By Robert Lowell
rlowell@keepmecurret.com
In Gorham, two incumbents are facing two challengers for a pair of Town Council seats, while two School Committee incumbents seeking re-election are unopposed on the ballot in the town’s municipal election next month.
All are three-year terms.
Shonn Moulton, 39, a former Town Council vice chairman, and Sherrie Lynn Fontaine-Benner, 55, chairwoman of Gorham Economic Development/Capital Improvements Committee, are campaigning for re-election.
In a strong field, two challengers, Muhammad Khan and Marla Stelk, are each making initial political bids for municipal office. Stelk, 45, is an appointed member of the Town Council’s Historical Preservation Committee. Khan, 18, is a Gorham High School graduate in 2015 and was class president.
For the School Committee, Vice Chairman Darryl Wright and Timothy Burns are unchallenged for their seats. No one turned in nomination papers for a one-year term to fill a vacancy on the School Committee.
The municipal election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Each of the Town Council candidates was asked the same set of questions. Their answers follow:
Sherrie Lynn
Fontaine-Benner
Age: 55
Occupation: Realtor, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northeast Real Estate; past owner of Accounts Receivable Management of Maine Inc. and proprietor of 2nd fl Thriftiques shop.
Political experience: Gorham Town Council 2012-2015, Ordinance Committee 2013-2015, Economic and Capital Improvements Committee 2012-2015, chairman 2014-2015; Town Council representative to Portland Jetport Noise Advisory Committee 2013-2015; and Gorham Historic Preservation Committee 2015; community liaison to USM for neighborhood/University relations.
Q: What are the three top issues facing Gorham and how do you propose handling them?
A: The 2014 U.S. Census showed Gorham to be the fastest-growing town in Maine. To manage and fund this growth, we need to aggressively attract and retain businesses by reviewing our fees, permitting process and zoning. Increasing available sites for new and growing enterprises in industrial park expansions or creation of business-friendly districts should be a priority. We need to ask how to make Gorham a “business-friendly environment.” Is our permitting process fair, consistent and timely in review and approval? Contract zones and Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs), each when appropriate, can be used as economic tools to spur development, attract business opportunities and encourage business retention. Use of impact fees that currently pay for initial infrastructure only and not for future lifecycle replacement costs, as well as the miles of new town-accepted streets taxing the municipal budget, should also be subject for review and update.
It is important as we go forward to remember that quality of life and economic development are interdependent objectives. The town needs commercial growth that should enhance our community, be sustainable and diversified, without jeopardizing the quality of life in Gorham, to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.
Muhammad Khan
Age: 18
Occupation: Assistant manager, Papa Johns in Gorham
Political experience: Class president, student member of the town of Gorham School Board, chairman of Gorham High School Council, and member of eight other high school organizations simultaneously.
Q: What are the three top issues facing Gorham and how do you propose handling them?
A: The most important challenge I see for Gorham is working to give a voice to Gorham›s young population. I want to bring youthful vitality to one of the fastest-growing communities in Maine. Gorham is one of just four towns in the state of Maine with a population over 15,000 people. We want to make Gorham a town that encourages young and working people to live, work, and enjoy life here.
The second challenge I see for Gorham is encouraging more value-added enterprises to come to our community. By doing so, we will allow our youth to have successful careers right here in our town. Having a strong local economy we will be able to not only create more local jobs, but also lower taxes, which positively impact every citizen of Gorham – the young, the working people, and the senior citizens.
Lastly, creating a local transport system. By having a local transport system the town will be impacted in many positive ways. Firstly, there will be fewer cars on the roads, which will reduce traffic congestion. Secondly, young and working people will have a safe and reliable transport system. This will reduce deaths from vehicle accidents. We could connect our transport system with the Greater Portland Metro, so travelers could move freely from Gorham to Westbrook and Portland and vice versa. Our local transport system will allow Gorham to move into a new phase of economic development. Let›s open up the doors for progress and success for young and working people of Gorham.
Shonn R. Moulton
Age: 39
Occupation: Director of Corporate Sponsorships, Maine Red Claws.
Political experience: Gorham Town Council 2006-2009 and 2012-2015, vice chairman 2013-2014, Personnel Committee, 2012-2014, Finance Committee 2006-2009 and 2012-2015, Economic Development/Capital Improvements Committee 2006-2009 and 2014-2015.
Q: What are the three top issues facing Gorham and how do you propose handling them?
A: The three top issues facing Gorham is growth and the issues it has with services, business growth, and roads. With the town of Gorham being the fastest growing community in the entire state, there is a large strain on services. Our public services have not kept up with the growth of our residential population.
On the Town Council I have looked at different ways to increase staffing levels on our police, fire and rescue departments without greatly impacting the tax dollars. One such avenue was adjusting rescue fees to match insurance payouts and with the extra revenue, we were able to grow our fire and rescue departments.
I have been a supporter of business growth. As businesses begin to expand or come into Gorham, we are able to help offset tax increases. One such growth potential will be a possible new Sebago Brewing facility. This added tax base is a welcome, as it will help to offset tax burdens on our low income and senior citizens who may be on a fixed budget.
Roads are a constant concern around town. The cost of road construction has risen dramatically over the years. A full reconstruction of a road can cost upwards of a million dollars per mile. The average budget for roads in Gorham is around $500,000, which is an unsustainable number. Although there is no easy answer to this, the greatest thing we can do as a town is maintain the roads before they need major work, which can save money over a long period of time.
Marla Stelk
Age: 45
Occupation: Policy analyst
Political experience: None; appointed member of Gorham’s Historical Preservation Committee.
Q: What are the three top issues facing Gorham and how do you propose handling them?
A: Traffic congestion: Residential development has outpaced economic development and our traffic congestion is partially a symptom of residents having to commute out of town for work and shopping. I propose that we: 1. Develop more interconnected trails to provide multimodal transportation options; 2. Explore creating a residential commuter bus pass program in coordination with USM’s service to Portland; 3. Strategically market our industrial parks to create local jobs.
Erosion of the Village: Communities in Maine that have maintained their historic village centers have profited from increased business revenues and home values. I propose to develop a framework to protect our historic resources and to adopt a Complete Streets Policy in order to provide safe pedestrian and bicycle access, provide resources for owners of historic properties, install benches and improve our parks. I will also explore ways to improve our village zoning to encourage local independent business development.
Loss of family farms: Every year more family farms in Gorham disappear and are turned into residential developments. I propose to work with our farmers and find creative ways for the town to increase their visibility in the community and beyond. Maine has a strong niche in local food production and Gorham can capitalize on that and leverage our farming heritage as a source of community pride.
Marla Stelk
Sherrie Benner
Shonn Moulton
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