Sanford 2023 City Council candidate Maura Herlihy
Name: Maura Herlihy
Education: BA from Mount Holyoke College.
Occupation: Property management.
Political or civic experience highlights: City Council, Y-Trafton Visioning Committee, formerly involved with Sanford Downtown and the Sanford Mainers.
Why are you seeking a seat on the Sanford City Council? I am currently seeking a seat on the City Council because of all the exciting things currently happening in the City of Sanford and the exciting future I see coming for Sanford. I enjoy being involved with the residents in our community through my work on the City Council, and I would like to continue in that capacity.
If elected, what will be your top priority as a city councilor? It is hard to name just one top priority when there are so many things that must come together as the city grows. Increasing housing opportunities for young workers, families, and seniors is vitally important if we are to grow our community and remain vibrant. Along with the growth in residents must come strong support for our downtowns and small businesses. Small businesses serve residents by creating great community dining, shopping, and recreation, helping to make Sanford a great place to live. Even though these two items are probably the most visibly necessary for our residents, the hidden priority needs to be the future public safety investment in new fire stations needed by our Fire Department so that they may serve the community safely over the next 100 years.
What is Sanford not doing that it needs to do to succeed as an economic force and as a place to live, work and play? It is actually hard to come up with something that Sanford is not working on at the city level to improve the community overall. I think the most important thing we need to focus on in the “to do” list is the development of Sanford’s new Comprehensive Plan. The “Comp” Plan process starts in the Planning Department and with the City’s Planning Board, and it will engage the community in developing a vision of how we see Sanford developing over the next few decades. This work will, in turn, help the city see where we may need to modernize the city’s zoning ordinances to encourage and support development in ways that make sense for good housing opportunities, good small business opportunities and will overall work to make Sanford a place to “live, work and play.”
What role should the city government play in addressing homelessness and substance use disorder in the community? Several years ago, the city, through its Police Department, noticed an increasing number of unhoused residents in our community. Many were unhoused due to untreated mental health and substance abuse issues. At that time, the city proactively supported a position in the Police Department that reached out to the unhoused and established connections with the individuals that would allow the city to help bring unhoused individuals to resources and treatment, if and when they are ready. Due to the housing crisis, the number of unhoused individuals has only increased and now includes more individuals who find themselves unhoused due to financial circumstances. The city has added two social workers to the new “Mental Health Unit” that started with just one police officer and has thereby increased the outreach to the unhoused population. At the same time, the city is a member of a new Homeless Task Force with partner organizations that include Sanford Housing Authority, York County Community Action and York County Shelters. The intention is to coordinate efforts to help those unhoused individuals in whatever capacity they need and work toward having all residents in safe housing.
Has Sanford changed for the better or for the worse in the past five years? As time moves on, communities change to meet the changing times and the changing needs of the residents. Some residents may consider the changes “worse” while some residents may consider the changes “better.” I tend to fall in the category of believing Sanford is changing for the better because we are finally seeing investments being made in new housing throughout the community, we have successfully received a grant that will rebuild the downtown and Number 1 Pond infrastructure, we have a new Arts Committee with energy to grow a vibrant art scene, we have more entertainment at the Nasson Little Theater and Sanford Performing Arts Center, we have new members of our community as housing continues to sell at a record pace and that brings renewed energy and new ideas. Overall, Sanford is changing and will continue to have growing pains along the way but there are many exciting things that come with change.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sanford 2023 City Council candidate Maura Herlihy
