Liam LaFountain is the youngest member of the Biddeford City Council and just a few weeks ago he defeated veteran councilor Norman Belanger in a 6-3 vote to become the newest council president.

Although largely a ceremonial position, the Biddeford City Council president presides over council meetings when the mayor is either absent or unavailable. The council president is also deeply involved with the mayor and city manager in determining the council’s agenda and what items the council will tackle.

In November, LaFountain was unopposed in his bid for a second term as the city’s Ward Seven representative.

LaFountain is often described by his peers as “thoughtful, analytical, measured and hard-working.”

During a recent interview, LaFountain was quick to laugh and was very self-effacing. But make no mistake, he cares deeply about how he is perceived by his council peers and his constituents.

LaFountain, 27, is employed as a data analyst for Healthcare Purchaser Alliance, a non-profit organization headquartered in Falmouth. He grew up in Biddeford, and his father Llyod LaFountain served on the Biddeford School Committee and as a state senator in the late 1990s.

Liam LaFountain graduated from Cheverus High School in 2015 and then attended Gonzaga University, a Jesuit school in Washington state, where he earned a degree in international relations.

He and his wife, Eisha, have been married four years and live on Elm Street.

What made you want to get involved in city politics? Did your father try to talk you out of it?

(Laughs) “Yeah, he certainly warned me about some of the pitfalls of public service. I think my dad had a really good experience in the Legislature, but I don’t know if he would ever do it again; the atmosphere around politics has changed and become very divisive.

“But that’s sort of why I saw an opportunity in local government, where I don’t think the divisions are quite as strong. And it seemed like a good opportunity to give back to the community where I grew up.

“Before the council, I was part of the Recreation Commission, and I really enjoyed that work.”

“I like volunteering and serving in the community. Looking at the council, I had a lot of respect for what they did, but I also saw there was an opportunity for younger voices, especially since we are the youngest community in Maine.”

You had only one term on the council under your belt, but you decided to go ahead and make a move to become the council president.

“I have tremendous respect for Norm [Belanger], and it was in no way anything personal. I ran, primarily, because I wanted to see the council try to improve its pace. 

“It is important for the council to pass important policies, but if something passes or fails, we can live with that, and then we can move on and try something new. But if we never get to a point to where we’re voting on it, then we can never figure out if it’s going to work for us and move on to another issue.

“Will I be successful? I don’t know, but I am looking forward to working closely with my fellow councilors. We’re facing some really challenging problems, and we need to look at things differently.”

Being the council president is more time consuming. How, or will, your new role impact your work as a representative for people who live in Ward Seven?

“I think my time will have to be more scheduled, but I want to make sure that my constituents know that they and their concerns about the city will remain as my top priority.”

“What are the challenges facing this new council?

“The housing issue is huge, whether we’re talking about homelessness or the lack of affordable housing. Housing issues impact so many other areas, including our schools, our local businesses and even city government.

“If people can’t afford to live in our community, then we’re going to see continued challenges in our workforce and staffing. The unhoused issue is heart-breaking, and we need to find opportunities for those folks in our community who deserve and have a right to housing; to find ways to get them housing and services they need to be successful.

“At the same time, we have generational families in Biddeford that can no longer afford to live here and are being pushed out of the community, able to find housing but just not in Biddeford.

“We also need to move forward in discussions about a fire department sub-station in eastern Biddeford.

“Another big issue is climate change, which is forcing us to look at improving the resiliency of our municipal infrastructure. Just look across the river in the city of Saco, where they have been losing many taxable properties over the last 70 or 80 years.

“We have a lot of vulnerabilities. People are also migrating here because of the climate. Within our own country, we have more and more folks leaving places like Texas or California because of drought or forest fires and moving to the northeast - -not just Maine, but all of New England.”

What are some of the concerns you’re hearing about from your constituents?

“I think we have several traffic related issues that deserve our time and energy. People talk to me a lot about speeding, pedestrian safety and just general traffic concerns.

“People also care very much about our parks and playgrounds. People want more recreational opportunities, especially for younger children.”

Different councilors have different opinions, but what do you see as a common thread for this current council?

“We all know each other pretty well, and we’re all trying to make Biddeford the best community possible.

“I want to be approachable and accessible because I think we’re a better community when we have more active participation, whether it’s from the council or members of the public.”

Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He is a retired newspaper editor and the principal of a small strategic communications consulting firm. He may be contacted at randy@randyseaver.com

Check out the new Saco Bay News shop at Spreadshirt and support local journalism.