Cynthia Dill is running for election to one of two seats open on the Cape Elizabeth Town Council.
She has been a resident in the area since 1990, living in South Portland for many years before moving to Cape Elizabeth in 2002. She is married and has two young children in the Cape Elizabeth schools.
A lawyer, Dill has run her own civil law practice since 1994. She has been a board member for the Cleaves Law Library in Portland and as a member of various bar associations.
Dill said her interest in getting involved with civic life and running for public office is a response to the national scene and show her children they can make a difference. “Think globally and act locally,” she said.
Last January Dill lost to Paul McKenney by six votes in a special election for a vacated Town Council seat. She has volunteered at both Pond Cove Elementary School and Cape Elizabeth Middle School and as a member of the Small School Community Council, where she served as secretary for two years. She is also a member of the First Congregational Church in South Portland, where she is a Sunday school teacher.
Dill said affordable housing in Cape Elizabeth is a “nice idea,” but an “oxymoron.” She said the Town Council does not have expertise in that field and should work cooperatively with housing and advocacy groups. “They’re the ones that have the expertise,” she said.
Dill said Cape already has a “pretty lean” budget and she wouldn’t want to make any big changes, but would focus on finding ways to maintain what she said is already “a very efficient, well-run town.”
Dill said the pledge the Town Council made to cap spending in the days before the Palesky tax cap referendum makes it difficult for to deal with situations such as rising fuel costs. “Their hands are tied now going forward because of that restriction,” she said.
Dill believes there is room for charging fees at Fort Williams Park, but not for a tollbooth at the entrance that charges every car. She said tour buses and trolleys that come into the park should be charged, but not Cape residents or people walking or riding bikes.
She said safe roads are a priority for her, especially since she lives on Shore Road and is afraid to let her children ride their bikes or walk on the street. “They’re dangerous,” she said. “They’re just not safe for pedestrians.” She also said the sewer system in town should be a priority.
Cynthia Dill, a candidate for the Cape Elizabeth Town Council.
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