WINDHAM — Voters will fill two Town Council seats on Nov. 7, and each race features an incumbent.

Council Vice Chairman David Nadeau is being challenged by Rebecca Cummings for the East District seat, and newest council member Brett Jones has two challengers in Clayton Haskell and David Lydon for an At Large seat.

Jones was appointed to the council in February to fill the vacancy left after the death of Councilor Tommy Gleason.

Along with the Town Council races, Windham voters will also decide on the fate of a proposed $9.3 vehicle maintenance facility that would be shared with the Windham-Raymond school district.

Each council candidate answered questions and provided information about their background to the Lakes Region Weekly. Some responses were edited for length.

East District candidates

Rebecca Cummings

Age: 39

Occupation: School nurse

Political experience: Windham delegate to state GOP convention

What skills and experiences do you bring to the table that you think can help Windham? 

As a veteran who has lived and served in many places, I value being proactive. As a nurse, I respect being preventative. I come from a hardworking, middle class family and that’s my comfort zone. Although I bring my own values and experiences to the table, elected officials are supposed to represent their constituents. I must approach each issue with an open mindset. Decisions should be based on the town’s mission, vision, values, budget, voter feedback, as well as evidence-based data.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Windham today? And biggest opportunity?

Rapid growth can be a blessing and a curse. It’s the nostalgia that “old Windham” wants to protect, and some would argue, draws new residents in the first place. It’s the potential that “new Windham” envisions yet must be balanced with tradition. As a fiscal conservative I recognize the importance of zoning, permits, and ordinances in controlling growth and the types of businesses that operate within our boundaries.

Do you support the proposed $9.3 million town and school district shared transportation facility on the Nov. 7 ballot?

I believe it would be disingenuous for me to give an opinion without having toured the facility yet. I know it’s been before Windham voters twice before, at significantly less cost, and was rejected … I’m fortunate enough now that $5 or $6 a month is not a game changer for me, but there were years when it absolutely would’ve broke us. Imagine someone on a fixed income or a Windham family that qualifies for reduced school lunch. Six dollars a month equates to fifteen school lunches … And that’ll be the hardship not just for one year or two, but for decades.

Windham has been one of Maine’s fastest growing towns. How should the town manage that growth?

I believe Windham’s rapid growth is its biggest challenge and opportunity. Town Council, the subcommittees and residents are integral in the decision making processes of what is preserved, what needs improvement, and at what cost. The relationship between the town’s officials and voters must be one of mutual respect.

David Nadeau

Age: 68

Occupation: Retired electronic engineer

Political Experience: Six years as town councilor, current vice chairman, former chairman; 10 years on the Windham Planning Board, member of the Maine Municipal Association’s Legislative Policy Committee.

What skills and experiences do you bring to the table that you think can help Windham?

I believe if I show some of the proposals that I have brought to the council and have been accepted, you will see the skill set I have. They are: With the uncertainty of what the state is doing with revenue sharing, I proposed that we back it out of the budget as revenue and now use it to fund capital, which is underfunded, to protect us from changes at the state level regarding revenue sharing; top-down budgeting which looks at and measures the services being provided … budget projections looking out five years; first town’s strategic plan, now working on the second; elderly tax assistance; a TIF, tax increment financing, policy (in progress).

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Windham today? And biggest opportunity?

Windham being one of the fastest growing towns in Maine will feel stress put on the infrastructure, facilities and services from this growth, which exist now… This growth also provides opportunities. With sewer in North Windham we can attract restaurants and businesses because we will have the population to support them.

Do you support the proposed $9.3 million town and school district shared transportation facility on the Nov. 7 ballot?

Yes. The present facility was built in 1980 and over the next two years
expanded twice. Built to function for a population of 8,000, now serving
18,000, it is grossly undersized. Situated in the MP1 zone we can no longer use a hose outside causing buses and trucks going for longer periods unwashed in winter, shortening their life span. A new facility with a life expectancy of 50 years will make all these problems go away while realizing numerous savings.

Windham has been one of Maine’s fastest growing towns. How should the town manage that growth?

Managing growth is hard. Long-term planning with the investment in
infrastructure will allow the town to direct growth to the locations you have planned for growth. In the long run this approach will also stimulate economic growth. Haphazard growth like we presently have, private roads, stretches services and costs money. With the new comprehensive master plan, which I was a member of, along with a new strategic plan and a comprehensive implementation committee we will have the tools available to the town to manage growth.

