SCARBOROUGH – Newly elected Scarborough Town Council Chairwoman Jessica Holbrook said this week that the strength of the town’s governing body is its diversity, in terms of the daily lives and experiences of its seven members.

Holbrook was unanimously chosen to lead the Town Council last week. The council also chose a new vice chairwoman during the Nov. 19 meeting. In a split vote of 4-3, councilors chose Jean-Marie Caterina over Kate St. Clair.

In terms of her goals for the coming year, Holbrook said her first act was to set a standing council workshop, which will be held at 6 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month, which is just prior to the regularly scheduled council meeting at 7 p.m.

She is looking forward to “the new dynamic of things being regularly introduced to the council and the public in the workshop format.”

One of the issues that arose in the lead-up to the Nov. 4 election was the transparency of the council and the ability of the public to be informed of projects and ideas early on, before the council begins its deliberations.

“I am also hopeful that, coupled with the standing workshop, the council will see success from streamlining our liaison assignments with (the) council standing committees,” Holbrook added. “Ultimately this will improve communication and promote interconnection between committee work.”

Holbrook also said that several working committees are getting ready to offer some recommendations to the council for future action. Those committees include the Historic Preservation Committee and the Housing Alliance.

“I am happy and proud to be part of these great efforts and look forward to bringing their ideas to the council in the near future,” she said.

Holbrook said she wanted to head the town’s governing body because, “given my time on the council, I had enough experience to understand how to effectively operate a town meeting. I also believe I can help to facilitate and promote the concept of cooperative and reasonable solutions to items that come to the council.”

Holbrook is in the last year of her second term on the council. She is a fifth-generation Scarborough native and lives in the home that was built by her great grandparents. She has two children and has been married for 14 years.

Holbrook is also a small business owner. She’s been a hairstylist for the past 13 years and owns and operates the Great Lengths Salon in Old Orchard Beach.

Jessica Holbrook