Michael Phinney is no stranger to the Gorham Town Council as he is seeking his fifth term because he simply enjoys serving on the council and being a part of shaping Gorham’s future.

“I enjoy looking at the different elements of the town and seeing the different businesses and feeling that I had a part of bringing them here,” he said. “I want to continue preparing Gorham for this century.”

Phinney, 41, is a life-long Gorham resident. He lives in town with his wife and has five children and one granddaughter. A graduate of both Gorham High School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he is the vice president of Phinney Lumber.

If re-elected, Phinney wants to continue to address what he calls traffic problems in the town.

“The bypass opening up is going to help a lot, but really it’s the first step to the solution,” he said. “We have to find a way to get from the end of the bypass to South Portland, Portland or Westbrook, and the only real way I can see doing that is with a turnpike spur.”

Phinney said there are several obstacles to attracting businesses that have concerned him for years, one of which is the lack of land for industrial development.

“Industrial-wise we need to continue trying to find places for businesses to go,” he said. “Commercially you see that traffic and parking is a big issue for the village itself. Getting traffic and parking issues resolved will really help revitalize the village.”

Phinney said he is proud the council managed to keep the budget flat this year, although it made some tough cuts, such as removing a town engineer from the payroll. He said managing the budget properly is still a concern, and if reelected, he will continue to find ways to improve Gorham without overspending.

“It’s always tough because you would like to provide as many services as possible to the taxpayers,” he said. “At the same time, you need to balance how much it costs, and I think this year specifically we tried to be very careful with every dollar we spent and really look hard at how we did it.”

Michael Phinney