SOUTH PORTLAND — While the top of the card
promises campaigns of interest, only one municipal race is contested in South
Portland this election season.
Of three open school board
seats, incumbents Richard Matthews and Tappan Fitzgerald are running unopposed,
while James Gilboy is staging a write-in effort after there was zero public
interest in filling his seat by the filing deadline.
Meanwhile, Linda Cohen, a
former city clerk, has no challenger in her bid to replace Maxine Beecher,
forced to retire by term limits after nine years, as District Four’s
representative to the City Council.
That leaves Rosemarie De
Angelis as the only person forced to defend a city seat, as she squares off
against political newcomer Melissa Linscott in District 3.
De Angelis, a career
educator who’s worked the past 10 years as an adjunct professor at Southern
Maine Community College, and logged 30 years in public schools before that, was
first elected to the City Council in 2003. She lost a re-election bid in 2006
but won a return ticket to the council in 2009. In the past year, she has waded
into occasionally tense debate with her peers, often as a lone dissenting
voice, on issues including the farmers market, Knightville parking, health
insurance coverage and Maine’s Freedom of Access Act.
When asked at an Oct. 25
candidates’ debate – sponsored by the South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Community
Chamber – about her ability to compromise and be flexible when dealing with her
fellow councilors, De Angelis noted that, in most cases, it only takes four
hands to adopt a measure.
“It doesn’t take all
seven,” she said. “We’re a diverse city. Seven councilors have to represent all
viewpoints across the city, and they’re not all going to be the same. I like
differing opinions, actually. In general I am a very open-minded person and I
sort of enjoy the debate and discourse. I like hearing people who have other
ideas. That’s what gets me to think through my own position.”
Linscott, meanwhile, spoke
to the power of “collaboration and respect and dealing with each other in a
professional manner,” adding that she’d “bring a fresh perspective” to the
council, not having “been involved directly in the politics” of the council
during the recent past.
“I don’t have any of that
sort of political baggage I’m bringing along, or an agenda,” she said.
Linscott says she was
motivated to make her first run for public office only because she sees “so few
people stepping forward to represent the city these days.” In fact, she did not
pull nomination papers until a few days before the filing deadline, when it
became clear that, absent her participation, all campaigns in South Portland
would feature a single candidate.
“I felt it was my time to
get involved,” Linscott said, “but I’m
not coming to this position with any ‘hot button’ ideas I want changed or
implemented.”
Linscott, co-owner with her
husband of Linscott Real Estate, listed no overt goals in a candidate
questionnaire sent by The Current in advance of last week’s debate, Instead,
she promised only to use her professional experience which, she says, has
taught her to “research, learn, educate, make decisions, mediate and
negotiate.”
“I wear many hats in my
personal life,” she said, “including that of a long-term resident of the city,
a property owner, a parent of a child in our public school system, a parent of
a child in private school, a small business owner and a landlord. I will
bring all of these perspectives to the City Council.”
De Angelis said she is
seeking re-election because she sees public service as her “contribution to
social capital.”
“This is one way I can give
back to a great city,” she said. “I ask nothing in return. I do it because this
city is my home and the people are folks about whom I care. We are an
increasingly diverse population and I believe my voice represents many of us.”
De Angeles said she hopes
to balance “quality of life for residents with economic development,” and
“affordable taxes for all with outstanding schools and quality city services,”
while also “ensuring that we are considering openness to diversity in this
changing world,” especially in terms of comprehensive planning.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Questions at the Oct. 25
debate were posed entirely by residents in the 30-person audience. Charlotte
Street resident David Sawyer asked the candidates to weigh in on the city’s
recently adopted comprehensive plan. Both women praised the “impressive” work
of the citizen committee that crafted the document, citing the importance of
implementing the plan and not, as Linscott said, “just leave it sitting on a
shelf.”
The only weakness in the
plan, she added, is that there was not ”more incorporation of the school
department.” That brought one of the few direct rebuttals of the debate, when
De Angelis countered that the school department has its own strategic plan. As
the council only has say over the bottom line of the school budget, De Angelis
said of the comprehensive plan, “I’m not sure that’s where that [public
education] belongs.”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Asked about tax increment
financing, designed to spur business investments by returning a portion of that
outlay in reduced tax bills, De Angelis appeared to zing Linscott by noting a
90-minute discussion at the Oct. 22 council meeting on new TIF districts. “It’s
unfortunate that Melissa didn’t stay for this portion of the meeting,” she
said. De Angelis stressed a need to increase the commercial tax base without
sacrificing open space, “so that business is not encroaching on people and
taking over every additional spot that exists in the city.”
For her part, Linscott said
the city needs to encourage more business development.
“Over the years, the tax
base has shifted more from commercial taxes and is more heavily weighted on
residential taxes,” she said. “So, the residents are carrying a higher
percentage of taxes at this point. That’s something we need to balance out.”
However, De Angelis
contradicted Linscott on the next go-round, reserving time from her answer on
how best to keep Wright Express from leaving South Portland, saying, “It’s
important to clarify that the greater portion of tax base is paid by business,
not by residents, so the burden is greater on business.”
On Wright Express, both
candidates deferred to City Manager Jim Gailey on business retention as he is,
according to De Angelis, “working to bring Wright Express to the table.”
In the recent dust-up
between residents and business owners regarding parallel parking on Ocean
Street in Knightville, Linscott, whose office is less than a block from the
reconstruction zone, said the council did the right thing to retain angled
parking. De Angelis, who alone on the council held out for the original plan
for parallel parking offered by city staff, recalled “an energetic and lively
debate,” adding, “I am hopeful that this will be a positive decision for all
affected.”
