About the Candidate

Served two previous terms on the council; former chair of Yarmouth Affordable Housing Committee. My husband and I raised three daughters in town.

Education

B.A., Colby College; M.A., University of Maryland, College Park

Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held

Elected to Yarmouth Town Council in 2018 and 2023

Top three priorities

Tax burden: Work to reduce the tax burden for residential property owners by closely examining spending, finding opportunities for regionalization and increasing commercial investment in town to shift more of the tax burden from residential to commercial properties.

Affordable Housing: Yarmouth is hard hit by Maine’s housing crisis. We are in the middle of work to bring workforce housing to Yarmouth. I will continue that work.

Schools: Continue to support our stellar school system.

Why are you running?

Yarmouth is a truly special place. Some outside of town see us as just a wealthy enclave, but what makes Yarmouth wonderful is our community. We are a small town in the best way possible. Neighbors know and care about one another. I am running to protect the special nature of Yarmouth and, at the same time, ensure the town embraces the future without fear, in a measured, thoughtful way.

What is the biggest challenge facing your community? The biggest opportunity?

The biggest challenge facing Yarmouth is how to protect and continue the services that make it special and that make Yarmouth schools some of the best in the state while ameliorating the tax burden for our residential property owners. The biggest opportunity we face is related to that challenge. Most towns in the area are facing similar concerns. How can Yarmouth lead and encourage regionalization and innovation on residential tax burden?

If you could change one thing about how your community functions, what would it be and why?

Not a change, but something to be protected: Small town government only works when we assume best intentions of each other. Media and candidates at all levels encourage us to not just disagree but to dislike opponents, to assume the worst about each other. But division is only a distraction from the work that needs to be done. We in Yarmouth have a lot of work to do. I am running to continue that important work.

Do you support more development in your community? Why or why not?

There is a housing crisis in Maine. We are the oldest state and desperately need young people — young families — to put down roots here and help our economy thrive. So, yes, I support carefully considered development, particularly of affordable/workplace housing. We need to work with the Historic Preservation Committee and welcome ample community input to ensure development will enhance rather than harm Yarmouth. But it is very possible to do development in such an intentional way.