City Council sets committee assignments

SOUTH PORTLAND — At a Dec. 17 workshop, the South Portland City Council set its committee and board assignments for the coming year. Any resident with an issue relevant to any of the following groups is referred to the appropriate council or staff representative. Contact information appears on the city website, www.southportland.org.

• Bus Service Citizens Advisory Committee: Councilor Alan Livingston;

• Community Access Television Regulatory Board – Livingston and councilors Melissa Linscott and Patti Smith;

• City Sustainability Team – Smith and Mayor Tom Blake;

• Deferred Compensation Committee – Councilor Jerry Jalbert;

• Ecomaine Board of Directors (three-year terms) – Jalbert, City Manager Jim Gailey and resident Linda Boudreau;

• General Assistance Fair Hearing Board – Jalbert and Linscot;

• Great Portland Council of Governments General Assembly – Blake, Gailey, Livingston and Councilor Linda Cohen;

• GPCOG Executive Committee – Blake;

• GPCOG Steering Committee – Blake;

• Jetport Noise Advisory Committee – Livingston and resident Margaret Shaw;

• Long Creek Watershed District – Jalbert;

• Maine Municipal Association Legislative Policy Committee – Cohen;

• Maine Service Center Coalition – Gailey;

• Open Space Planning Committee – Smith;

• Regional Metro Transportation Coalition – Gailey;

• School Building Committee – Linscott and Livingston;

• Secondary School Facilities Committee – Blake and Livingston;

• Spring Point Lease Committee – resident Tom Coward;

• Trails Advisory Group – Blake and Jalbert;

• Waterfront Alliance; Smith and Transportation Director Tom Meyers.

In 2011, Livingston was removed from the school building committee at the behest of Chairman Ralph Baxter Jr., who said the councilor’s single-minded lobbying for things the group had already decided against, like a laundry facility, was proving disruptive to the process.  

Gailey said Friday that there was "no council discussion" about Livingston's appointment and "the school department was not consulted." Superintendent Suzanne Godin could not be reached for comment.

In other appointments, whoever is elected to replace Coward, who will resign effective Jan. 2 when sworn in as a Cumberland County commissioner, prompting a special election to represent East Side District 1, will serve on the GA Fair Hearing Board, Spring Point Lease Committee and the Waterfront Alliance.

A council representative to the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee will be selected following an upcoming workshop session, at which the council is slated to decide how to staff the balance of the committee.

According to Gailey, the council also debated whether to upgrade the ad hoc Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee to standing status. It is served by Smith and, as chairwoman, resident Rosemarie De Angelis.