What a beautiful autumn. This year, the foliage colors seem more vibrant, and the leaves seem longer lasting. An important part of fall, of course, is election season. Like the change of seasons, it, too, sets the stage for new beginnings. And what direction are we going in?

Embracing the election season by assessing the candidates and what’s going on around town is all part of being a member of a community. So, what matters to you? That’s the question. And who will best represent your hopes and desires for the community you live in?

A Massachusetts transplant to Maine, I have always been attracted to the vibrancy and intensity of the seasons, and the challenges that come with it. Scarborough offers nearly every landscape that I cherish: beaches, farms, woods and marsh, combined with easy access to Portland, a great school system and excellent municipal services.

Mainers are a tougher breed of resident, people who know how to weather the storms and make do. I like this attitude. I try to cast my vote for candidates and bond issues that reflect the lifestyle I envision living in Scarborough. My hope is to see a balanced, preserved and sustainable Scarborough – a community where I can afford to grow old.

“Charting Maine’s Future,” a report from GrowSmart Maine and the Brookings Institution, suggested that Maine re-claim and more clearly define its brand – to make Maine uniquely Maine, so to speak. The study recognized that Maine was losing its identity to uncontrolled and unplanned urban sprawl. It has cost our town greatly in rising property taxes, caused primarily by sprawling residential development that costs more in municipal services than is able to generate in tax revenue. While it is true that you can’t close the door to growth, it is also true that you must properly manage growth.

Scarborough has the tools to get back on a sustainable track, but elected officials must embrace the comprehensive plan and be accountable to it. Scarborough also must pay attention to who is moving here and how can we best manage that trend.

Like the seasons, there are lots of changes happening in Scarborough. And like the color of the leaves this year, Scarborough is seeing some vibrant changes in commercial development, and this is good news. It’s true – you can’t stop growth, but you can control it. And you can have a voice in all that’s going on by becoming informed, involved and casting your own vote.

The town Web site offers residents access to the comprehensive plan and to studies that have been done. Public access channel 3 is featuring re-runs of the Oct. 11 candidates night hosted by Scarborough Community Chamber. Scarborough Rotary Club will host a panel discussion of school board candidates on Tuesday at Scarborough Downs Winner’s Circle from 6:50-8 a.m. The cost is $8 and includes breakfast. It’s another chance to learn more about the candidates.

Scarborough is fortunate to have six council candidates vying for two, three-year seats; a declared write-in candidate vying for the one-year town council seat; threee school board candidates seeking two, three-year seats; and two school board candidates seeking one, one-year seat.

It’s an exciting, vibrant voting season with lots of candidates from which to choose. The polls are open at town hall now for absentee voters. Registration is easy, and anyone can vote absentee for any reason. Or, you can wait and vote on Nov. 6 – and be a part of the community fanfair at the polls, which is always fun.