Dan LaBrie, 52, has spent his whole life in South Portland.

LaBrie met his wife, Aileen, while the two were in Memorial Middle School. He raised his two daughters in South Portland, in the Country Gardens neighborhood and later in a house on Pilgrim Street.

Yet LaBrie, who generally keeps a low profile, has not been a familiar figure until recently. He has emerged as the most vocal opponent of allowing dogs on Willard Beach year round.

LaBrie, who recently built a home at Willard Beach, opposes current laws that allow dogs to run off leash from 6-9 a.m. in the spring and summer, and all day off-season.

Most recently, LaBrie helped organize a group called Save Willard Beach, which is dedicated to restricting pet access. LaBrie wants dogs off the beach in the busy spring and summer months. He supports allowing pets on the beach off-season, as long as they are leashed. LaBrie has exchanged angry words with members of the South Portland Dog Owners Group, which vigorously opposes new restrictions.

Earlier this year, the City Council appointed a task force to study this issue. That group’s recommendations, presented to the Council last month, call for, among other things, increased enforcement and education on current rules and requring dogs be kept on leash until reaching the high-water mark.

While the City Council reviews the recommendations, LaBrie, the vice president of Rufus Deering Lumber, is so committed to his cause he vows to bring the issue to voters, if councilors won’t tighten laws. In a recent interview, LaBrie talked about his new political activism and the reasons for it.

Q: Why are you interested in limiting pet access to Willard Beach?

A: It is not a fair split now. Dogs have access to the beach 71 percent of the time, leaving the beach open only 29 percent of the time to people who want to enjoy the beach dog-free. There also are health problems associated with having dogs on the beach. You can’t sit down in the sand and have a picnic after dogs have just been there. They pose an environmental problem on the dunes. They make a lot of noise.

Q: How would you like the rules changed?

A: I’d like to have the spring and summer hours for people only. This is the same way the state parks and state beaches operate – six months on and six months off for the dogs. And when they’re on, they must be leashed. This will let people enjoy the summer dog-free and not worry about health problems.

Q: Tell me about SaveWillardBeach.com.

A: It’s giving a voice to people who do not have voice now. It is the opposite of the South Portland dog association. There are a lot of people out there that we’re providing a venue to and a voice for organizing. Every single day I hear from people who say, ‘Dan, what you’re fighting for is correct.’ These are people who were worried to speak out as individuals but as a group are more willing. At our very first meeting, we had 14 people show up. That’s a good start. But we’ve had hundreds of calls.

Q: Have the two sides – Save Willard Beach and the South Portland Dog Owners Group – sat down together outside of city meetings?

A: It probably will not happen. I’d be more than happy to sit down with them, but our goals are dramatically different. My feeling is they don’t want to compromise. We’ve had recent conversations with the president of the South Portland dog owners’ association. They’re only proposing minor Band-Aids for a much bigger problem.

Q: How do you respond to dog walkers who say that your real intent is to erode public access to Willard Beach?

A: We’re attempting to open the beach to thousands of people who want to use it dog-free. We are trying to make the beach safe and equitable for people who want to use it without dog interference.

Q: Do you favor dog parks?

A: Dog parks are a wonderful solution. I would be willing to work on that and to raise money for land. I even have thought of the idea of trying to find land large enough for a mixed use of woods with trails through it, along with an open field and man-made pond.

Q: Would you care about this issue if you did not live next to the beach?

A: I very much would care about it. I have many family members and friends who don’t use the beach because of dog interference. It took me living on the beach to see it day in and day out … to see how unsanitary it is to have 50 or 75 dogs defecating or urinating in the sand, and then to see kids playing in the same sand. So many dogs in one location is dangerous. I’m surprised that the Council has not stood up to this for that very reason.

Q: Why do you support sending the issue to referendum?

A: A referendum will once and for all solve the problem. But I’m afraid it will end up with no dogs on the beach. South Portland has 23,000 people and 16,000 registered voters. But there are only 1,800 registered dog licenses. If I were on the South Portland dog association, I would worry about that.

Q: How should a ballot item be worded?

A: I can’t answer that right now. The wording is important. We would have legal advice on that.

Q: How do you respond to views by some residents that this conflict uses up valuable staff time at City Hall, while other, more important matters are ignored?

A: This is very important. What if someone’s daughter or granddaughter were attacked by a dog on the beach? How much more important could something like this be?

Dan LaBrie says he would sit down with members of the South Portland Dog Owners Group to discuss the issue of pet access on Willard Beach, but he doesn’t believe members want to compromise.