SACO — Current City Councilor David Tripp and former state Rep. Don Pilon are vying for the position of mayor.

Current Saco Mayor Mark Johnston is stepping down from the seat, to focus more on his downtown business.

The winner in the Nov. 5 election will serve a two-year term.

Tripp, 72, is retired from a management position at Gowen Marine and is part-time limousine driver. He is married to wife Donna and has four stepchildren.

Tripp has served nearly eight years on the city council, from 2001-07 and 2011 to present. He is currently chairman of the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System TIP process committee. He is also serves on an ad hoc committee to create an interlocal agreement between Saco and Biddeford for the Saco River, and is chairman of an ad hoc committee for a solution to the Stackpole Creek Bridge deficiencies.

“As mayor, I believe I can resolve the stalemate on the bridge,” he said.

Tripp said he has strong leadership skills, and with many years of experience in business management, he has the ability to build consensus and compromise when needed. His management background includes dealing with union contracts and working with a diverse range of people, he said.

“I feel very strongly I can represent all the citizens of Saco in a fair and balanced way,” he said.

Tripp said he has a strong working relationship with the leaders in Biddeford, and if elected mayor, will continue to work for the betterment of the two communities. He said he also has a strong relationship with local legislators and would work with them to help benefit the community.

Tripp said he hopes residents vote to withdraw from the regional school unit so the city can go back to local control. However, if Saco remains in the RSU, he said he will work closely with school officials.

Tripp said if elected mayor, he would have an office in City Hall and have regularly scheduled office hours during the day and evening. He would also encourage public input so the council can base decisions on what the citizens want, as well as on the opinions of city staff.

“I am open to the citizen’s input,” said Tripp. “I will be accessible 24 hours a day.”

Tripp said he remembers in the 1950s when the first strip mall was constructed in Maine. He said since then, businesses have been moving off Main Streets.

Saco’s Main Street is not going to be able to compete with the malls, he said, and officials need to change their focus on bringing business downtown.

“We are still trying to make a mall of Main Street,” he said.

Tripp said the city needs to bring businesses like doctors, optometrists and dentists downtown. This would fill storefronts, bring needed services to the city that would succeed, alleviate parking concerns and would generate foot traffic for businesses currently in the downtown.

He also proposes instituting a short public forum session at the beginning of city council meetings to give people an opportunity to voice concerns or accolades. The only chance people have now to speak at a town council meeting is at a public hearing on a specific issue, he said.

Ӣ Pilon, 62, is married to wife Linsey and has one daughter. He is a real estate broker and served four consecutive terms as a state representative for District 133, which covers part of Saco. He serves as a corporator for Sweetser, and is a member of the Saco Shoreline Commission and Mobilize Maine.

Pilon said he is dissatisfied with the direction the city administration and council have taken over the past several years.

“I believe that decisions of our city government have cost taxpayers money due to lack of long-range planning, poor purchasing decisions and lack of vision and creative ideas,” he said.

Pilon said if he were elected mayor, he would go to business expos in Boston and other areas out of state to “work the floor” and see what businesses outside of Maine are doing.

Efficiencies need to be made, he said, and as mayor, he would look at the budget and determine where the inefficiencies are. He would also work to expand the commercial tax base to reduce the city’s reliance on property taxes.

Pilon said he would work to expand natural gas lines to make the city more competitive. A line currently exists close to one of the industrial parks, he said, and it should be extended into the park.

“We’re not even in the game,” he said.

Pilon would also propose convening a working group of local leaders including representatives from the Biddeford+Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Saco Spirit, Biddeford Saco Economic Development Corporation, Saco Citizens for Sensible Taxes and the city’s economic development director to assess the city’s potential and work on a plan for the future.

“We need a meeting of the minds to work on a common goal,” he said.

Pilon said with more than 20 years experience in the real estate business, he has the knowledge to bring businesses into the city.

His work as a state representative exposed him to programs and resources in other areas, and there need to be new, creative ideas implemented in Saco.

Pilon said Camp Ellis is “a diamond in the rough,” and has the potential to become an economic engine for Saco. Already, there are fishing charters, personal watercraft and parasailing businesses operating out of Camp Ellis, he said, and he’d like to see artisans and crafters selling their wares, along with a farm stand on city property in Camp Ellis.

Pilon said he would also like to see the Old Orchard Beach summer trolley service through Shuttlebus/Zoom extend to Camp Ellis. This would bring new people into the area, and it would be good for the environment as there would be less car traffic, he said.

Pilon said he thinks the mayor should have an office in City Hall and be available to speak with residents and address their concerns.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].