STANDISH — New Town Councilor Greg LeClerc is looking forward to working on business development in his new position.

LeClerc, 36, who has a master’s degree in real estate, is interested in development and said he would like to take advantage of Standish’s “unique position” in the market.

In Portland, he said, there is a “huge housing demand and crunch, and I feel like there’s a mismatch of what they’re building in Portland in terms of what the actual people need. So I feel like people are going to start looking elsewhere in places like Westbrook, Gorham and Standish. So Standish is in kind of a unique position to capitalize on that.”

LeClerc said he envisions the junction of routes 35 and 25 as being “more walking friendly” and attracting more local businesses. “There’s a bunch of cool opportunities for it to really shape how the community grows,” he said.

“There’s a lot of people that want to open up businesses,” he continued, and he looks forward to making Standish “business-friendly and community-friendly” while still maintaining the town’s “character and heart.”

The Standish Town Council appointed LeClerc to fill the Area 1 seat left vacant   when Isabel Higgins resigned in August. The term will end in June 2019.

LeClerc has a law practice in Standish specializing in criminal defense. He graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 2016 and was sworn in last October.

“It’s exciting because the stakes are really high, but you can actually do a lot of good,” he said, adding that “this is what I was meant to be doing.”

As “a young businessman that’s just trying to find his way,” LeClerc said, he plans to bring his experiences to the council.

While LeClerc has not served on any other boards or committees in Standish, he said he believes the Town Council is “a good way to get involved in the community and help.”

Jane Vaughan can be reached at 780-9103 or at jvaughan@keepmecurrent.com.

Greg LeClerc was appointed to the Area 1 seat on the Standish Town Council.

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