of a wastewater and sewage facility along Route 302.

Muir is running for the seat against Peter Anania, a local business owner who has served intermittent stints on the council since 2010. Anania said he is interested in filling the at-large seat for a few reasons.

“I think the town has come a long way in the last few years, and I want to see it continue,” he said. “I enjoy helping and looking into the future for the town.”

Anania said he would like to have a voice in the approval process for upgrading North Windham’s infrastructure, especially sidewalks and street lighting. He also would like to see the work get financed without increasing local taxpayer burden.

While the town looks to the future, Anania said it also should not forget the past. According to Anania, he’d like to see the town work on facade improvements to the public works building and move forward with providing public access to Chute Cemetery.

“I think it’s important, and I would like to see [Windham] pursue that in the next year or two,” Anania said of cemetery access.

Anania is owner of Anania & Associates and several other local businesses, including Lighthouse Imaging, a medical device manufacturing plant that moved to North Windham in July.

Council South District

Former Councilor Donna Chapman is running for her second three-year term on the council, having served from 2007-2010. Three years ago, she vied for the open seat against Kevin Call, but withdrew just before the election due to prior work commitments, she said Monday.

This year, she said, she is motivated to run because she would like to have a say in addressing certain issues such as supervision of the Windham Skate Park.

“I am really disappointed about the skate park and that they didn’t fund that position again,” Chapman said. She would also like to see residents have a fair chance to be heard before the council approves projects, especially when those projects involve spending taxpayers’ money.

She also said the town spends too much on studying issues that don’t always come to fruition, such as the proposed sewer system or other road construction projects.

“We can be do a better job as leaders. I’ve truly enjoyed representing the townspeople. It’s my way to give back,” Chapman said of her decision to run.

The other South seat candidate is incumbent Kevin Call, who is wrapping up a three-year term and serves as vice chairman. He did not respond to Lakes Region Weekly requests for comment by deadline on Wednesday.

Council North District

Roy Moore, who owns Seacoast Fun Park and other businesses in North Windham, is running unopposed for the North District seat.

Moore did not respond to requests for comment by deadline on Wednesday.

School Board

Jennifer Fleck is new to Windham and said she believes a fresh set of eyes will benefit the board, especially when it comes to the RSU 14 curriculum.

Fleck moved to Windham last December and has three children in the school system, in grades 1, 6 and 9. Being a member of the board would give her a chance to get involved in the community and meet people with similar concerns, she said.

“When I moved here from Connecticut,” she said, “I noticed a difference in the curriculum.”

It may have been a coincidence, she said, but her children have told her what they are learning is material they learned two years ago in Connecticut.

“I want to make sure we are competing at the right level,” Fleck said.

Eric Colby of South Windham said serving on the school board would give him a chance to give back to the community and to help the board maintain a positive attitude as it progresses into the future.

Losing by 400 votes, Colby ran for an open seat on the board in 2012 against longtime incumbents Toby Pennels and Marjorie Govoni.

Colby, who has a child in the fourth grade, said what has motivated him to run is the desire to address overcrowding in the Windham-Raymond schools. Though costly, keeping up with technology for staff and students and recruiting and maintaining a good group of teachers is also important, Colby said.

Most of all, Colby wants to make sure parents have a voice in their children’s education.

“I just want the Windham school experience to be a good one for people,” Colby said.

The same goes for newcomer Peter Heanssler, the third school board candidate, who moved to the area five years ago and has three children, ages 6, 7 and 8.

“I want to have a voice in the decisions that will affect their entire educational experience,” Heanssler said. One issue he points to is possible redistricting of the Windham-Raymond schools and potential overcrowding of students.

“My objective,” he said, “is to gather as much information as possible and judge things objectively and fairly.”

“We all have some sort of responsibility or civic duty to get involved in the community, whether through public service or volunteerism,” Heanssler added. “We can’t just be takers from the system. We’ve got to be contributors, as well.”