Three candidates, Daniel Keene, Jeffrey Pierce and Carol Waig, are running for Tom Bartell’s seat as Windham Town Councilor At Large. Voters will choose one of these candidates for the at-large seat.

Daniel Keene

Daniel Keene, 58, of 3 Keene Road, is running for election as Town Councilor at Large.

Keene, an engineering manager at New England Castings, lives with his wife Kathy and has three children. He studied machine tool technology at the Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute and received his bachelors in science from the University of Southern Maine. For 20 years, Keene served for the Maine Air National Guard as the Superintendent of Operations for combat communications.

Keene says he decided to run for council in order to “make decisions that would minimize the impact on the taxpayers.” Keene suggests that one way to diversify the tax base and alleviate traffic issues on Route 302 would be to encourage commercial growth in areas other than North Windham.

“I think there’s a lot of land in Windham that could be used to create a nice industrial zone without adversely affecting the rural aspect,” Keene said.

Keene is concerned with “the way Windham is growing and how the town guards that growth.” While he describes himself as a proponent of commercial growth, he would, if elected, try to preserve farmland in Windham by reducing the taxes that affect farmers.

“The growth I would really like to see would be of a commercial nature and one that wouldn’t affect the taxpayer,” Keene said.

Keene believes his experience as an engineer and a manager gives him the know-how to make informed decisions about the town and its growth. If elected, Keene would also work to improve communication between the council and the taxpayers of Windham.

Jeffrey Pierce

Jeffrey Pierce, 49, of 28 Webb Road, is running for election as Town Councilor at Large.

Pierce, an insurance accounts manager, lives with his wife Carol. He is the father of two children and one grandchild. He has a bachelor of science in Human Resource Management from Park University in Parkville, Montana. Pierce served for six years on the Windham School Board (1995-1998; 1999-2002). He is also the past president of the Maine Congress of Parents & Teachers. Pierce was nominated by the Windham Republican Party as a candidate.

Pierce, a lifelong resident of Windham, says he is running for Town Council because he would like to continue “contributing to the community.”

“I have a great deal of experience to offer the council, particularly my experience on the School Committee,” Pierce said. “I am knowledgeable in the processes used by governmental bodies and am keenly aware that often times compromise needs to happen in order to move things forward.”

Pierce’s top concerns for Windham are economic development, education and taxes. Pierce believes these concerns will “define” the town in the years ahead since all three concerns are integrated.

“Healthy economic development, particularly in the commercial sector, will provide us with the opportunity to provide the children and youth with the education they deserve and keep our taxes manageable,” Pierce said.

Pierce believes he has many leadership skills that would help him assist the council; namely the ability to listen to both sides, use common sense and “honestly debate” the issues. Pierce says that, if elected, he would research and study each issue, discuss solutions and “vote with confidence.”

As the town continues to grow and demands change in Windham, Pierce suggests that the town design a strategic plan that would encompass the whole community spectrum and rely on input from the public. Pierce cited that this strategic plan would addresses issues concerning the elderly, the youth, the poor, child/adult education, recreation and taxation in addition to land and development issues. Pierce believes such a plan would allow the council to see what services are valued by the community and better define the town’s priorities in coming years.

Carol Waig

Carol Waig, 39, of 107 Brown Cove Road is running for election as Town Councilor at Large.

Carol Waig, trustee coordinator for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, lives with Colin Morse and their son Zachary who attends Windham Middle School. She is a graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Waig was nominated by the Windham Democratic Party as a candidate.

Waig says she has decided to run for council because she is concerned about the rapid growth of Windham. She believes that such growth has increased the tax burden for residents and encroached upon farmland in Windham.

“I think that Windham needs to stop its growth,” Waig said. “It’s growing too rapidly and we need to preserve some open space.”

In addition to the preservation of open space, Waig believes that Windham should create more opportunities for its youth and provide proper housing for its seniors. Though the Village at Little Falls and developments on Route 115 will create some accommodations for Windham seniors, Waig says that there is a greater need than is provided.

“It’s obvious that the town needs to take care of the seniors that have taken care of the town for so long,” Waig said.

If elected, Waig would try to improve the “look” of North Windham and make the history of Windham become more prominent in town. Waig believes that the town can achieve this by implementing the design standards put forth by the comprehensive plan. Waig also suggested that the town increase its impact fee for developers, which, she says, is far lower than surrounding towns.

Copy the Story Link