BIDDEFORD — Voters will be tasked next Tuesday with choosing nine candidates from a pool of 22 to make up the City Council. The Journal Tribune has compiled information on those running.

COUNCILOR AT-LARGE

Running for the council’s two at-large seats are incumbent Marc Lessard, Melissa Bednarowski, Doris McAuliffe, Laura Seaver and Joanne Twomey.

Lessard, 52, is a regional sales manager who is married with two children. He has served on the City Council for 10 years as well as on several other city committees.

Lessard said in an email last week that he believes his experience in economic forecasting and business management have helped keep the city’s tax rate increases to a minimum. Looking to the future, he said he hopes to continue serving Biddeford as planned economic investment will allow the city to become more competitive in attracting businesses and “drive expansion and employment opportunities.”

Bednarowski, 40, who works in sales, is a former city councilor. She has also served on the Planning Board and various city committees.

Bednarowski said in an email last week that she believes her “business approach to government” will create a more efficient city budget and stronger economy in Biddeford. If elected, she said she will fight to improve failing infrastructure, while also working to limit city spending on property and “selling the many vacant lots owned by the city.”

McAuliffe, 66, is retired, has been married for 46 years and has three children and seven grandchildren. It is her first time running for public office.

In a phone call this week, McAuliffe said she believes there is an urgent need to increase transparency in city government. “I do not believe in backroom policymaking,” she said.

If elected, McAuliffe said, she will work to address drug abuse, an issue she said is “infesting” Biddeford.

Seaver, 46, is a social worker who is married with two children. She served two terms on the School Committee, as well as on other city committees. She currently serves on the Policy Committee.

“I believe in better longterm financial planning to avoid bonds,” Seaver said in an email last week. “I want to see Biddeford seek more efficiency by incentivizing city employees to find and submit cost-saving ideas.”

Twomey, 69, is a retired widow who has two children and four grandchildren. She was Biddeford’s mayor for four years and has been in public service for 18 years, serving on the City Council for six years and in the state Legislature for eight.

Twomey said in a phone call this week that gentrification is the most important issue facing Biddeford right now. “The people who founded this city are being forced out of their homes because they can’t pay their taxes,” said Twomey, who also vowed to bring more high-paying jobs to Biddeford if elected.

WARD 1

Kathleen Russell is challenging incumbent Michael Swanton for the Ward 1 council seat.

Swanton, 63, a plumber, is married and has served on the City Council for four years.

In an email last week, Swanton said he hopes to be re-elected so he can help take care of unfinished business, such as hiring a new fire chief and finding buyers for the former Maine Energy Recovery Company property. “There is a whole lot more property that the city should consider selling,” he added.

Attempts to contact Russell were unsuccessful. Russell said in a statement read on her behalf during a recent candidates forum that the city’s tax rate is increasing at an unsustainable level and if elected, she will consider taxpayers in every vote.

WARD 2

Incumbent John McCurry, the council chair, is the only candidate running unopposed.

McCurry, an operations manager who will be 59 on Election Day, is married with two sons and four grandchildren. He has been on the City Council for 10 years, as well as on various city committees.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction and I just want to finish what we have started,” McCurry said in a phone call this week. He said his chief goal as a councilor is stabilizing the tax rate.

WARD 3

Richard Rhames is challenging incumbent Stephen St. Cyr for the Ward 3 council seat.

St. Cyr, a 60-year-old accountant, has been married for 38 years and has four children and two grandchildren. He was appointed to the City Council in March after the former Ward 3 councilor resigned unexpectedly. He also serves on two city committees.

St. Cyr said in an email last week that if elected, he will work to develop a budget that balances the needs of taxpayers, the city and its employees as well as support continued development of the city’s mill district. “We need the new property tax dollars from the development of the mills to help minimize any future increase in the mil rate and to pay for ongoing budget requirements and infrastructure improvements,” he said.

Rhames, a 70-year-old farmer, is married with one child. He was a city councilor for four years, served on the Biddeford Democratic City Committee for 16 years and has been on various other school and city committees.

In an email last week, Rhames criticized the current council for cutting the school budget too extensively, reducing benefits for its public safety and public works employees, and not doing enough to protect threatened areas of the environment, such as the Thatcher Brook watershed, or to address failing infrastructure. If elected, Rhames said he will make decisions to bolster Biddeford’s long-term success and better the lives of future generations.

WARD 4

Terry Belanger is challenging incumbent Robert Quattrone for the Ward 4 council seat.

Quattrone, 43, a power plant control room operator, is married with two children. He has served one term on the City Council and is a member of four city committees.

In an email this week, Quattrone said he stands for “continuing the revitalization of the downtown and reaching maximum capacity of (Biddeford’s) business parks.” By welcoming more businesses, the city will begin to “stabilize (its) burden on taxpayers,” he said.

Quattrone said he would also like to see an upgrade to current infrastructure.

Belanger, 67, is retired and married with one child and one grandchild. Two years ago he published a book about his experiences dealing with PTSD after serving the country in the Vietnam War.