At Large candidates

Clayton Haskell

Age: 65

Occupation: Farmer and small business owner, Pleasant River Farm & Feed

Political experience: Windham Planning Board member from 1981-91 with two  years as chairman, past state director of the Maine Farm Bureau, past president of the Cumberland County Farm Bureau, Windham Comprehensive Planning Committee member from 1981-83. 

What skills and experiences do you bring to the table that you think can help Windham?

I have served on a variety of town committees bringing common sense and logical solutions to the committees. I have been a lifelong resident of the town and have seen how the growth has impacted the rural character of the town.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Windham today? And biggest opportunity?

I see the growth of housing – which requires many town services – and the lack of an industrial and business base to help support taxes as a challenge for the town. Biggest opportunity? To keep the rural character and open space available in the
town.

Do you support the proposed $9.3 million town and school district shared transportation facility on the Nov. 7 ballot?

No.

Windham has been one of Maine’s fastest growing towns. How should the town manage that growth?

The town needs to take care to keep our rural character and natural resources intact when considering new development and how that development will impact the town as a whole.

Brett Jones

Age: 43

Occupation: fire captain, Old Orchard Beach Fire Department and owner of Tavern Hill Farm in Windham

Political experience: Currently member of Windham Town Council, serving for less than a year

What skills and experiences do you bring to the table that you think can help Windham?

I have over 25 years working in public safety in roles including as a police officer, firefighter and emergency medical technician. I have developed a lot of experience with emergency situations, managing personnel, and working within budget limitations. Secondly, owning and operating a small farm, I understand the challenges facing today’s farmers as well as small business owners and large land owners. Lastly, designing, building and maintaining a private road, I have come to appreciate the vast challenges with them.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Windham today? And biggest opportunity?

The biggest challenge that Windham is facing right now is also its biggest opportunity: rapid growth. It is a challenge because the town has grown so fast that we haven’t kept up on improving infrastructure (buildings and roads). My goal would be to remain as fiscally conservative as possible while also looking into long-term savings instead of short term.

Do you support the proposed $9.3 million town and school district shared transportation facility on the Nov. 7 ballot?

At first, I did not. I was hoping that the new proposal would have cost less money, reflecting what the majority of voters wanted to see. The committee went back and looked at the plans and made as many cuts as possible, but the cost still came in over $9 million due to rising construction costs. Unfortunately, that is the cost of maintaining the investments we have made in our vehicles and equipment we rely on.

Windham has been one of Maine’s fastest growing towns. How should the town manage that growth?

Though I see rapid growth in Windham as an opportunity and a challenge, I also feel that we need to responsibly manage that growth. We need to encourage responsible commercial growth with ideas such as TIF incentives, an area we are currently creating a policy for. (Jones also listed agricultural tax incentives, elderly tax exemptions and recent private roads ordinance changes as ways to help manage growth).

David Lydon

Age: 38

Occupation: IT Manager

Political experience: 3 previous bids for a Town Council seat

What skills and experiences do you bring to the table that you think can help Windham?

My experience has been at the intersection of marketing and technology, managing projects or IT, during a period of rapid change. Windham has been changing rapidly as well, and I offer to lend a hand in managing that process, as well as mediating the disparate views of old Windham and the new.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Windham today? And biggest opportunity?

The biggest opportunity is definitely fulfilling on the promise of the 21st Century Plan, and the challenge will be doing so in such a way that we do not increase taxes on our homeowners – just after we ask them to support a bond for a $9.3 million garage.

Do you support the proposed $9.3 million town and school district shared transportation facility on the Nov. 7 ballot?

I will reluctantly vote in favor of the measure. The town has rejected similar projects at $3.9 million and $7.6 million, so I had hoped to see a lower price tag, not a higher one. I recognize the need that Public Works is facing, but I feel the increasing price is too steep. I would like to know what $9.3 million will do that $7.6 million cannot.

Windham has been one of Maine’s fastest growing towns. How should the town manage that growth?

Do what we can to slow subdivision, or risk losing the character of the town that I grew up in. We have beautiful residential areas, shopping in our own town, plenty of recreation opportunities and fantastic schools – what’s not to like? I am not surprised that folks want to move here in droves, but every time a large plot is subdivided for new construction we lose some of the natural beauty of our town. I would like to see a focus on finding homes for new businesses, and bringing more jobs to Windham.

Rebecca Cummings

David Nadeau

Clayton Haskell

Brett Jones

David Lydon