A current Westbrook School Committee member is challenging the Ward 2 incumbent on the Westbrook City Council.

Victor Chau, a Democrat who was first elected to that seat in 2009, was nominated for re-election at his party’s caucus. Veronica Bates, who has been on the Westbrook School Committee since 2011, collected signatures to put her name on the ballot; she is also a Democrat.

Their ward includes Blue Spruce Farm, the epicenter of the city’s recent debate about housing development. The Spring Street subdivision includes nearly 200 single-family homes and apartments currently under construction, and builder Risbara Bros. has proposed adding slightly more than 100 apartments. Nearby neighbors formed a group called Westbrook Forward and led a push for a 180-day moratorium on building permits for residential developments of more than 10 units. Their movement has attracted residents from around the city, and a petition in support of a moratorium now has more than 400 signatures.

Chau has voiced support for that effort, and he voted to establish fees for developers based on their projects’ future impacts on schools and other city infrastructure. He said he would look to the city’s staff and planning board for guidance about how to change the zoning codes in response to the concerns Westbrook Forward has raised.

“I would work on an overall land use plan to see what kind of vision we want,” Chau said. “Do we really want the density the way it is?”

Bates said she was motivated to run because she wants to improve the flow of information between Westbrook’s elected officials and residents. She pointed to the tension over Blue Spruce Farm as an example of “a breakdown in communication.”

Many residents felt the construction of the first phase at Blue Spruce Farm came as a surprise, Bates said, but she would use the internet to share more information about the early stages of similar projects. She was also supportive of a moratorium, and she said she would form a committee to review and update all of Westbrook’s ordinances.

“There’s a real lack of communciation between the City Council as a whole right now and the rest of the city,” Bates said.

Chau, however, said he enjoys working with his constituents. For example, he noted his previous work to limit the use of fireworks in Westbrook, which were a source of disturbance in his ward. If re-elected, he said, he would also like to work on bringing recreational opportunities to the downtown, like kayaking in the Presumpscot River.

For Bates, other priorities include increasing access to public transportation in Westbrook and supporting a proposed $27 million expansion for two local schools. Bates was one the school committee members that shaped that project.

Two other City Council seats are up for re-election this year, but those races are uncontested. Former City Clerk Lynda Adams is running unopposed to represent Ward 5, and incumbent Brendan Rielly is the only candidate on the ballot for Ward 1.

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