Rosemarie De Angelis



30 Buttonwood Street



Education: BA and MA from University of Maine, Orono; Speech/Language
Pathology; Domestic Violence Awareness Training; Facilitation and
Leadership Training; Myers-Briggs Qualified Trainer.



Occupation: Adjunct Professor at SMCC; Speech/Language Pathologist;
Education Consultant and Advocate; Court Mediator and Guardian ad Litem
in Family Matters

Age: 54



Party Affiliation: Democrat



Political experience: Three years on the S.P. City Council; Elementary
Schools Master Building Committee; Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Board
Relations; Knightville-Mill Creek Master Plan Steering Committee;
People’s Regional Opportunity Program Board of Trustees from S.P.;
Southern Maine Community College President’s Advisory Council;
Knightville Landing Waterfront Committee



Civic organizations: South Portland Land Trust; South Portland
Historical Society; South Portland Friends of the Library; Court
Appointed Special Advocate for Child Protection; Youth Alternatives
Volunteer Family Mediator; Women in Leadership Trainer; Communicant of
St. Alban’s Church; Pro Bono Women’s Law Project on Domestic Violence;
Union Leader-Organizer, 25 years



General statement about candidacy: My goal is continuing a tradition of
active service, accessibility and true representation of all
constituents in South Portland. “Planning Today for South Portland’s
Tomorrow” means facing population growth and the approaching age wave
of senior baby boomers, honoring our commitment to our Veterans,
insuring quality education, encouraging sustainable business prosperity
balanced with quality of life for residents, providing employment
opportunities to stem the “brain drain”, and safeguarding the common
good.



Stance on the following issues:



TABOR and tax-reform: Tax reform that has a high likelihood of
devastating schools, police and fire safety in our community and
services to our seniors is not thoughtful tax reform. I trust our
citizens to understand the needs and vote in the best interest of our
people. However, tax reform is clearly needed. With a bill such as
TABOR, there is a high risk of loss to those things we value
most—education, public safety, and senior services. Additionally,
because all communities differ, to support TABOR is to support state
mandates over local control—losing local control denies community
members the option for a part in the decision-making. We elect local
leaders to maintain local control—in this model, citizens have a ‘say’
in what happens in their community. State mandates eliminate that
participation. The people in the state have always demanded local
government formats—from town meetings to city councils. Each of them
allows decisions to be made by the residents in the municipality—not
‘big government’ deciding what is best for us, giving the greatest
power to the minority.



The people of Maine are burdened with property taxes and do need
relief. The Circuit Breaker Program is not used to the fullest extent
and should be promoted more for higher use. This has the potential of
offering tax relief to many citizens. This is only the beginning,
however. School funding needs to be revised to be more equitable;
factoring in what is given to the state in revenue versus what is
returned in school funding.



Municipal debt: South Portland has $30 million in debt, with $9 million
to be paid in interest on bonds passed. Since bonds are passed by the
citizens, I fully respect the power of their vote. I always work to be
responsible with debt service and consider the needs of citizens first.




Education funding: I am, and always have been, a big supporter of
education. That includes adequate funding. As an educator of 32 years
and a lifelong learner, I believe education is the single most
important factor in the quality of life for our citizens. If we do not
support education, we abandon our children and diminish their future.
It is the largest portion of our local budget—our community has always
had a strong sense of quality education and the benefits of providing a
continually growing model of education. There are new challenges
daily—our drive for a healthy economy demands a healthy education
system for our youth with a goal to prepare them for the likelihood of
job retraining two to three times in their lifetime. This requires
greater sophistication in education today—and even more so tomorrow.



Economic development: I presently serve on a city committee that is
undertaking the task of assessing our economic development and
potentially fashioning a plan for the future. Our challenges always
include balancing business prosperity with quality of life for our
residents. I continue to see this as one of my goals for future work in
S.P.



Infrastructure priorities: Our most recent work on sewer separation
along Broadway was an important investment in our infrastructure.
Roads, sidewalks and streetscapes are all important components to the
infrastructure and affect our every day lives. Conserving and
protecting green space, improving services to our elderly are critical
to our well being. We need to implement innovative solutions to the
problems of the future as we experience continued population growth in
one of Maine’s largest service centers.



Spending priorities: 1.) Education; 2.)Police Dept/public safety; 3.) Responsible taxing for our residents/



Spending that needs to be cut or eliminated: I believe our municipal
spending has been very responsible for the years I have served South
Portland. The TABOR presentation reported that S.P. was one of few
communities that came within the tax bracket acceptably, should this
legislation pass. Our city staff does an amazing job of servicing our
residents—high quality employees from the service providers to
department heads. If declining enrollment continues, we must constantly
reassess our school funding challenges.



Goals to accomplish: 1.) Improve/increase public safety; 2.) Explore
and support responsible tax reform at the legislative level;
3.)Continue to evaluate our land use ordinances while supporting the
implementation of Open Space and Comprehensive Plans. Deterring further
urban sprawl is vital to controlling the cost of city services and
education.



What are the issues voters bring up most often? Education: many young
families value the educational system and older people want our youth
to have opportunity as well. I stand as a strong supporter of a quality
education system and the need to address alternative styles of
learning. At the same time, we need to recognize that 65 percent of our
tax dollars funds our schools; the state needs to assume more of these
costs.



Public safety is an extremely high priority for our residents. They are
concerned with the rising rate and type of crime in our city. ...I am
an unrelenting advocate for the growing needs of both our police and
fire departments. TABOR: this question is asked over and over. I am
opposed to TABOR and hear support for that position continually.



Ways voters can differentiate you from your opponent: A current working
understanding of the city's issues and challenges; Approachable and
constantly active with constituents across the city; Neutrality in
maintaining a balance of business prosperity with residents’ quality of
life.