Linscott spoke of the need
to hire a new economic development director, filling a position vacant since
its last occupant resigned in August after being placed in administrative
leave.
De Angelis did not address
the economic development post directly. Instead, she spoke to the “power of
collaboration,” whether through the city manager, the council or a new
development director.
“It’s about building
relationships,” she said.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Dan Mooers, who asked about
Wright Express, also quizzed the candidates on the council’s health insurance
plan, an issue he brought to the forefront in 2009. Both candidates pledged to
not to take the benefit despite a recent council vote allowing the option to
continue through Nov. 30, 2013. Both candidates said the decision to phase out
the benefit was the right one, although De Angelis noted both her wish that the
plan had been killed outright and the possibility of a future charter revision,
if voters approve, to amend how city councilors are compensated.
During the months-long
debate on the health insurance benefit, which included several closed-door
meetings due to a lawsuit filed by a resident, De Angelis was a vocal critic of
the council’s penchant for giving direction to the city attorney in executive
session.
“We must use extreme
caution in how we approach executive sessions and our overall decision-making,”
she wrote in reply to emailed questions. “Whenever we are expending resources,
I support public disclosure of that decision.”
“I support transparency in
the process,” said Linscott, addressing the same topic, “but know that some
issues require executive session. At this point I have to trust the
council is using that time appropriately.”
FARMERS MARKET
Asked what South Portland
can do to help its nascent farmers market thrive after two years of struggling
to find an optimal place to call home, Linscott said, “the city needs to make
sure its ordinances are written in a way that supports the market’s efforts and
the council needs to let the market govern itself allowing the vendors to make
decisions about their operations.”
De Angelis, who was
instrumental in establishing the market during her 2011 term as mayor, said, “I
think the city should be discussing permanent signage to help promote the
market as well as discuss the expansion of types of vendors who participate.”
De Angelis also appeared to
extend an olive branch to market manager Caitlin Jordan, with whom she has
occasionally butted heads.
“As the market manager has
said, it takes time for a market to prosper, and I believe we can make that
happen in our city,” she wrote. “I believe the vendors and the manager are
committed to that goal. I am as well.”
FIRE CODES
With the City Council
slated to vote as early as December on rules requiring the inclusion of
sprinkler systems in any new residential construction, Linscott wrote, “I
appreciate the intent of this proposal but I do have concerns about the cost of
such systems especially for retro fits on older buildings.”
De Angelis was similarly
recalcitrant, writing, “Right now I don’t have enough information to form an
opinion. Safety is always a goal, but before requiring this, I would need to
know more.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
South Portland has at least
two big building projects on the horizon, including a new public works garage
and consolidation of the middle schools.
De Angelis noted that
middle schools “will soon be in need of something,” but deferred to the school
board, which has yet to form a formal exploration committee. On the public
works garage, De Angelis seemed wary of the purported $17 million price tag,
writing, “We need to find an amount that is reasonable for the taxpayers to
bond. No decision should be made without extensive reporting of all the
alternatives.”
Linscott similarly
prioritized the public works garage, while also seeming to question the cost.
“I do believe the public works garage needs to be relocated but the timing,
location and budget for that project will need to be carefully considered in
order to minimize the tax impact on our residence,” she said, noting recent
borrowing to rebuild the high school.
ARMORY
With the former U.S.
National Guard Armory building named to a “places in peril” list, De Angelis
said, “It is not being used to its fullest capacity” as a soundstage. “It needs
a facelift for sure,” she said, saying the city should retain ownership and work
with or without the current tenant to “protect and preserve” the property.
“I probably lean toward a
private use of the building,” said Linscott, adding she hoped for full
restoration, even as she acknowledged not knowing how best to achieve that end.
In their closing statements
at the Oct. 25 debate, Linscott spoke off the cuff, as she did with her opening
statement, reviewing her multiple skills and saying, “we need to have a fresh
pair of eyes looking at and addressing the issues before the city.”
By contrast, De Angelis
read from a prepared speech, saying, “I have worked hard to demonstrate my
commitment to be the voice for the people. My actions demonstrate my
commitment,” she said, ticking off a host of volunteer and official roles she’d
played in the last several years, from chairing the bicycle-pedestrian
committee to working in the community gardens. “Many of you feel you have no
voice or that you are uncomfortable speaking I ask to be your voice.”
A CLOSER LOOK
Melissa Linscott
Age: 38
Education: University of Southern Maine
Occupation: Real estate agent, Linscott Real Estate (since 1999)
Elective experience: None
Other city posts: South Portland Strategic Planning Steering Committee
Residency: Adelbert Street (since 1998); previously Willard Beach neighborhood
Personal: Married (15 years) with two children, ages 11, 13
Contact info: phone: 553-1062; email: Melissa@linscottrealestate.com
Rosemarie De Angelis
Age: 60
Education: Master of Arts, University of Maine Orono.
Occupation: Guardian ad litem (since 2001), Family Court mediator (since 2001), adjunct faculty, Southern Maine Community College (since 2002)
Elective experience: South Portland City Council (2003-2006, 2009-present)
Residency: Buttonwood Street (18 years)
Personal: “My family is wide, varied and inclusive.”
Contact info: Phone: 799-0219; email: rdeangel@maine.rr.com; Twitter: @ReElectDeAngelis
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