Anne Swift-Kayatta is running for her third term on the Cape Elizabeth Town Council. She is a 21-year resident of the town and is married with two daughters who went through the Cape Elizabeth schools.
Swift-Kayatta was a manager at Unum for 15 years before focusing on life at home in 1995. Since then she has been heavily involved in the Cape Elizabeth community. She has been a member of several town committees including the Comprehensive Plan Committee, Tax Cap Task Force and the Schools Future Directions Planning Group. She was president of the Cape’s middle school parents association for two years and a member of the Thomas Memorial Library Board of Trustees for four years.
Swift-Kayatta first was elected to the council in 1999. Swift-Kayatta is currently the council’s chairman, a position she also held from 2001-2002. She was also finance chairman in 2000-2001 and 2003-2004.
Swift-Kayatta said she is running again because she would like to continue serving the town. She said she has “done well balancing the important, but competing demands on our community.”
She has no special interest in any one issue; “my commitment is to the town as a whole,” she said.
Swift-Kayatta said she supports the balance already laid out in the town’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance to make affordable housing available in one of the most affluent communities in Maine.
She said the housing market in town is difficult to break into, especially for young people. “That’s why personally, I’ve tried to focus on property taxes as reasonably as possible.”
She said she remained committed to the pledge made by the Town Council last year to keep property taxes down by capping spending at a level tied to the consumer price index.
Cape spends less money per person than comparable towns for municipal services such as public safety and education, she said. “I hope citizens realize we get a real value for our tax dollars.”
Swift-Kayatta supports a small, one-time annual fee for out-of-town visitors to Fort Williams Park in vehicles or tour buses, “but only in a way that won’t affect the ease to get in and out of the park.” Cape residents and cyclists and walkers would still enter for free. She said the fee would spread more fairly spread the cost of maintaining and operating the park between residents and the majority of users – out-of-town visitors.
Swift-Kayatta said council must focus on “maintaining excellent services while managing tax levels.”
She also said the community should be prepared for emergencies. She said Cape Elizabeth already has an emergency management plan, “but better plans will produce better responses and outcomes.”
Anne Swift-Kayatta, candidate for Cape Elizabeth Town Council.
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