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The city of Biddeford is set to elect a new mayor in November and a second-year student from the University of Maine has added his name to the ballot.
Ryan Gavin, 20, a Biddeford High School alumnus and a political science student at UMaine, has launched his campaign for the office. Gavin is currently the only individual to announce his candidacy.
The sitting mayor, Joanne Twomey, has served two terms in the position and has been involved in state and city government since the 1970s. It is unclear whether or not she will campaign for a third term — she has until Aug. 1 to make her decision.
In recent years, like many other municipalities throughout the state and the country, Biddeford has continued to battle with budget woes, according to Twomey. The city is also undertaking efforts to revitalize its downtown as it fights for a share of southern Maine’s commerce with Portland’s suburbs.
But for Gavin, reached by phone on Sunday, it is a matter of bringing new blood into city hall and devoting greater efforts to the often-daunting tasks of local government.
“Full-time dedication to a part-time job is one of the pillars of [my] campaign,” he said. “It is all about bringing an attitude of reason to the table. [Biddeford] needs someone who is willing to sit down at the table and resolve the issues.”
Gavin characterized the city’s current mayor’s rule as an off-the-cuff style of governing. He said she often finds herself embroiled in negotiations with third parties that fail to yield results.
Gavin also acknowledged that Twomey boasts experience and certain successes as Biddeford’s mayor. He made a point that he is not running for the office solely to replace her.
Even so, Gavin feels her style of governing is somewhat of a turn-off for citizens who might otherwise involve themselves with local government.
“We need a forum where everybody in Biddeford can come together so that the city can move forward,” he said. “This is why restoring civility will be so important to this election.”
Gavin, who has experience with student government at UMaine and as a high school representative on the Biddeford school board from 2007-2009, said friends urged him to run for the position.
After considerable thought, Gavin made the decision to put his name on the ballot, and in the time since, the platform on which he will run has begun to emerge.
“We are going to create six months of dialogue that surround the issues,” he said.
He believes the city needs to take a more strategic approach in how it deals with both development and the budget, saying he would focus on a revitalization of the downtown if elected.
He feels greater efforts need to be made to breathe new life into the city’s languishing industries. For instance, he said old textile mills could be redeveloped to attract new tenants, generating both revenue and jobs for the area.
Other ideas that could help the downtown area, Gavin said, are more small businesses, more housing, and better recreation areas like parks and trails.
Though Twomey declined to comment on Gavin’s candidacy, she said the town is experiencing problems with its budget that are compounded by an ailing regional economy.
The budget, Gavin said, will be of utmost importance. A starting point, he said, will be to create a “master plan” that strategically achieves a balance among all parts of the budget.
Gavin said more money could be saved and the city would better taken care of in the long-run by taking a sustainable approach and lending greater attention to all the details — something he said will come with the level of dedication he is prepared to bring to the job.
Biddeford’s mayoral position is listed as part-time and pays $10,000 a year.
Gavin plans to conclude this semester at UMaine then temporarily move back to Biddeford to campaign. In doing so, he plans to take online classes next semester so he will not lose progress toward his degree.
He said, if elected, his position as mayor will be tended to during the day and classes will be taken care of on his own time, which he does not feel will be a problem. One term is four years, and Gavin said he could potentially take classes at the University of Southern Maine if necessary.
A nationally licensed parliamentarian, Gavin has substantial knowledge of legislative rules. Most recently, he made headlines before former UMaine Student Body President Nelson Carson was impeached and removed from office.
Gavin was hired as the designer for a new Student Government website for which Carson was supposed to have provided the content. After two signed contracts and an unapproved third disputed by Gavin, the General Student Senate instead accepted a website designed by first-year computer science student Lydia Chang, who has since been hired as the body’s technology manager.
Additionally, Gavin is a former UMaine student senator, running unsuccessfully for the vice presidential seat in 2010.
He also undertook a successful effort to reform the way students vote for Student Government executives.
“Biddeford simply needs new leadership — it’s not a tagline,” he said. “I really do believe that people want to see new blood in city politics and if I don’t have the experience that everybody else has — I take it as a compliment.”
Bangor Daily News