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The winners of the City Council and Board of Education races will all face fiscal challenges.

By MELANIE CREAMER, Staff Writer October 20, 2009

The candidates for the District 3 City Council seat in South Portland could soon face some difficult financial decisions.

Gary Crosby, Rosemarie Deangelis and Christopher Kessler say they are confident that they could handle the challenges.

Crobsy now serves on the city's Zoning Board of Appeals, and he led the citizens initiative to get a dog ordinance on the November ballot.

He has owned and operated the Neighborhood Laundrymat for the past 25 years. He said his experience as a businessman and his knowledge of city finances would make him a good representative for the district.

"We have to be consistent and pay attention to expenses, the tax base, and make sure everything is running in an efficient manner," Crosby said. "Overall, the city is a great place to live. I want to be a part of continuing to make it what it is today."

Deangelis, who served on the City Council for three years, said she wasn't happy with the city manager's decision to lay off five employees in February.

She said she decided to run again because she feels that residents are not being heard. She said she has the skills, knowledge and experience in city government to be a good representative for residents.

"Councilors have a duty to be the voice of the people," Deangelis said. "I believe there is a strong sentiment about having someone who can be clear, articulate, forceful and not fearful to speak for the residents of South Portland. Those are my greatest skills."

Kessler, at 27, is the youngest candidate for the seat. He said he's concerned about potential cuts to the city budget if statewide spending limits and tax cuts are approved on Election Day.

If the excise tax cut proposed on Maine's Nov. 3 ballot passes, the city will stand to lose about 40 percent of its annual revenue from the tax – about $1.9 million.

Kessler said the council's greatest challenges are job retention, job creation, and organizing the community to be more economically and environmentally sustainable.

"I will try to work with the council and the community to think of solutions," he said. "I have ideas, but we need to bring real change together."

Candidates for the city Board of Education face their own set of challenges, with nearly $3 million in state aid cuts expected in January.

James Gilboy is seeking re-election in District 4. He has served two terms.

He said the biggest issue facing the school district is the need for renovations to the high school and two middle schools.

"I care about public education, and I think we should have the best school system in the state. My hope is that by working with the City Council, that can happen. Working as a team, we can get things done."

His challenger, Kendall Fassett, became interested in the school board through the city's redistricting efforts. He said the process helped him realize the importance of having know-ledgeable people on the board.

"I'm not one to sit on the sidelines," Fassett said. "The importance of having experienced and qualified decision makers will be instrumental, as we will be spending well over $100 million on educational endeavors over the next three years. I'm well qualified and feel that it's my duty to step forward and serve."

Tappan Fitzgerald and Alan Livingston, two political newcomers, are running for the District 5 seat.

Fitzgerald is active at the Skillin school, where he serves on the PTA. He also served on the city's redistricting subcommittee. He said he decided to run because he's unhappy with some decisions school officials have made in the past few years.

"At one time, South Portland was viewed as one of the premiere school systems in the state, but for various reasons, the status isn't up to that level today," Fitzgerald said.

"Our high school is in desperate need of maintenance, repair or replacement. Some of our averages...