Belanger said in a phone call this week that if elected, he will increase honesty and transparency in city government. He said “bringing respect back to the citizens of Biddeford” is his number one goal.

WARD 5

The race for the Ward 5 council seat has drawn the most interest. Running for the position are incumbent Bob Mills, Nathan Bean, Carol Boisjoly, Milton Truman and Perry Aberle. (Although Karl Reed Jr.’s name will appear on the ballot, Reed has indicated that he no longer wishes to be considered for the position.)

Mills, a 50-year-old merchandiser, is married with two children. He has served on the City Council since 2007, as well as on several city committees.

“I’ve been a visionary and with an optimistic drive,” Mills said in an email last week, adding that his constituents asked him to run for re-election. “I’ll continue to be the voice of the people of our ward and the city. We need to keep our taxes low and get our infrastructure repaired.”

Bean, a 44-year-old teacher, is married with two children. In an email last week, Bean said if elected, he will focus on increasing transparency and honesty in government, continuing downtown development, improving education, and promoting fiscal responsibility, sustainable design and environmental consciousness, among other things.

“Government spending must be thoughtful and aimed at achieving both the short- and long-term goals of our community while striving for efficiency and eliminating waste,” he said.

Boisjoly, 59, is a retired nurse who is widowed with one child. She does not have any political experience.

Boisjoly said this week that if elected, she will work to specifically address the needs of the city’s children, young adults and senior citizens. She said she feels the city has been “jumping the gun” on spending money to buy property and smarter practices should be adopted.

Truman, 62, who works in the hospitality industry, has been married for 40 years and has a two children and one grandchild. He has served as a city councilor in Saco.

Truman said in an email last week that his platform includes “fairness” in contracts for city employees, slowing the rise of heroin abuse in Biddeford and making Ward 5 “more of a community.”

Aberle, 40, is a single chef with one child. He served one term on the City Council as the youngest councilor to be elected in Biddeford at age 18.

In a phone call this week, Aberle said if elected, he will continue working to develop the former mill buildings but also to develop all of downtown Biddeford – an effort he feels has been lacking. Aberle said he hopes to also address the issues of poverty and drug abuse in the city, while always being honest with residents.

WARD 6

Running for the Ward 6 council seat are Debra Lauzon and Rick Laverriere.

Lauzon, 54, a widow with three children, does not have a background in politics. In online messages this week, Lauzon said if elected, she will push for bettering Biddeford schools and encourage her fellow councilors to use their first 30 days in office to set realistic goals for the city.

“From my perspective, we need to focus on getting a healthier balance between taxes and quality of life in Biddeford,” she said. “We can’t keep raising taxes and spending unsustainably.”

Laverriere, 59, is retired, has been married for 39 years and has two children and two grandchildren. He was a city councilor for eight years.

In an email this week, Laverriere said if elected, he will focus on economic development, taxes and finding ways to streamline operations within the city. He said he believes he accomplished a lot for his ward when he served before and would like to continue that service.

WARD 7

Ben Neveux is challenging incumbent Michael Ready for the Ward 7 council seat.

Neveux, 52, is retired from the U.S. Air Force and now works for the Maine Department of Labor. He is married with children and stepchildren, one grandchild and two grandchildren on the way. He is on two city committees.

In an email last week, Neveux said he is a strong supporter of job growth and education. If elected, he said, he will work to increase job creation in Biddeford and promote teaching the future workforce the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.

“Currently, many young adults are not prepared for today’s workplace which requires a level of science, technology, engineering and math (education),” he said.

Ready, 62, is retired and married with three children and four grandchildren. He has nine years of experience on the City Council and served for six years on the School Committee.

Ready said in an email this week that the city’s “next great opportunity” is the redevelopment of the former MERC property. “I believe that it is important that the city has the strongest voice in how this property is developed,” he said. “We currently own this property and can ensure that what locates here fits with the city’s goals and vision.”

Ready said if elected, he will also work to partner with Saco or other communities on services to save money.

Outside of the council race, Mayor Alan Casavant is running for his third term against business consultant Daniel Parenteau.

Nine candidates are running for the School Committee’s seven seats; Crystal Blais, Brianna Gilbert, Timothy Pierce and Karen Ruel are facing incumbents Dennis Angela, Tony Michaud, Heather Mills, Bil Moriarty and Lisa Vadnais.

Seven candidates – Vincent Keely from Ward 1, Paul Therrien from Ward 2, Dominic Deschambault and Ronald Therrien from Ward 4, Roland Lawler and Stephanie Parker from Ward 5, and Robert Provencher from Ward 6 – are running for the Charter Revision Commission, which voters will be asked if they wish to establish.

Biddeford voters will also be asked if they wish to approve three bonds, totaling $12.185 million: a $5.99 million bond for road work, a $3.925 million bond for sewer work and a $2.27 million bond for repairs to City Hall, including its clock tower.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Biddeford High School’s Tiger Gym Tuesday.

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.