BANGOR, Maine — Seven local residents have qualified to seek three City Council seats in November’s general election, and three have qualified to run for two School Committee seats.
City Clerk Lisa Goodwin confirmed Friday afternoon that Gary Capehart, Paul LeClair, David Nealley, Sarah Nichols, William Osmer, Joe Perry and Megan “Meg” Shorette had all qualified for the upcoming city election.
The city will hold a drawing on Tuesday to determine the order that the candidates will appear on the agenda.
Perry, a 49-year-old Democrat who served 14 years in the Maine Legislature, was a late arrival to the pack, saying he decided to run at the last minute after reading about the candidate pool.
“I just didn’t see the experience there in any single one of them that I think I can bring, so I just decided last minute to do it,” he said.
It is Perry’s first election bid since he lost re-election to the Maine Senate in 2010. He said he hopes to use his experience to protect programs that benefit the city and its residents such as the homestead exemption and revenue sharing.
Perry owns Garland Street Market in Bangor. Among others, he will face incumbent David Nealley, 54.
Nealley is the only sitting councilor to seek re-election this year after Councilor Patricia Blanchette departed the city for Florida in July and Councilor Pauline Civiello announced this week she will not seek re-election.
Nealley is a longtime Bangor businessman who serves as publisher of Maine Seniors magazine. First elected in 2001, he has served three nonconsecutive terms as one of the council’s more conservative voices.
He is running on a platform that touts his political experience.
Other familiar faces this year include Capehart, LeClair, Osmer and Shorette. Capehart was not immediately available for comment, but he ran as a Republican for Maine House District 125 last year.
As of 2012, he was reportedly a longtime school teacher in the Bangor School Department.
LeClair, 74, is well known at City Council meetings, frequently making use of the public comment periods to criticize council spending and policies.
Retired after nearly 20 years in customer service for Digital Equipment Corp. in Massachusetts, LeClair is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
If elected, he said one of his priorities would be to bring accountability and transparency to the city and school department budgets, saying he feels “we’re not getting enough consistency in how we spend taxpayer money” and that the city should focus on needs instead of just wants when it comes to spending.
He also touts his ability to work well with others.
Osmer, 35, is an instructor and an adviser at the University of Maine. Saying he is not a one-issue candidate, his platform addresses issues of drug abuse in the city, quality education and public spending.
“I definitely want to make sure every penny spent in the city is spent wisely,” he said.
His platform also touts his ability to work well with others.
Shorette, 31, is making her second run for City Council after an unsuccessful bid in 2011. She serves as executive director of Launchpad, a nonprofit arts incubator in Bangor. She also is a small business owner at The BETA Agency, a marketing agency in Bangor.
After running unsuccessfully in 2011, Shorette, who is a graduate of the University of Maine, said she feels ready to take on the issues that will make Bangor a better place to live.
“I am ready to take on the issues to make Bangor a place I want to live and a place I want my children to live,” she said.
The pack also includes political newcomer Sarah Nichols, 25, who announced her candidacy early in August.
A 2008 graduate of Bangor High School and a 2012 graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in new media, Nichols is running on a platform that promises economic growth and good paying jobs while continuing to invest in education and the growth of tourism and cultural events.
“I believe that Bangor has much more growth potential,” she said. “The people of Bangor have a tremendous work ethic and proven ability to work together. It is my goal to not only be a voice, but a partner with all the people of Bangor.”
Nichols serves as development coordinator for St. Joseph Healthcare.
For School Committee, the candidates are Jennifer DeGroff, Brian Doore and David Sturm, who are seeking seats being vacated by committee members Marc Eastman and Sarah Smiley. No incumbents are running for School Committee this year.
DeGroff, 42, is a full-time community advocate and volunteer, working with several local groups, including Habitat for Humanity.
Her platform includes restoring home economics and shop to the middle school curriculum, to provide students better life skills.
“I see a lot of kids not learning what they need to become productive adults,” she said, noting that many graduates don’t know basic things such as how to balance a checkbook.
Doore, 46, is director of assessment for the University of Maine. With five children in the school system and 20 years of experience in state and federal K-12 policy advising, he said he is running to help maintain the already high quality education provided in Bangor.
“I see it as a service and a way to give back to the community,” he said.
Sturm was not immediately available for comment Friday afternoon.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.