An incumbent, two former town councilors and a political newcomer are seeking two seats on the Standish Town Council as voters take to the polls next month.

Gregory LeClerc, seeking reelection to the Area 1 seat, is challenged by Philip Pomerleau, a business owner and no stranger to local politics. Pomerleau served as town councilor in the past for a total of 16 years, is a member of the town Planning Board and says through other appointments and committees he has attended more than 900 meetings in Standish.

Benjamin Macri and Greg Sirpis are running for an at-large seat. Macri, a software engineer with no previous political experience, has volunteered locally as an athletic coach, with 4H and as a member of the board of directors of the Schoolhouse Arts Center. Sirpis is a banker who also serves as chairman of the Standish Republican Committee.

LeClerc pledges to hear and listen to public concerns, citing dialogue as something Standish sorely needs right now.

“After the year we’ve all been through, it’s more important than ever that we come together as a community and listen to each other,” he said. “The Town Council, in large part, has been missing the most important thing when it comes to making decision: input from the Standish community. If we do this, we will move Standish forward.”

Pomerleau said he would not support a townwide revaluation given the recent spikes in property values over the past year. He also said he was a strong supporter of business, particularly small businesses in town.

“As an advocate for small businesses, Standish needs to focus on supporting small businesses working from the ground up,” he said. “We need to mentor local inventors, dreamers and innovators. Standish needs to let start up businesses know we are open for business.”

Macri said he has lived in Standish for 20 years and sees a need to get the public more involved in the Town Council’s work.

“What I would like to do is help increase getting information out to people by writing up what is happening in a neutral way and in simple terms,” he said. “For example, posting in the Standish Maine Community Page on Facebook can be a great way to let people know what is going on. If something is of interest to them, they can come to the meetings and let their voice be heard.”

Sirpis, who said he has been involved with community service since he was a teenager, listed public safety, taxes and the school budget as the biggest challenges facing the town.

“We need to take a long look at future expansion and growth, how are we going to plan for the future, i.e. traffic congestion,” he said. “I stand for what I believe in, I care about the future of our town and I want to leave it better than we found it.”

In-person voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 8 at the Public Safety Department vehicle bays at the Standish Municipal Center, 175 Northeast Road. Absentee ballots and absentee voting information can obtained at the town clerk’s office.

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