With neither of the incumbents seeking re-election, two seats on the Scarborough Town Council are wide open this fall. The field consists of five candidates, of which only two have held local political office before.
Council Chairwoman Jessica Holbrook and Councilor Ed Blaise are the ones giving up their seats on the council this time around.
The candidates for the available three-year terms are Jim Benedict, who served one prior term on the council; Chris Caiazzo, who is giving up a seat on the Board of Education to run for Town Council; and newcomers Robert “Will” Rowan, William “Liam” Somers and Michael Turek.
Benedict, Somers and Turek unsuccessfully sought seats on the council and school board respectively last fall, with Turek running as a write-in candidate for the school district’s governing board.
The Current asked each candidate the same series of questions and their responses follow:
James Benedict
Age: 67
Occupation: Retired
Political Experience: One term on the Scarborough Town Council
Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Scarborough Town Council?
A: I have been a part of town government since the 1970s and I have brought fair and reasonable ideas, as well as productive ideas to solve various problems. As a rule, I do my best to attend all council and sub-committee meetings and I enjoy creating dialogue on most matters.
I was in the construction and septic management business for more than 40 years and have both a construction supervisor’s license and septic inspection license from Massachusetts. My experience in these areas allows me to follow all construction and septic issues raised in town.
I was also a president and state representative for my local Lions Club for more than 30 years. I have lived in Scarborough for more than 15 years and spent summers here for 25 years before that. I was also on the Town Council for three years, so I am fully aware of items brought to the table. I have also served on various town committees, so I am familiar with the operations of the town and will work hard for the taxpayers.
Q: Growth and development is a perennial issue in Scarborough, what areas should growth be funneled into and should there be any limits?
A: Businesses in Scarborough are important entities to the town, as good businesses help lower the tax rate for property owners. We need to be careful, however, with contractors building sloppy projects and not finishing projects.
When this happens, the town should call in the bond and get someone else to finish the project and not allow said contractors to do any more projects. There is nothing worse than potential buyers or businesses looking to move here and seeing unfinished projects.
Businesses also need to adhere to the rules and regulations of the town. They need to be kept cleaned up and up to snuff with their appearance.
Q: What could/should the council and school board do better in terms of developing the school budget?
A: I believe the school board should listen to the recommendations of the Town Council in forming the budget. Especially since the board came in with a 12 to 14 percent increase and ignored the council’s recommendation for flat funding.
The school budget turned into a game this year, particularly with the added questions of whether the amount was too high or too low.
To avoid dissension, the school budget should come in close to what the council’s recommendations. Throwing money at the school department does not fix anything and the budget should be reasonable for taxpayers.
I believe there are ways that various groups within town can help support the school department. While president of the Lion’s Club in Massachusetts, for instance, I ran a concert that raised $10,000 and ran a carnival that raised at least $15,000.
And, as a member of the Scarborough Volunteers in Police Service, I organized a monopoly game that made $10,000. So, there are other ways that money can be raised to help the school department with minimal time and maximum profit. We need to think outside of the box instead of arguing.
Chris Caiazzo
Age: 45
Occupation: Business development manager
Political Experience: Elected to the Scarborough Board of Education and served as the board’s finance chairman from 2012 to 2015
Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Scarborough Town Council?
A: I was born and raised in Portland and graduated from Maine Maritime Academy with an engineering degree. After graduation I proudly served as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserves for 11 years. My family has lived in Scarborough for the past 15 years.
I am running for council because I am the only candidate who has experience developing complex municipal budgets. I believe this experience will enable me to work quickly with the other councilors to help stabilize our budget process and make it more predictable and sustainable.
I have a proven record of collaborating with town and school officials, as well as the local business community to find innovative ways of providing our schools with the resources necessary to ensure our students receive a high quality education.
For example, I spearheaded the development of the first joint finance structure between the school and town finance committees. As finance chair I also helped develop and participated in the first community-wide public budget forum that Scarborough had conducted in recent memory.
Most importantly I want to help eliminate the divisive environment surrounding our town and its challenges. Scarborough deserves better from its leaders and I welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that.
Q: Growth and development is a perennial issue in Scarborough, what areas should growth be funneled into and should there be any limits?
