Six candidates are vying for three contested seats on the Freeport Town Council as Election Day approaches.
Joanna Benoit. Courtesy photo
Joanna Benoit and Tais De Los Reyes are running for Jake Daniele’s seat as councilor-at-large. Daniele is not running for another term.
Benoit, 33, is a grant project director for the state — a position to which she was elected in 2021. She has never held a position in politics before but has experience in community organizing.
For Benoit, affordable housing, environmental stewardship and bolstering the economy in the downtown area while continuing to employ locals are priorities, she said.
“As a resident and a candidate with lived experience and professional expertise in these target areas, I’ll help Freeport rise to the challenge by advocating for reviews and updates of processes to ensure there are clear paths to success that reflect Freeport’s values,” Benoit said.
Benoit said she is “eager to represent this town and help translate ideas toward concrete action.”
De Los Reyes did not respond to a request for comment.
Matthew Pillsbury is running for reelection as councilor for District 3, opposed by Kimberly Buck.
Pillsbury, 45, has served as the District 3 councilor since 2021. If reelected, he said, he will first and foremost “continue to do the important work that goes into running our town.”
Matthew Pillsbury. Courtesy photo
Pillsbury, who works at Roux Institute a Maine campus tied to Northeastern University, also identified creating a more comprehensive housing plan as a continued goal.
He said he hopes to “keep the momentum going for the downtown visioning” and continue moving toward improving climate resiliency and reducing climate impact in Freeport.
Achieving these goals as a town comes down to two things, Pillsbury said, “making good decisions that are supported by data and are not made in isolation, and continuing to solicit and receive feedback from all stakeholders to ensure we are continuing down the right path for our community.”
Challenger Buck said she “would not characterize the issues facing Freeport as problems, but rather opportunities that will allow us to preserve the best of what our town has to offer while also ensuring a positive future for our community members.”
Key to that positive future are housing affordability and the town’s Freeport Downtown Vision Plan, released in 2022, she said.
Kimberly Buck. Courtesy photo
“I recently chatted with a local business owner who shared that he experienced unanticipated delays obtaining approval to open his business even though he had received all necessary permits and licenses to operate,” Buck said. “I would propose streamlining processes to create assurances that when prospective business owners take all necessary steps to open a business, they’ll be able to do so in a timely manner.”
Buck said she’s also eager to find solutions for generating revenue for the town outside of annual property tax increases. She hopes that this revenue could be used to support affordable housing.
A manager at TD Bank, this is the first time Buck has run for political office.
Eric Smith and Adam Ulrickson are running for Edward Bradley’s seat representing District 2. Bradley isn’t running for reelection. Smith and Ulrickson didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Absentee voting in advance of the Nov. 7 election will open this coming week. Ballots may be returned in person to Freeport Town Hall or mailed to the town clerk at 30 Main St., Freeport, ME, 04032.
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