[Four candidates are vying for two Cape Elizabeth Town Council seats – Anne Swift-Kayatta, Evan B. Livada, David Sherman and Mark D. Zajkowski. The following are candidate surveys completed each of the candidates.]

Name: Anne Swift-Kayatta

Position seeking:  Cape Elizabeth Town Council

Address:  14 Stone Bridge Road, Cape Elizabeth (24 year resident of Cape 

Elizabeth)

Phone:  767-5754

Occupation and work experience:  Homemaker; manager at UNUM, 1980-1995.

Personal:  Married to Bill Kayatta, two daughters

Highest level of education completed:  MBA, Harvard Business School

Organizations and activities: Town councilor, 1999-present (council chairman, 2001-2002 and 2004-2005; Finance chairman, 2000-2001 and 2003-2004; Appointments chairman, 1999-2000 and 2007-2008).  Chairman, Thomas Memorial Library Board of Trustees, 1998-1999 (trustee, 1996-1999).  President, CE Middle School Parents Association, 1996-1998.  Also classroom volunteer.  Executive Committee, Greater Portland Council of Governments, 2000-2001.  Other town committees:  Library Building Study Committee; Comprehensive Plan Committee; Tax Cap Task Force; CE Schools Future Directions Planning Group; School Facilities Committee; Community Center Study Committee.  Maine Municipal Association:  President, 2008 (present); Vice President, 2007; Executive Committee, 2002-present (Chairman—Strategic and Finance Committee, 2005).  Citizens United to Protect our Public Safety, Schools and Communities:  Treasurer, 2004-2007.  Board member, United Way of Greater Portland Foundation, 2005-present.  Board member, United Way Community Impact Steering Committee, 2005-present.  Rotary Club of South Portland/Cape Elizabeth member.

Top Three Issues:

 Balancing important competing needs:  maintaining excellent services while managing tax levels.  Cape Elizabeth citizens suffer from a double whammy from the State.  Since 1988, state aid for education to Cape Elizabeth has dropped from 25 percent to 15 percent of the school budget.  At the same time, state and federal mandates imposed on our school system have increased substantially.  As a result, one can reasonably conclude both that our taxes are too high, and that our school system does not get enough money.  Balancing these conflicting tensions so that we preserve our premier school system without imposing a back-breaking burden on local taxpayers is a continuing challenge that requires careful thought and a business-like focus on getting the most out of our resources.

 Maintaining a civic community in pursuit of our shared interests.  At all levels of government, special interest groups increasingly tend to divide the world into “for us” or “against us” groupings.  Going hand in hand with this tendency is a predisposition to attack opponents and question their motives.  Our community does a better job than most at avoiding going down this path.  If we are to continue with our higher level of civic discourse, we need to work hard to continue to balance priorities and to focus on our shared interests as a community.

Managing change to preserve what makes Cape Elizabeth special.  Our new Comprehensive Plan lays out the vision:  “…to expand open spaces and accessible trails, encourage working farms, continue the current slow pace and pattern of development, maintain excellent educational and municipal services, …support high levels of citizen involvement, and balance services and costs.”  Our challenge will be to guide the evolution of Cape Elizabeth through 2020 to preserve and enhance the community character of this special place.

Why are you seeking elected office?

My commitment to our town is heartfelt and longstanding:  nine years on our council, with two as chairman; before that, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Thomas Memorial Library; and, before that, President of the Middle School Parents Association.  I have also worked with many Cape citizens in some of the organizations that serve our community:  Rotary; the United Way Foundation; and Project Graduation.

Second, I have shown that I can do the work necessary to balance the important but competing demands upon our community.  As treasurer of Citizens United, I helped lead statewide efforts to defeat an initiative that would have slashed school funding and public safety services.  At the same time, as town councilor, I have kept my word to restrain those spending increases that are not justified by either inflation or growth in demand for town services.

Finally, I focus on what is best for our town as a whole.  No special interest or single issue beckons me to stay on the Council.  Rather, my commitment is to Cape Elizabeth as a whole, to fairness for those who are affected by what the Town Council does, to the shared values that bind us together, and to the difficult task of balancing competing and important needs.  I will use my experience, my training, and my knowledge about the many needs of our town to offer a prudent and balanced stewardship of our remarkable resources:  Fort Williams, our excellent schools, our Town Center, and a tradition of volunteerism.

Name: Evan B. Livada   

Position seeking: Town Council Cape Elizabeth

Address: 997 Shore Road

Phone: 799-7448

Occupation: Business owner, Peapods Fashion Accessories- Retired President Livada Securities ($250 million in assets, revenues $2.5 million, sold to Bangor Savings Bank 1998)

Marital Status: Married

Spouse’s Name: Marcia

Children: Elizabeth, 23 and Drake, 20 

Highest Level of education completed: B.A. in Govt. from Cornell University, Ithaca,N.Y.

Organizations and activities: Board Member Maine Health and Higher Education Facilities Authority, appointed by Gov. Angus King, 1998, reappointed by Gov. Baldacci, 2007; former board member, Cape Elizabeth South Portland Chamber of Commerce; founding board member Back Bay Lacrosse; assistant baseball coach, Cape Elizabeth High School, 2005-2007 

Top three issues: 

Keep Cape Elizabeth operating expenses in line with tax revenues without compromising the needs of an exceptional education system.  

