While the races for Standish Town Council feature four candidates in pursuit of two seats, the contested elections held June 10 are the exception, not the norm.

Brian Libby is running against incumbent Lou Stack for Area 4 town councilor, while Peter Hassapelis is running against incumbent Phil Pomerleau for the council at-large seat. But the majority of town positions are uncontested, with some lacking any candidates.

Polls will be open at George E. Jack Elementary School on Route 35, June 10, from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

Brian Libby, 61, was born and raised in Standish. He currently works as a truck driver for Architectural Doors and Windows in Westbrook. After having spent nine years serving on the Planning Board, Libby said, “I thought I could be of more value on the council.”

“There are a lot of issues brought up on the Planning Board,” Libby added, indicating that his experience dealing with these issues would be an asset to him as a councilor.

Libby said his goals include ensuring the comprehensive plan is carried out to implement residents’ wishes. Libby also said Standish is growing and has “started to go in the right direction on the new comprehensive plan.” The town is in the beginning stages of trying to address its traffic problems, Libby said, but it’s a slow process.

“We have to make sure we keep our expenses in check,” Libby said.

“One of the issues that I think has come up recently is the Town Council appoints a committee to do a specific job and then the council tries to micro-manage the committee,” he said.

Libby said the Community Center Committee was close to presenting its findings to the council when the council told them to stop work this winter because of possible restrictions on the site from the Department for Environmental Protection. “I think they jumped the gun before they got all the facts,” Libby said.

Libby, who is married with one child and three grandchildren, said his even temperament would assist him as a town councilor and that he analyzes situations with an open mind.

The other candidate for the Area 4 seat, Lou Stack, 66, has served on the Town Council for the past two years. He has been council chairman for the past year. In 1995 Stack retired from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he was chief of the architectural, engineering, and cost branch. He said he is running for council “to continue the efforts that we started.”

Stack is currently the chairman of the Finance Committee and serves on the Personnel Committee, Portland Water District Steering Committee, 113 Corridor Commission, Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, and as the temporary chair of the Open Space and Conservation Committee.

“My interest is in keeping taxes low for the taxpayers in town,” Stack said.

Stack served on the Budget Committee for five years prior to running for Town Council. He chaired the committee for part of that time.

Stack said his goals for running for council include helping to implement a town beach proposal and the Standish Corner Village master plan, as well as developing similar plans for Sebago Lake Village and Steep Falls Village. He would also continue serving with the 113 Corridor Commission, which is working with the state to develop a rail line that would pass through Standish on its way from Portland to Fryeburg.

Stack, who is married and has one child and one grandchild, has lived in Standish since 1953.

“I enjoy working with the fellow councilors and the public in getting things done,” Stack said.

Peter Hassapelis, 70, has lived in Standish since 1994. He is an Army veteran and worked at the Portland Jetport before he retired in 2000. This is the first time Hassapelis has run for an elected town position. He has served in public relations for Post 128 of the American Legion in Standish and in the 1980s served as the second vice commander for Post 832 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in South Portland.

“Instead of complaining, I decided to do something,” Hassapelis said about why he chose to run for the Town Council.

One of his goals would be to reduce the number of town committees and “make the council people and city administration more responsible for some of those committee jobs.” Hassapelis said, “These committees get lost. Sometimes they meet. Sometimes they don’t meet. Somebody has to be responsible for all these committees.” Hassapelis said he got information from the town Web site about which committees were meeting regularly and which were not.

“The big thing is the council does not do what the people want them to do,” Hassapelis said. “They’re doing it the way they’ve always done it.” Hassapelis said that he thinks communication between council members and town residents is poor.

Hassapelis said that public safety, public works and the proposed community center are all important issues to him, and that when it comes to money, he is prudent. He said there are many problematic issues in Standish.

“I’m offering solutions,” said Hassapelis, who has four children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. One of his proposed solutions is to replace the 31-page study completed for the proposed community center with a simpler study that anybody could understand.

Hassapelis said he would reduce expenses for the community center by employing less people and increase revenue by bringing in events such as flea markets.

Hassapelis also said he would improve public works and “reward the people doing a good job.”

Phil Pomerleau, 56, the incumbent for the at-large seat, has been on the Town Council for nine years. He served on the Planning Board for five years before that.

With his wife, Pomerleau owns Mainely Heating Oil, Standish Trailer Sales, and Standish Collision Center, all in town.

“We’re pretty invested in Standish,” Pomerleau said. They have lived in the town since 1990.

Pomerleau chairs the Capital Improvements Committee and serves on the Appointments Committee and the 113 Corridor Commision. Pomerleau is also the councilor representative on the Public Safety Committee, through which he helped purchase and hang 170 American flags in town.

Through his work at Mainely Heating Oil, Pomerleau makes deliveries to 500 homes in Standish. “We get out and see a lot of people,” Pomerleau said. “I keep pretty informed with what’s going on in town.”

“I’m not a big spender,” Pomerleau said, adding that the size of the School Administrative District 6 budget is one of the biggest issues in town.

Pomerleau also said, “We need some improvements in our villages.” He would like to see vacant buildings filled and aesthetic improvements in Standish Corner and Sebago Lake Villages.

“It’s very important that we work hard to bring businesses in,” Pomerleau said.

Pomerleau has five children and nine grandchildren. “I think I bring common sense to the council,” Pomerleau said. “I’ve been here long enough. There are no hidden agendas here.”

Karen Tompson is the only candidate for the Area 2 Town Council position and Jeffrey Smith is the only candidate for the Area 3 Planning Board position. For the SAD 6 director-at-Large, Michael Delcourt is the only one running and John Sargent is the only candidate for the Budget Committee.

No one filed papers to run for three additional Planning Board positions and six additional Budget Committee positions.