Westbrook’s Ward 3 City Council race features three candidates, including a political newcomer.
While Democrat Paul Emery is the incumbent, Democrat Anna Turcotte was nominated at the Westbrook Democratic Caucus in August.
Susan Rossignol is the Republican candidate for the seat. Rossignol, a former finance director for the city of Westbrook, has run for Westbrook city clerk and Maine state representative, but was unsuccessful in both tries.
The three-year term will be decided at the polls on Nov. 3. Leading up to the election, the American Journal asked the candidates about the top issues in Westbrook.
Anna Turcotte
43 Turner St.
Age: 37
Occupation: Vice president, Operational Risk Officer, TD Bank
Political experience: None
Q: What do you think are the top three issues facing the city and how would you solve them?
A: The top three issues facing the city of Westbrook are:
1. Education and ensuring the schools keep up with the growth; both the elementary and middle schools becoming overcrowded comes to mind immediately.
2. Community services and community-based programming such as the Westbrook
Community Center meeting the needs of the people of Westbrook.
3. Bringing business to the city, especially the downtown, where we see empty storefronts.
As a city councilor, I will solve these and other issues individually by assessing the community needs against the financial and operational risks facing the city to find a balance and a reasonable solution.
Paul Emery
665 Saco St.
Age: 73
Occupation: Realtor
Political experience: City Council, Planning Board, Legislative Policy Committee, Cumberland County Finance Board, Metro Board.
Q: What do you think are the top three issues facing the city and how would you solve them?
A: 1. Heroin addiction: Every day heroin is flooding into our city. The target is young people from the elementary school up to the 20-year-old housewife as their major target. The best way is education beginning in the school and treatment of addiction as an illness rather than jail. I have already joined with our local police and health workers to tackle this issue.
2. Lower taxes through long-term economic growth. Growth will come from encouraging quality, non-polluting businesses to come into our community. In my years on the Planning Board and City Council, I have been an active advocate for these businesses to expand our tax base and lower the overall rate.
3. High-quality education of our children: My father was a postal worker who worked nights past the normal retirement age to give his children the best education possible. I have honored his sacrifice by supporting schools, by attending school board meetings, and have spoken out strongly for improving our school system at city council meetings.
When re-elected, I will continue to work vigorously on solving all these problems.
Susan R. Rossignol
54 Conant St.
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired
Political experience: 42-plus years municipal finance
Q: What do you think are the top three issues facing the city and how would you solve them?
A: 1. Tax burden. The taxpayers deserve a more detailed review of the budgets. Council reviews the budgets over the course of three, maybe four, sessions for a budget of over $50 million. Expenditures continue to increase and any additional revenues are quickly used to offset expenditure increases – not used to give the taxpayers some relief from high taxes. More consolidation of services must be put into place and we must search for ways to lower expenditures and help the taxpayers. Let’s get together – taxpayers, council, boards – and think outside the box. Over the course of the past couple of years, bonds have been refunded, with savings of interest costs for future years and again the savings have been used to offset expenditures.
2. Capital needs. Road improvements – transportation for residents, visitors and business provide daily access to homes, employment, shopping, recreation and customers. Improving the roads enhance quality of life, making our community a more attractive place to live, work, visit and do business. Living in Maine requires that roadways be safe for all. We need to make better choices of our capital funds, not just pretty new buildings for our employees, but fixing the infrastructure that all taxpayers need and use.
3. Economic development. The purpose of local economic development is to build up the economic capacity of a local area to improve its economic future and the quality of life for all. It is a process by which public, business and nongovernmental sector partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment generation. Major changes in this area are needed – accountable staff we can trust, who live in the city and share the needs of our residents and businesses, who work with the people, listen to the people and care about the ideas of the people. Not staff who listen and hear and then do what they please “because they know best.”
Paul Emery
Anna Turcotte
Sue Rossingnol
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