 Make town operations efficient and streamlined by offering a common sense approach to the necessities of local government 

Preserve the quality of life and strengthen the town’s ties to the private sector to enhance community involvement.  

Why are you seeking elected office? 

I have lived in this town since I was 10 years old and believe that there is no better place in the world to call home. I hope to bring a common sense approach to handling the difficulties facing our community during what I think will be a tough economic period that will force us to make sure the town is operating efficiently without giving up the needs and wants of the town. I think I have the experience and the skills to try to prioritize a $30 million budget, keep the quality of life without suffering from unnecessary expenditures. 

I have raised two children that went through our school system and received my teaching degree a few years ago. I taught in both the middle school and the high school at Cape Elizabeth and know first-hand about the dedicated staff and the problems and the joys they face in dealing with parents, school board, town council, and the requirements and time commitments of the state and federal layers of education bureaucracy. $18 million is a lot of money to spend on education for our town I hope to lend a hand in a spirit of spending and compromise to maximize the resources available to us. Cape Elizabeth has some of the brightest and resourceful citizens of any community and I would hope to encourage them to come to the forefront and do their share to keep our town the greatest place to live. 

Name: David Sherman

Position seeking: Cape Elizabeth Town Council

Address: 74 Hunts Point Road, Cape Elizabeth

Phone: 253-0519 (Day); 799-1871 (Night); 749-2668 (Cell) 

Occupation: Attorney; Partner at Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon

Marital Status: Married Spouse’s Name: Martha Burchenal

Children: Ross (15), Sam (13) and Cooper (8)

Highest Level of education completed: Law degree from University of Michigan Law School

Organizations and activities: 

Cape Elizabeth Planning Board (2001-2006), including chairman for two years;  Board of directors for the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation (2003-2006), including one year as president and three years as capital campaign co-chairman;  Board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Portland (2000-2006); Volunteer since 1994; Board of directors for the Catherine Morrill Day Nursery (1995-1998);  Youth sports coach (soccer and baseball)

Top three issues: 

1. Ensuring a strong and dynamic school system.

2. Generating revenues from Fort Williams and other resources within our town.

3. Thoughtful scrutiny of all aspects of our town’s budget.

Why are you seeking elected office? 

   I am running for the Cape Elizabeth Town Council because I love this town and want to ensure that it continues to be an attractive place to live for all residents.  My principal goal is to ensure that we have a first rate school system.  Ask any family that moved here – whether today or 25 years ago – and they will cite our schools as the major reason.  A strong school system is the hallmark of a united and dynamic community, and that benefits everyone in our town.     

 That being said, clearly we need to spend responsibly and to ensure that the tax burden doesn’t become too much for our citizens.  In addition to scrutinizing school spending, I want the Council to carefully consider ways to save money on the municipal side of the ledger.  I also want to revisit whether we can generate more revenue from Fort Williams by taking a more entrepreneurial approach (for example, an expanded gift shop).  There are no easy answers here, but with the talent available in our town, we can find a way to support a strong school system and make this community attractive and livable for everyone.   

 My family moved to Cape Elizabeth in 1978 when I was 16.  My wife and I moved back in 1993 after our first son was born.  I know this town and its residents and will be a positive and productive voice on the town council.

Name: Mark D. Zajkowski  

Position seeking: Cape Elizabeth Town Council

Address: 29 Ocean View Road

Phone: 653-4939 (Day) 653-4939(Night)

Occupation: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Marital Status: Married  

Spouse’s Name: Michele

Children: Katie (9) and Dan (6)

Highest Level of education completed: Doctoral Degrees (two) from Harvard University MD, 1996

Organizations and activities:  Multiple medical and dental associations and societies; Greater Portland Cleft Lip and Palate Team; Volunteer clinical instructor, Massachusetts General Hospital (1999-2004); Team Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Portland Pirates

Top three issues: 

1. Support for our school system in the budget process

2. Restore the balance of the town council to include representation of families with young children

3. Find creative ways to fund our priorities, through both reviewing our entire budget process as well as finding creative ways to generate revenue

Why are you seeking elected office? 

   Our family moved to Cape Elizabeth in 1999 for high quality schools and a better environment to raise a family. We realized what a unique town this is, with its preservation of open space, ocean and park access, and old time neighborhoods that simply don’t exist anywhere else. I am running for town council because I believe that we can have it all in Cape — good schools, open space, reasonable residential and commercial development and a commitment to ensure value for our tax dollars.

  While the current council has done a good job, I feel strongly that the group would benefit from the voice of a younger family.  The perspective of such a person is invaluable in town and school planning, as well as input into important community services and priority projects such as the planned intersection at town center and the proposed Shore Road path.

   If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will bring strong leadership credentials to the council.  I have served multiple professional associations in leadership roles, most recently as president of the Maine Dental Association.  

   My wife (who is currently serving as the Pond Cove Parent’s Association president) and I want to see our children grow up in the amazing town that so many of you did, with excellent schools, involved parents, a commitment to community and the understanding that we all benefit if we invest in our children and their education. I would sincerely appreciate your vote on November 4.