Sara Lennon, 54, of Cranbrook Road, Cape Elizabeth, is running for a seat on the Cape Elizabeth Town Council. She is one of four candidates for three, three-year terms on the panel. The others are Greg Altznauer, James Rowe and incumbent David Backer.

A first-time candidate for local office, she said her priorities as a councilor would be fiscal responsibility and the environment.

Lennon said she moved to Cape about seven years ago from the Boston area. She studied English at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and received her master’s in English from the University of Virginia. Lennon has taught English in private schools throughout Massachusetts, and currently runs a freelance business in writing and graphic design. She and her husband, Paul, are raising three kids: Sasha, 11, Brette, 9, and Julia, 7.

Lennon said she opposes the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which would cap municipal spending.

“I think it will be extremely bad for our state,” said Lennon. “It will gut our local services.” If TABOR passed, it would make it difficult for towns to make financial decisions, she said.

Property taxes are a big issue this election, and people are angry about the rising costs, said Lennon. She believes, however, that the property tax is expensive but reasonable. She said she personally feels that she gets plenty back from her taxes.

For Lennon, a big issue is communication. There is not as much communication as there could be among members of the school board and town council, she said. Lennon said she could approach the work with a fresh start, offering new energy, ideas and excitement.

This election, the people of Cape Elizabeth will also get the opportunity to vote on implementing fees for visitors to Fort Williams Park.

“I would prefer not to have fees,” said Lennon, but no one wants to raise taxes, either. She sees three choices: charge for parking, raise taxes or don’t do repairs. She said she is glad the issue is going to the people.

As far as the layout of the town and town center, Lennon would like to see it become greener, adding parks, benches and sidewalks. She said the town center should have a playground where people can come and relax. There is a lot of empty parking space that could be torn up, said Lennon.

In other issues, Lennon thinks Cape schools are performing at a high level of excellence, and would work to continue this level. She said she hopes the police and the town can come to an agreement on the retirement plans, and hopes to sit down with the representatives from all the groups to reach a compromise.

“I feel it has affected the moral of the police, and that’s not good,” she said.

Lennon said she is a good listener and a good decision maker. It is important that people come together and communicate so a compromise can be reached, and this, she said, is one of her strong suits.

Cape Council: Communication is Lennon’s issue