A: Growth and development are the keys to any town’s long-term prosperity. Through smart and sustainable growth practices our current property valuation is more than $3.5 billion. This makes us the third highest in Maine.
Our comprehensive development plan was last updated in 2006 and is due for review again this year. This is an opportunity to combine long-range planning with the flexibility needed to react to variable economic cycles. This will be critical in maintaining Scarborough’s prosperity.
I view development as a three-legged stool consisting of business, residential and municipal services. Each leg needs to be balanced for the stool to be stable. For businesses the appropriate application of tax increment financing, or TIFs, to draw private sector investment is important. But, we also need to evaluate TIFs not only from the perspective of what the community can offer, but also what that business can contribute in return.
Affordable housing, not just for the elderly, but also for middle class working families, is also important for sustainable residential growth. Finally, predictable investment in our schools and municipal services are equally critical in ensuring Scarborough continues to be a vibrant and prosperous community for all.
Q: What could/should the council and school board do better in terms of developing the school budget?
A: The budget is perhaps the most complex and divisive issue our town faces each year. There are many complicated variables that must be taken into account when developing a fair budget that meets the needs of the entire town.
Business or private sector experience doesn’t necessarily translate well into sound municipal budget practices. Our leaders need to have experience in the complex matters of developing municipal budgets in order to craft budgets and tax policies that are both stable and predictable.
This is important so municipal departments can plan expenses and capital projects accordingly and taxpayers don’t experience reactive, excessive and unsustainable tax increases. And, Scarborough deserves leaders who aren’t just advocates for special interest groups.
Citizens expect their leaders to listen and work together with all concerned parties, not only to resolve local issues but also to build strong relations with surrounding communities. These relationships help to identify best practices and build on and advance shared services models that reduce operating costs.
Town leaders should also work closely with county and state officials to find creative solutions to Scarborough’s many budget challenges, such as an over-dependence on property taxes, reductions in state funding for schools and increased county taxes.
Robert “Will” Rowan
Age: 38
Occupation: Owner and principal consultant for Sound Solutions Technology, Inc.
Political Experience: None
Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Scarborough Town Council?
A: I have grown increasingly concerned with the tone and tenor of the public debate. I believe we can and must do a better job collaborating and communicating with each other. We are a stronger community when we consider the needs of all of our neighbors.
As a councilor, I would work toward the creation of additional affordable housing options, the promotion of smart and deliberate business development, strong support for the schools and the preservation of our historic sites and open spaces.
I am not going to be the candidate who comes in with his mind made up – I don’t have all the answers. But, I will work hard to learn about the key issues that concern Scarborough residents.
As a councilor I would promise to listen to, and join forces with, members of the community, our municipal staff and the other six councilors. I believe that, collectively, we can craft palatable, pragmatic and fiscally responsible solutions to all of our problems.
I am stepping forward as a candidate for Town Council with gratitude, with an open mind and with the certainty that by working together we can do better for all of our citizens.
Q: Growth and development is a perennial issue in Scarborough, what areas should growth be funneled into and should there be any limits?
A: We maintain zoning ordinances and community standards to ensure that we place the appropriate residence or business in a given location. Our comprehensive plan needs to be continually reviewed and updated to ensure that we act with deliberate intention to allow for growth and development that is appealing to current residents and attractive to potential newcomers.
We should continue to find creative ways to match the needs of the modern business with the needs of the community. For instance, traditional office park development has mostly stalled, as businesses seek more flexibility. Meanwhile, there are a number of small-scale food and beverage manufacturers, such as bakeries or breweries that could fit in well with retail but would be inappropriate in an industrial park.
I am excited to see more development in some of our walkable town and village centers, such as Dunstan, Oak Hill and Pine Point. El Rayo and On The Vine are examples of some of the creative revitalization I hope to encourage.
Overall, I would like to see more development in an affordable price range so that more of the people who work in Scarborough can afford to buy a home here.
Q: What could/should the council and school board do better in terms of developing the school budget?
A: I think the key to improving our budget process is proactive, clear communication.
Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but not his or her own set of facts. We won’t all draw the same conclusions, but we need to be using the same data. We have many, many documents spread between the town and school websites that are outdated and have conflicting information.
It is easy to cherry-pick data and fear monger when we lack an arbiter of truth that could proactively communicate a single source of understandable fiscal information to Scarborough residents.
