I want to thank the Biddeford Gazette for giving each candidate an opportunity to address the voters and explain why they are running for mayor. Giving voters information so they can make an educated decision is crucial to our democracy.
Voters need to know what motivated me to run and why I believe I am the best suited person for the job. I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the City Council for the last nine years and have played an instrumental part in the city’s renaissance. Biddeford is a much better place than it was when I began my service in January of 2017.
Norman Belanger
However, in the last couple of years a few things have occurred which has spurred me on to enter the race. First, taxes have increased each year at a percentage rate that is simply not sustainable. During my first six years on the council, we managed to set priorities on our spending that kept tax increases within a manageable level that was at or below inflation. That has been lost of late.
I tried hard during the recent budget cycles to prioritize what we spend money on with the understanding that I’m spending other peoples’ hard-earned money.
Second, there has been an increased level of distrust in local government. Distrust in the council, the mayor and the staff. Collegiality and cooperation seems to be slipping away.
I have spent my entire legal and political career working to bring people together to try to find approaches and answers that create the best result by considering diverse opinions. Politics should not be a zero-sum game that I only win if you lose. Compromise is not only necessary; it generally results in the best solution. I want to work hard to make sure all stakeholders (the council, the mayor, staff, voters and local businesses) have a seat at the table and are able to be heard and participate in the process.
“Politics should not be a zero-sum game that I only win if you lose”
— Norman Belanger
There’s been much discussion in this race about the need for change. But that begs the question of what does change look like? We achieved much good change in the last decade, and we need to keep those ideas and action going and build upon them. Change can and should be additive. Inclusiveness and teamwork should be our goals. The city does not benefit from pitting the old against the new, the landlords against the tenants, or the businesses against the residents.
Real leadership builds bridges between competing interests and does not set them against each other. My entire time on the council, and frankly over my whole adult life, has been committed to such bridge building.
I want to continue to use those leadership skills as Biddeford’s mayor, if I’m fortunate enough to be elected.
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Many people get excited about this time of year. They order pumpkin everything, pick apples, decorate their yards with mums and fret about having the cleverest Halloween costume for themselves and their kids.
I get excited this time of year for an entirely different reason. I am a political junkie with a local focus, and every two years Biddeford voters choose who will represent them as mayor, on the city council and as members of the school committee.
Unlike the rather dull 2023 cycle two years ago, this year’s upcoming elections are bringing some heat to the game.
We have three mayoral candidates this year, and almost every ward race will feature two candidates, except Wards Three and Five.
The last time Biddeford had more than two people running for mayor was in 2013, when former mayor Joanne Twomey and former councilor Perry Aberle both tried to deny Alan Casavant a third, consecutive term.
And one of the most interesting mayoral races in Biddeford took place in 2003 when Gen. Wallace Nutting – a Republican and Saco native – upset the ballot with a decisive win over School Committee member Dan Boucher and City Councilor Marc Lessard.
Few people predicted that outcome, and I was not one of them. For the record, that race generated a whopping voter turnout of more than 67 percent of registered voters.
Typically, turnout during local elections rarely break the 45 percent mark.
Today’s political landscape in Biddeford
Voters will also be asked this year to decide the fate of two rather significant municipal bond issues; and whether to convene another Charter Review Commission.
In my opinion, there are at least three significant issues driving more candidates and voters to participate in this year’s election.
First, issues connected to former city manager James Bennett angered many people in the community on almost every front: how federal grant money was being used, excessive staff turnover at City Hall, questions about discrepancies in the Finance Department, a blistering report from the city’s auditors and the city’s inability to pay a private contractor for his services to the city.
Former City Manager James Bennett
And Bennett was also a central figure in the controversy surrounding the University of New England’s plan to construct a large pier on the Saco River. Bennett sidelined both the city’s harbormaster and deputy harbormaster during local review of the pier proposal.
The council finally removed Bennett from office but not before he left a shitty taste in a lot of mouths across the city. Bennett filed a lawsuit against the city.
City officials, in turn, are pointing to concerns about how Bennett used his office for his own gain.
Secondly, the UNE pier proposal raised local concerns on a number of fronts as opponents raised questions about possible conflicts of interest and a lack of transparency during the project’s review.
Members of the public voiced concerns and anger earlier this year about the University of New England’s controversial plan to construct a large pier on the Saco River (Seaver photo)
Finally, continuing property tax increases are always an issue in local elections. Over the last two years, the city has passed on increased spending budgets of nearly six percent per year.
Not surprisingly, several incumbent candidates are now raising concerns about property tax burdens, yet many of them actually approved increased spending over the last two years.
