Michael J. Phinney, 38, is seeking his fourth three-year term on the Gorham Town Council.
A native of Gorham, Phinney previously served six years on the town’s Planning Board. He twice served as chairman of the Town Council and chaired the Planning Board three times. “I have a lot of experience in town politics,” he said.
He said it’s an exciting time to be a councilor. “I enjoy being on the council,” he said. “I know the issues facing the town. I have a good grasp (of the issues) and I have solutions.”
Citing traffic as the “biggest issue” in the town, he said the Gorham bypass, which has been granted federal money, would ease traffic congestion in the village. While Gorham waits for bypass construction, Phinney said speed bumps have helped, as have a center lane in the village and a traffic light where Elm and Water streets intersect with Main Street.
He would continue to look at traffic problems in neighborhoods caused by commuters on a “case-by-case” basis. “There are interim solutions that help,” he said.
Additionally, Phinney supports the idea of a Turnpike spur to Gorham to help ease travel for residents and motorists from neighboring towns get to the Maine Mall and South Portland.
“I’m excited about it, and people in places of power seem excited,” he said about a spur possibility. “We need to do something to get the traffic out of Gorham.”
The limited parking for downtown businesses in Gorham Village is a concern for Phinney. While seeing the need for more parking, he wants to protect village residents there and preserve the character of the village. “We hope to find an area for a municipal parking lot,” he said.
He’s interested in ways to keep taxes down while providing essential services. “Taxes are always a key issue,” Phinney said. “We spend someone’s money, and I try to be conservative with it.”
Phinney supported the recent dispatch consolidation. He said the town didn’t have any plans to consolidate other departments, and he said any consolidation would have to maintain the quality of services while saving money, as he felt the dispatch consolidation had.
“It’s my duty as a councilor to look at proposals to consolidate,” he said.
He said the state hasn’t addressed the property tax issue. In case of a tax cap, he said, “all bets are off,” as consolidations would be forced upon the town.
The vice president of his family’s company, Phinney Lumber, Phinney has experience running a business and he supports attracting more commerce to Gorham. “We have to encourage business and industry to move into town,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of industry.”
A lifelong resident in Gorham, Phinney said he knows the people and the community. He has seen the town’s growth and the changes.
Phinney, who was educated in Gorham schools and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a family man who lives on Apple Lane. He and his wife, Kimberly Post Phinney, have five children, Donald, 15; John, 13; Samuel, 11; Mathew, 3; and Nicholas, 9 months.
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