Nick McGee won the race for an open Town Council seat in Scarborough on Tuesday, defeating opponents Peter Freilinger and Marty Topol.
McGee
McGee finished with 1,376 votes; Freilinger 1,182; and Topol 273, according to unofficial results.
“I’m just thankful,” McGee told The Forecaster. “I feel a little bit humbled.”
McGee has lived in Scarborough for 12 years and has served on the Planning Board for eight. He is a small business owner and real estate manager. His experience, he says, will serve him well when it comes to his main concern: growth in the community.
In his conversations with voters throughout the campaign, McGee said growth came up more times than not.
“It was really growth over and over and over again,” he said. “It’s first and foremost on people’s minds … they can see it in the traffic patterns.”
Developers of The Downs downtown project are seeking an exemption from the town’s growth management ordinance, which puts a cap on the number of units developers are allotted each year in Scarborough. The Downs’ proposed exemption would allow them to build 430 units over the next five years, doubling what they’re currently allowed.
McGee and his two opponents expressed their concern about the proposal during the campaign, but McGee is excited to go from talking about to having the ability to make a direct impact.
“I think having a seat at the table is the best way to try and impact the (growth management ordinance) and how growth is done in Scarborough,” he said. “That’s really exciting.”
One way to both slow down growth and continue to provide open spaces for residents is through land conservation, McGee said.
“Land conservation is one of my other talking points,” he said. “We need to start preserving the big parcels we have left, if we can.”
Another priority, McGee said, is tax breaks for longtime senior residents. He credited Councilor Jean-Marie Caterina for pushing that initiative in town throughout her years of service.
“I would like to expand on it,” he said. “Inflation is crazy right now, especially for everyone on fixed incomes.”
McGee fills the town council seat left vacant when Paul Johnson resigned in March. His term will be up in 2024.
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