Politicians will be politicians.
How will the Biddeford Gazette cover all the election news?
Our in-depth election coverage will begin on October 1.
We are now in the process of collecting questionnaires that were sent to all city council candidates. We will use those surveys as the basis for upcoming stories about each of the contested ward races. We will also periodically examine each of the races and how they align with public concerns.
The contested ward races will be covered in a single story. For example, candidates Patricia Boston and Jim LaBelle from Ward One will be featured in the same story.
Likewise, the three at-large candidates will be introduced in one story, but we will also do follow-up stories on that race.
When it comes to the mayor’s race, we will publish three separate stories regarding each candidate during the first full week of October.
Profiles and interviews with Norman Belanger, Marty Grohman and Liam LaFountain will be published in alphabetical order on three consecutive days.
Obviously, we will be writing many other stories, especially about the mayoral candidates and their campaigns.
Upcoming mayoral debate
Finally, I am proud of the fact that I was able to organize at least one public debate among all three mayoral candidates. It took a lot or work to get this thing organized but I think it’s well worth the effort.
I am especially pleased that my colleagues from Saco Bay News, and the Biddeford-Saco Courier agreed to participate as panelists with me.
That debate will take place on Friday, October 10, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Biddeford High School’s Little Theater on Maplewood Avenue.
The debate will be streamed live and recorded for later viewing on social media sites.
While there will be no public comment during this event, we are hoping that most of the questions will come from the public in the form of written submissions before the debate.
Several potential candidates have taken out qualifying nomination forms for mayor, city council and school committee races in Biddeford.
Some familiar names are hoping to make a political comeback, but there are also several people seeking office who have never served before.
Former City Councilors Roger Hurtubise, John McCurry and Bobby Mills are all hoping to return to the council. Former candidate Gregg Shapiro who ran for an at-large seat on the council in 2023 is making another run for that seat this year. Shapiro has also taken out papers for the Ward Six seat being vacated by Norman Belanger who will be running for mayor this year.
Bobby Mills/Facebook photo
Political newcomers Dominic Deschambault, David Kurtz, Jim LaBelle, Sterling Gray Roop and Abigail Woods have all expressed interest in city council seats. Deschambault has been previously elected to the school committee.
Current councilors Roger Beaupre, Dylan Doughty and Marc Lessard have all indicated that they will seek reelection.
Political heavyweight Lisa Vadnais — a current member of the school committee — has also taken out papers for one of two at-large seats on the council.
In the last two election cycles (2023 and 2021), no one candidate has earned more overall votes than Vadnais. In 2023, she earned 3,374 votes for school committee. The next highest vote-getter was At-Large Councilor Marc Lessard with 3,021 votes and Mayor Martin Grohman with 2,894 votes.
Two years earlier, Vadnais garnered 3,297 votes for her return to the school committee. The next highest vote-getter that year was former mayor Alan Casavant with 3,237 votes, easily fending off a challenge by Victoria Foley for a sixth consecutive term.
City Clerk Robin Patterson said her office will be making weekly updates regarding who has taken out papers and who has turned them in for verification. All elected positions in the city — including mayor, city council and school committee — are up for grabs.
In order to have their names on the November 4 ballot, all candidates must turn in their papers no later than 4p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
As of Tuesday, July 29, two candidates — Incumbent Martin Grohman and City Councilor Norman Belanger — have taken out papers for the mayor’s seat. Grohman is currently serving his first term and Belanger is a former council president.
CITY COUNCIL RACES:
Ward One. Incumbent Bill Emhiser will not seek a fourth term. Jim LaBelle, former director of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce, has expressed interest in that seat, but has not yet taken out nomination forms, according to the city clerk’s office.
Ward Two: Incumbent Scott Whiting announced on social media that he will not seek a third term. Former city council president John McCurry told the Gazette last week that he will seek a return to the council. Abigail Woods, a former city employee, announced on Facebook that she will also seek the seat. Both McCurry and Woods have taken out papers but not returned them.
Former Council President John McCurry, hoping to return to the Ward Two seat.
Ward Three: Incumbent Roger Beaupre is looking for a second term and has already submitted his nomination papers. So far, no other candidates have expressed interest in that seat.
Ward Four: Former Councilor Bobby Mills is once again hoping to make a political comeback. Mills resigned his council seat just four months after the last election, following an interaction with the Biddeford Police Department. Mills also resigned his position as York County Treasurer.
Just days after submitting his resignation, Mills tried to rescind that decision, saying he was pressured by Mayor Marty Grohman to resign. Grohman adamantly denied that claim. Dylan Doughty, a former Planning Board member, was unopposed in a special election to replace Mills. Doughty is hoping to keep the Ward Four seat.
