WARD 5 COUNCIL UPDATES

October, 2025

Greetings from your presumptive City Councilor!

It's been a relatively quiet time in Council. The amount of shouting has certainly gone down. (Except during the public-comment period.)

Doris Ortiz, a lion of the council and a very hard-working progressive, moved outside of the city limits & therefore had to give up her seat. Mayor Grohman replaced her with former councilor Steve St. Cyr, by all accounts a reliable conservative. Steve attended one council meeting before going out for hip surgery, leaving his chair vacant; I wish him a speedy recovery.

ELECTIONS

Things sure are exciting in the citywide elections!

I'm very pleased to sit on my perch as an unopposed candidate, and just try to watch and learn.

In general, I think it's a very decent group of people all across the ballot. I'm glad so many good people are putting in for a job that basically pays a dollar an hour.

I have been approached by a few candidates, to ask what I've learned from meeting voters in Ward 5. I give them a lot of credit for that. I am happy to tell them what I've been told by Ward 5 residents:

- Make the city more affordable.

- Make the city safe for everyone who lives here - rich and poor and everyone in between.

- More protections for renters, especially from double-digit rental increases.

- Don't spend taxpayer money unless there's A) a clear benefit to the taxpayers, AND B) there's no other way to secure the benefit.

I've also met with several former councilors, whose advice has been absolutely invaluable and I can't thank them enough.

SCHOOL BOARD

I do not have children. I am not involved in the Biddeford schools at all. And I really don't know anything about anyone who's running. So I asked around, and this is the general information that I've received. (Let me know if any of it is off!)

AMY CLEARWATER: A young local attorney. Progressive and very competent.

STEPHANIE EDWARDS: A professor of religious studies who runs an interfaith nonprofit. I believe she's very progressive.

EMILY HENLY: A former classroom teacher with a graduate degree in education. Liberal and respected by local teachers.

JESSE CINQUEGRANO: A Biddeford super-mom. Outspoken liberal.

MARIE POTVIN: Incumbent. Moderate.

MEAGAN DESJARDINS: Incumbent. Moderate.

TIM STEBBINS: A retired school principal. I think he is generally moderate.

KAREN RUEL: Former schoolboard member. Was extensively involved in the schools when her kids were there. I gather she is more conservative.

MICHELE LANDRY: Incumbent. Secretary of the Biddeford Education Foundation and very active in her church. I gather she is more conservative.

CHAD BARRS: Incumbent. I am told he is quite conservative.

THE CITY MANAGER

I haven't had a chance to 1-on-1 with the new City Manager yet. But please know that I have been consistently impressed by her. Truc Dever seems to run a tight ship, with clear goals for the staff, but is also encouraging and positive in tone. She answers questions clearly, & on the (admittedly rare) occasion when she doesn't have an answer, she says so & goes to get one. This is how I try to manage my team at work, so I rather think that she and I will work very well together.

During the previous city manager's tenure, Biddeford fell significantly behind in its responsibilities to audit its books. To a guy in the cheap seats, this seems inexcusable. But I'm pleased that the new city manager is making this a highest priority. I expect that we will hear an audit report within the next few weeks.

"WELLNESS ON WHEELS"

To quote from the Biddeford Beat: "Wellness on Wheels" [is] a proposed Integrated Mobile Health Unit that embraces a focus on mental health and senior care-related community needs coupled with traditional Community Paramedicine services. The program would deploy a two-person team - an EMT and a certified mental health technician - in a dedicated vehicle to respond to non-violent, low-acuity 911 calls. The goal is to de-escalate situations on-site, provide basic care, and connect individuals to local services for long-term support. The concept is inspired by nationally-recognized programs, and the idea to bring a comparable originated as a project from the Engage 2 Empower program, the City's staff leadership training program."

A lot of folks in city services are strongly in favor of this. I know several people in law enforcement who think it would be the cat's pajamas, though I haven't spoken with the Chief about it yet.

I look forward to reviewing their proposal in depth during the 2026 budget season.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The State of Maine is reviewing grant applications for subsidized housing developments. They should release the awards in early to mid November.

NO KINGS

There was a pretty gigantic political demonstration on York Hill. By most estimates there were over two thousand people from both Biddeford and Saco present. (And lots of people from both towns went up to Portland or Augusta, too). The police did just an excellent job keeping everyone safe, which considering the size and central location of the demonstration was no easy task. I thank the police for keeping everyone safe.

NO SNAP BENEFITS

As you may have heard, it seems certain that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits will not be issued in November. About 140,000 Mainers rely on SNAP benefits for food security. Now is a great time to donate to a local food bank or food-assistance program, or to volunteer your time at such a program. And if you're having trouble putting food on the table, please know: go to the food bank. Go work with any group of good people. There's no shame in it. None. Things are very tough right now. Don't go hungry - go get food. Please.

UPCOMING THINGS

Creepy Crawl: Friday, October 31st, from 3:00 PM-5:30PM. I will be handing out candy (and pet treats!) with Maine Veterinary Internal Medicine, probably on the corner of Main and York. I believe the new City Manager and some City staff will also be participating, as well as most downtown businesses.

Clifford Park Clean-Up: Sunday, November 2 from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM. I will do my best to be there - with my garden-gloves

Election Day: I intend to spend the day shaking hands outside of the polling place.