The housing boom in Westbrook has emerged as a top issue for the city’s four mayoral candidates.
The election looms large as the Westbrook City Council debates a 180-day moratorium on residential subdivisions of 10 units or more, a proposal spurred by large-scale developments like Blue Spruce Farm on Spring Street. More than 400 residents have signed a petition calling for the temporary stay on building permits. Specifically, they are asking the city to revamp its land use ordinance, increase the minimum lot size and enact a process for collecting impact fees on new construction.
WESTBROOK MAYORAL CANDIDATES
Jason Jerrier
Age: 44
Address: 58 Wilson Drive
Family: Wife
Education: Enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school
Job: Retired from Army
Political experience: None
Mike Sanphy
Age: 69
Address: 28 Temple St.
Family: Wife, four children
Education: Bachelor’s degree, vocational education, University of Maine
Job: Retired from the Westbrook police and fire departments
Political experience: City Council since 2011
Michael Shaughnessy
Age: 58
Address: 89 Conant St.
Family: Wife, four children
Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri, master’s of fine arts degree from Ohio University
Job: Artist and sculpture professor, University of Southern Maine
Political experience: One term, Windham Town Council
James Tranchemontagne
Age: 42
Address: 639 Duck Pond Road
Family: Wife, two children
Education: Sanford High School
Job: Owner, Frog & Turtle restaurant, Westbrook
Political experience: None
All four individuals on the ballot – two Democrats and two candidates unaffiliated with a party – have said Westbrook needs to find a way to slow the pace of residential development. The candidates voiced many of the same concerns, though their paths forward would be slightly different. Each said he would support the proposed moratorium.
The decision by incumbent Mayor Colleen Hilton to step down after her third term opened the door to a mayoral race with more candidates than any in recent memory. Those on the Nov. 8 ballot include political newcomer Jason Jerrier, Councilor Michael Sanphy, Presumpscot River advocate Michael Shaughnessy and restaurant owner James Tranchemontagne.
Regarding the housing boom, Jerrier said he would push to require a greater amount of open space with each development, and he faulted Westbrook’s leadership for allowing large developments in the city’s code of ordinances.
“Our past people that have been leading Westbrook, by changing city ordinances and building codes, they’ve allowed mass building of condos,” Jerrier said. “Right now, we’re way past our resources.”
Sanphy, who currently represents Ward 5 on the City Council, recently voted in favor of establishing fees for developers based on the future impacts of their projects.
“I think we need to take that time to review our ordinances, sit down with the Planning Board,” Sanphy said. “Maybe density is too tight.”
Shaughnessy, who moved to Westbrook recently but has long been involved with the Friends of the Presumpscot River, also suggested an overhaul of the city’s zoning. He favors form-based code, which sets parameters for how buildings should look, rather than how they are used.
“It becomes something that’s much more descriptive and visual, rather than literal and numeric,” Shaugnessy said.
Tranchemontagne said he would vote for a moratorium, but he also emphasized the spending cuts in his platform. He has suggested cutting the top salaries at City Hall by 10 to 15 percent in order to bring the property tax rate down from $18.40 per $1,000 of assessed value to $15.50 per $1,000. Lower property taxes would increase the demand for single-family homes, rather than apartments, he said.
“When you tax yourself so high, it changes the way you see development,” Tranchemontagne said. “You don’t get your 3- to 4-bedroom houses. People don’t want to put down roots here because the taxes are so high.”
Hilton has endorsed Shaughnessy, who was nominated at the Democratic Party’s local caucus in September. Sanphy, also a Democrat, and the other two unaffiliated candidates collected signatures to put their names on the ballot.
While talk of a moratorium is a top issue in Westbrook, the candidates noted other ideas as well.
Jerrier pledged to cut down on “useless spending,” and he said managing millions of dollars of resources during his 21 years in the Army prepared him to tackle the city’s budget.
Sanphy said he would look for opportunities to attract more stores to downtown Westbrook and reduce city debt, including a review of tax increment finance districts, or TIFs.
Shaughnessy suggested creating a council of neighborhoods to increase communication between residents and officials, and he said he wants to continue Westbrook’s downtown revitalization.
While lowering property taxes is his first priority, Tranchemontagne also said he wants to attract new businesses and homes to the historic buildings in Westbrook’s downtown.
A meet-and-greet event with the mayoral candidates is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at 863 Main St.
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