Kurtz unopposed for Ward 5 council seat

By JIM KRAUSE, Contributing Writer

David Kurtz, 38, is running unopposed for the Ward 5 seat on the Biddeford City Council.

Kurtz — an attorney specializing in corporate law and debt restructuring — grew up in the city and serves on the city’s Waste Management Committee. He said his legal background gives him tools to serve both residents and businesses in the ward, which stretches from the Saco River to the Five Points intersection and includes Main Street’s business district and the mills complex.

Top issues:

Kurtz said affordability is the city’s most pressing challenge.

“Affordability, and not just housing — though that is a big issue these days — but also affordability in daily living,” he said.

Kurtz pointed to rising rents and landlords who leave properties vacant rather than offering them at lower rates, a trend he argued both worsens the housing crisis and reduces tax revenue.

“If we can’t attract people into homes and apartments, and we can’t encourage more affordable building, then the system itself could become unsustainable,” he said. “If we lose the people because of housing that isn’t affordable, then we lose the customer base at the businesses, which, in turn, drops the tax revenue from the businesses as well.”

Kurtz also emphasized public safety as another top issue, recalling Biddeford’s reputation decades ago as a city with
high crime and struggling neighborhoods.

“We aren’t that Biddeford anymore, but we need to continue to grow with the city in terms of safety infrastructure and within the communities,” he said.

Kurtz praised Police Chief Fisk and the department’s reputation in the region, pointing to improvements in community policing and public confidence

“It isn’t always about housing and community projects,” he said. “We need to invest in the safety surrounding it all, and that safety is more than just policing.”

Kurtz also said the city’s unhoused population remains a challenge that extends beyond local government.

“This is more than just a city issue,” he said. “The cities rely on the state, and the state relies on the country. It isn’t as simple as just putting up a building for people to go to. You have to have resources, and those resources take funds.”

Kurtz also expressed concerns about the stability of federal funding for communities.

Why is he running for office?

Kurtz said his decision to run stems from frustration with communication at City Hall.

“I couldn’t get answers to a lot of my questions,” he said. “I’m not alone. My neighbors are always asking me about this issue or that because they’ve sent emails and haven’t gotten responses.”

Kurtz said one of his campaign goals is to create a single webpage tracking all of the city’s ongoing projects.

“I really just want to be involved, and I want to be able to communicate what is going on in the city better for everyone,” he said.

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Jim Krause is a freelance writer living in Biddeford. He can be contacted at jiggyjim@live.com

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