We need someone to take the budget and supporting materials from our finance departments, digest the complexity into an understandable format and then disseminate it to the public.
This is a job for a skilled communications professional. One of the proposals I would make immediately is the creation of a communications director.
We also desperately need more opportunities for community dialogue. We could adopt a model of neighborhood potlucks, or Dr. Entwistle-esque townwide listening sessions.
Communication builds confidence and trust. The police department has a terrific Facebook page – it is both informative and interesting. We need to adopt a similar model townwide.
William “Liam” Somers
Age: 46
Occupation: Director of Risk Operations
Political Experience: No formal political experience
Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Scarborough Town Council?
A: I am running for Town Council because I love this town. I grew up in Maine and I think Scarborough is representative of everything great about our state.
I moved here with my wife and two small children because we have amazing beaches, excellent schools and a quiet lifestyle that is great for raising a family or enjoying life after retirement.
In addition, I believe my 20-year background in business creation, budget preparation, fundraising and overall communication would be very beneficial to the town.
After three years of a very difficult and contentious budget process, we need to look at why we are at this point and how we turn the corner to create a more effective, community-minded process.
I think it’s important to have the proven skills and track record that will help Scarborough move forward and be a great place to live. I believe I can help get us there. At the end of the day we all want a town we are proud to call home.
Q: Growth and development is a perennial issue in Scarborough, what areas should growth be funneled into and should there be any limits?
A: We need to be aggressive in pursuing new businesses opportunities for Scarborough. We have seen some great new businesses open recently and we need to be very active in providing financial and community incentives to continue to attract more.
There are many creative ways to place businesses in vacant properties, like we have just seen with the new On the Vine Marketplace in the old Dunstan School. We should be exploring more options like this. We also need to find ways to bind businesses to our community by getting them involved with our schools, senior activities and municipal groups.
We are building a great community and we need to take care of the businesses we have, while also making new business feel welcome and part of the fabric of Scarborough.
Q: What could/should the council and school board do better in terms of developing the school budget?
A: I appreciate the efforts of both our Town Council and our Board of Education in their attempts to manage a very difficult process.
They should be commended for their dedication and passion. However, we have also had three straight years of extreme budgetary unrest and confusion that has divided our town, and we have to accept that something needs to change.
We need a comprehensive plan that looks beyond a year at a time and instead provides a clear three- to five-year vision and a budget presentation process that accurately shows the areas of spending. We also need to partner with neighboring communities to learn best practices for cost savings, while promoting excellence. And, we should look to experts in the community to provide thoughtful analysis of the proposed budget.
From there we need to engage the community with open and honest discussions about what the requested needs are, what the costs will be and how we will fund it. Our school system is a valued resource that we all want to see flourish and we need to do a better job of making the budget process clear and understandable, while also making it reasonably affordable for everyone.
Michael Turek
Age: 69
Occupation: Lowe’s Customer Service Agent
Political Experience: Write-in candidate for school board in 2014
Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Scarborough Town Council?
A: It’s my belief that everyone should give back to the community in which they live. Some choose the Rotary, Kiwanis or volunteering in various organizations. I choose to serve in public office as a member of the Town Council.
My vision is a prosperous town that enjoys sustainable, affordable growth in all areas. I believe the council should provide something for every citizen or group of citizens. The council cannot please all the people all the time, but a balanced approach is important.
Every hot-button, emotional issue that comes before the council receives a great deal of rhetoric from 10 percent of the public on each side of the issue, while 80 percent of the people sit and listen. I will act in a manner I believe will benefit the majority.
Q: Growth and development is a perennial issue in Scarborough, what areas should growth be funneled into and should there be any limits?
A: Growth and development should focus on bringing businesses to Scarborough. If we increase businesses on the Haigis Parkway and the industrial park we can have additional tax income and more employment. And, those working in town will then spend money in town. Business should be limited in the areas designated because there is still availability.
Q: What could/should the council and school board do better in terms of developing the school budget?
A: If we change our town and school fiscal year to start one month after the state’s fiscal year, we would always know just how much general purpose aid to education the state will give us.
Every year I hear about how we cannot really know how much the state will give, and therefore can’t set a firm budget. Also, if we prepared two-year budgets, instead of for one year only, we could cut the angst in half. However, this would take a charter change.
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