All three candidates for the open at-large seat on the Westbrook City Council support a moratorium on residential development in the city.

That issue has been in the forefront in Westbrook in recent months, as residents push for a 180-day stay on building permits for developments of 10 housing units or more. Whoever wins the citywide seat in November will replace one of the moratorium’s staunchest opponents – Michael Foley, who has decided not to seek reelection.

In the running for Foley’s position are political newcomer Jeff Labbe and former city councilors Ann Peoples and Steve Willette. Peoples is a Democrat who was nominated at her party’s caucus, and her two opponents are unaffiliated with a party. All three have been involved in some way with Westbrook Forward, an informal group of residents that has collected more than 400 signatures on a petition in favor of the moratorium.

Labbe learned about the push for change in Westbrook from Facebook, where the group has been very active.

“I’ve seen enough, and I want to be part of the process now,” Labbe said. “The moratorium that’s going on in Westbrook right now, that speaks volumes. There’s a lot of people that are against the growth because we can’t handle it.”

Labbe said the city should review its code of ordinances to make sure proposed developments are evaluated based on the “whole scope” of their impact in the community, though he didn’t offer any specific changes.

“I’d just like to see things run more smoothly,” he said. “A little more forethought, more proactive than reactive.”

Peoples, who has past experience in the City Council, the Planning Board and the Maine House of Representatives, agreed the ordinances are due for an update.

“We haven’t looked at them in over 10 years,” she said. “We have some very wonderful neighborhoods, and we need to look at the zoning ordinances to reflect what the needs of people are now.”

She would ask the Planning Board to review those ordinances every five or six years. In particular, she said the current standards for density need another look.

“I think we are going to become more residentially dense because there is a desperate need for housing in southern Maine,” Peoples said. “What we have to be careful not to do is overbuild.”

Willette, who served one term on the City Council in the late 1990s before he moved to Portland, said the ordinances should be stricter in requiring developments to blend in with the surrounding neighborhoods.

“It needs to be compatible with the development that’s next to it,” Willette said.

In particular, he wanted to encourage single-family homes over multi-unit dwellings and apartment complexes.

“I’m very interested in the way the growth has been so rapid, and the effect on our infrastructure and our schools,” he said.

In addition to housing development and overcrowding in Westbrook schools, each mentioned his or her other priorities. All three candidates also said they are supportive of the proposed $27 million expansion to Saccarappa Elementary School and Westbrook Middle School, which will be decided by a referendum on the November ballot.

Labbe said he would invest in Blue Note Park, where he would like to see a stage for live music and repairs to the fountain. He also proposed a solar farm to provide electricity to Westbrook’s municipal buildings and schools.

Peoples said she would support the Downtown Westbrook Coalition’s efforts to revitalize the city center. In particular, she is concerned about making the downtown more accessible to cyclists, pedestrians and people who use wheelchairs.

Willette said he would review the city’s use of TIFs, or tax increment financing districts. If elected, he also said he would lower the city’s level of debt, which the city reported to be $77.3 million at the end of fiscal year 2015.