The Westbrook City Council filled its vacant seat Monday with a veteran councilor who is looking forward to closely examining this year’s budget, as well as the retail development proposed for Stroudwater Street.
Lyle Cramer, 64, was chosen by the Westbrook Republican City Committee Sunday as its nominee for the Ward 3 council seat left open by Ed Symbol. Symbol resigned last month in order to serve on the School Committee. The council accepted the nomination Monday.
Cramer, a retired guidance counselor, served on the City Council for six years during the 1980s. He also served as a county commissioner for four years.
Cramer said he has “a lot of experience with municipal and county budgets” and believes he will be valuable as the City Council works on the budget during what he called “a challenging year.”
He said he thinks Stroudwater Place, the 1.7-million-square-foot retail and recreational development proposed for Stroudwater Street, has the potential to be “fantastically beneficial to the city” through its contribution to both the tax base and the quality of life in Westbrook.
Asked about the controversial subject of implementing a recycling program in the city, Cramer said he is “still learning about the best way to do it.”
He said he is open to looking at the pay-per-bag program as an option.
“We need to do a lot more recycling,” he said.
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