Mills has already turned in his nomination forms.
Political Newcomer Abigail Woods is seeking the Ward 2 seat
Ward Five: Incumbent Neva Gross said she will not seek re-election after being appointed by Mayor Grohman to replace former councilor Julian Schalver who resigned the seat in April 2024. Dominic Deschambault submitted his name for consideration, but Grohman instead chose Gross to fill the seat.
Deschambault has been active in Biddeford policy for more than a decade. He previously served on the school committee; and was chair of the Biddeford Housing Authority’s board of directors. Deschambault also served on the Charter Revision Commitee, Capital Improvements and the Downtown Parking Committee.
Dominic Deschambault has taken out papers for Ward 5 and At-Large
Deschambault also took out papers for an at-large seat on the City Council. He told the Gazette Tuesday that he is not yet sure which seat he will pursue
David Kurtz, a Biddeford attorney and member of the city’s Waste Management Commission, said he has been attending council meetings for the last several months and would like to be more involved in the city’s policy making arena.
Ward Six: Former Councilor Roger Hurtubise is hoping to return to the council. Incumbent Norman Belanger is giving up the seat in order to run for mayor. Hurtubise has already turned in his nomination forms. Gregg Shapiro who ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat on the council two years ago– has taken out papers for both Ward Six and at-large.
Ward Seven: City Council President Liam LaFountain has not yet taken out nomination forms.
At Large: There is a crowded field for the two available at-large seats. Marc Lessard is hoping to keep his seat. Incumbent Doris Ortiz will not be seeking reelection.
In addition to Deschambault, Lessard, Shapiro and Vadnais, Sterling Gray Roop of Pinewood Circle, has taken out nomination forms for one of the two at-large seats.
A little more than 24 hours before nomination papers are available from the City’s Clerk’s office, and the landscape for this year’s municipal election in Biddeford is already taking shape.
As we first reported on July 11, Incumbent Marty Grohman is hoping for a second term but will face a challenge from Ward Six Councilor Norman Belanger, a former council president who says the city “needs strong leadership.”
Ward One Councilor William Emhiser told the Gazette that he will not seek a fourth term on the council.
Ward One City Councilor William Emhiser (City photo)
Emhiser said he is supporting former Chamber of Commerce executive director Jim LaBelle for the seat. Although the Gazette spoke to LaBelle last week, he has yet to confirm his decision to run.
“Jim is a terrific guy and the right person to take over my seat,” Emhiser said of LaBelle during a brief interview Tuesday. “Jim knows Biddeford, and he brings both passion and integrity to the table.”
LaBelle, a close friend of Mayor Grohman, said he would only run for the seat if Emhiser declined to seek a fourth term
.
Jim LaBelle, former director of the Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is a likely candidate for Ward One
During the last council meeting, Grohman paused the meeting to express a sentiment of appreciation for LaBelle and “his hard work” during a seven-year tenure as the Chamber’s executive director.
Emhiser said he has enjoyed his six years on the council and had high praise for his fellow councilors. “We’re a diverse bunch, but we’ve always been willing to work together and pulling in the same direction.”
At-large Councilor Doris Ortiz told the Gazette last week that she will also not seek another term on the council. Ortiz has served on the council for three terms, beginning in 2019.
At-Large City Councilor Doris Ortiz will not seek reelection (City Photo)
Ward Five Councilor Neva Gross told the Gazette that she also will not seek a return to her seat. Gross was appointed to the council by the mayor after former councilor Julian Schlaver announced that he was resigning in April 2024.
Gross said that she and her partner are looking for real estate that will likely be outside of the Ward Five boundaries.
Abigail Woods, a former city employee, has said on social media that she is interested in the Ward Two council seat now occupied by Scott Whiting. There is no word on whether Whiting will seek reelection for a third term.
Abigail Woods announced on Facebook that she will seek the Ward Two Council seat
Former Ward Six City Councilor Roger Hurtubise told the Gazette that he will be running for the Ward Six seat being vacated by Belanger.
Hurtubise said he is especially concerned about city spending and back-to-back property tax hikes.
“This council needs people who are going to look out for the taxpayers,” Hurtubise said. “I watch all the meetings, and I shake my head at some of the stuff I see,” he said.
Roger Hurtubise is hoping to return to his former Ward Six Council seat
Other potential candidates have said they are watching the political landscape closely and still deciding whether to toss their hats into the ring, including both the mayor’s seat and council seats.
Nomination papers for all open positions will be available, beginning July 24, at the City Clerk’s office.
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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE 