PLACE OF RESIDENCY: Lisbon

PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat

PREVIOUS ELECTED EXPERIENCE: None

Do you think the town is investing enough money in economic development? Why or why not?

No! I do not. The town will never have invested enough in economic development until people are clamoring to come to the town to settle because it is such a great place to be!

Realistically, we can invest more but we have taken some steps over the last few years to radically improve things for the town. As a member of the Planning Board and the Master Plan Committee, I have been part of the team helping to implement our established Master Plan for the RT 196 corridor and the downtown area. We have made strides in implementing design standards for the area and are in the process of implementing a new Façade improvement program that results from a Micro Enterprise CDBG grant giving us $150,000 to award to business selectees. We have also re-applied for a Downtown Redevelopment CDBG grant that, if awarded, will improve the infrastructure near the Lisbon Falls downtown and help to connect our trail system to the its businesses. We still have opportunities to improve and add business incentive to the town. A recent TIFF for the area should help do that as well. The work of our Economic Development and Planning staff has been crucial to that development and we hope to continue the positive trend.

As an aside, we also have taken big steps to help the reputation of the schools which, in turn, assists the economic development of the town and assists in maintaining regional accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). We now have a new gym and a space that could be developed into a performing arts venue as well as a state of the art track. Are we doing enough? Not yet, as we still hope to do much more for the Lisbon Village area to help bring that up. Perhaps our recent approval of new and modern apartment s for that end of town will provide some growth opportunities.

Do you think the town council should support a higher school budget or continue to hold the line on or cut the tax-generated funds that support education in Lisbon? Explain the answer.

There are many considerations to be weighed in the school budget, but the biggest area of concern in the past has been the EPS (state funding formulation for local education). While there has been general acceptance of other items in the school budget, the stumbling point has been the reasoning for and the dollar amounts that have been spent in excess of the EPS levels. I have come to believe that those levels are unrealistically low and I do support a robust school budget. I will not, however, say universally that a higher school budget should be approved. We all know that negotiated employee contracts have to be honored and that the students need the best education we can provide. But, there are defined limits that the taxpayers of the town cannot be expected to exceed. The Town Council must do its due diligence when functioning as the RSU. This town is not affluent and receives a formula based larger share of state subsidy than some other towns, however, I believe that the share provided by the state is too low still and needs to be somewhat increased so that we can offset large additions to the local property tax. There are trade-offs at the state level that need to be made.

What can you contribute to the town as a town councilor if elected?

• I hope to be a positive influence on an active and engaged Lisbon Town Council. Over the last several years, we have had some councilors who have not seemed to be engaged or at least not participatory at town council meetings. To be effective, Councilors must do their homework, be engaged at meetings and contribute to deliberations. I intend to be that Councilor.

• Recognizing that there are many opportunities for increased community policing, I support the Police as the positive influence in our town that they are and I am a strong supporter of the recommendations of the recent, independent study of that department. While some steps have already been taken, I favor full implementation.

• I also believe that i can help us take steps in the council to level out the influence of somewhat extreme annual budget fluxuations we have experienced in recent years. I have the experience in ordinance development that will help us modify our charter to do that.

• In addition, I bring 22 years of Navy leadership, 20+ years of retail management and several years of civic involvement to the table. I have been involved with town youth through the Boy Scouts, and several town committees over the past years. My involvement included membership in the Budget Advisory Board, the town Finance Committee, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Assessment Review Board, the Master Plan Committee, the (adhoc) Shooting Range Committee, the Façade Grant Advisory Committee, the School Facilities Committee, the Lisbon Police Advisory Group and the Planning Board as a member and currently serving as its chair for a third term. I know that we can improve things for the town, especially the economics by bringing appropriate business to the area. Our trails and park system add to our natural environment and prove that Lisbon is much more than a corridor between Lewiston and Topsham/Brunswick. We need to convince ourselves as well as others of the advantages and cultural heritage we already have.