Sanford City Council candidates talk business climate, communication during annual forum
Shawn P. Sullivan
SANFORD, Maine — City Council candidates discussed the relationship between local businesses and the municipal government during the annual Candidates Night on Thursday, Oct. 7.
The candidates — incumbent Councilor Ayn Hanselmann and challengers Becky Brink, Victor DiGregorio, Fred Smith, and Michael Termath — also discussed communication and what needs to change for the City of Sanford to realize its full potential.
All are seeking one of two seats up for grabs on the ballot for the Nov. 2 election. Current City Councilor Luke Lanigan is not seeking reelection, guaranteeing at least one new face on the council this election season.
DiGregorio and Smith participated in person at Sanford City Hall, joining reporter Tammy Wells and Sanford High School teacher Paul Auger, who moderated the forum, asking questions Wells and I crafted. Brink, Hanselmann and Termath took part remotely.
On the city's approach to businesses
To start the forum, Wells and Auger prompted the candidates to imagine they were a local business owner — something easy for some of them to do — and asked them how they feel treated by the city when either seeking assistance or approval for a matter pertaining to their business.
Brink, who has a family-owned chiropractic business in town, said she personally has found the staff at City Hall "extremely helpful," but added that she has heard that other people have had some problems. Brink said city employees need to help business owners with what they need, directing them to the right place with the right people.
"There needs to be a clearly defined process, so that nobody needs to question why and how and when their next steps are," Brink said.
DiGregorio said he would expect a lot from the city if he were a business owner. He said the city is spending too much money and energy on promoting the city and not the people.
"Here we are, charging high taxes, policing very thoroughly, and lots and lots of fees," DiGregorio said. "That's not an invitation to industry."
Hanselmann said she and her husband navigated the city's process when they opened a business downtown. Some parts of the process worked well, and others could be improved upon, she said. The local code office is "amazing ... responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable," and the planning department has an excellent process for new applicants seeking to start a business, she said. That process is made cumbersome, however, because it is not yet offered electronically, she added.
Termath advocated for setting up a Downtown Development Fund to attract investors in the community.
"We need to provide some incentives to businesses and show them we are serious about getting them into our community," he said. "We need to diversify our economic needs to drive consumers to Sanford. This will turn into positive tax dollars, and we need to work with building owners and our city to drive this process, everybody working hand in hand."
Smith, whose company hauls away rubbish and junk for people, gave the starkest answer, suggesting that there are two types of businesses in Sanford, each of which is treated a particular way by the city.
"If you're a business that has very little impact on your neighbors or anything like that, you're probably going to not have a problem with the process," Smith said. "But if you're a business that has an impact, and might have blight or something like that, you're going to have issues with it."
Construction companies and towing services seem to encounter more problems when working with the city, Smith cited as examples. Restaurants and stores, on the other hand, "will probably have less problems," he added.
"We have to find a way of working with everybody to get everybody through a process that all parties can accept and be willing participants," Smith said.
On fulfilling the city's potential
Wells and Auger asked the candidates to name an approach the city will need to change if the community is to reach its full potential as a place to "live, work and play."
Hanselmann said she is glad the city is working to improve its communication within the local government and with residents, stakeholders and others outside the community. Communication needs to be improved so the city can engage others in meaningful ways to help solve problems and create better relationships, she said. Communication is tied to economic development, downtown revitalization, and more, she added.
Brink also focused on communication. She said she is pleased overall with how the local government is working but said the city needs to work harder to attract new businesses through marketing. As well, Brink said communication needs to improve with "the average citizen about what is happening here in Sanford." Not everyone has a computer, she noted.
Brink also said a more active approach was needed to teach the city's systems how to deal with poverty.
"It's not just about the homelessness," Brink said. "It's about ... their culture and what do they really need, and not what we think they need."
Smith said the city needs to improve its approach to homelessness and crime. The city tends to have a "somewhat hands-off approach to some of this," he said. The court system also does not do enough to address these issues, Smith added.
Smith said he has seen a lot of needles strewn around homeless encampments and in a parking lot of one downtown business.
"If we want to change our city, we need to make our people feel safe," he said.
Termath agreed that homelessness is a "huge problem," one that has an impact on economic development. He said the city needs to acquire Community Development Block Grants for housing assistance and should continue working with the Sanford Housing Authority, York County Shelter Programs and the Sanford Police Department and others. He said more state and federal funding are needed to address the issue.
"This issue is never going to go away, and we know this," Termath said. "But it can be mitigated. It can be controlled."
DiGregorio said the city has been too focused on its "aesthetic presentation."
"They're forgetting the one most important thing, and that's the people — the Sanford people, and Springvale," he said.
The entire forum can be viewed online on YouTube.