Saco City Council selects Sandra Guay as new Ward 3 councilor
Sandra Guay, right, is sworn in Monday night as the next Saco Ward 3 City Councilor. (Sydney Richelieu/Staff Writer)
SACO — Sandra Guay was unanimously sworn in to the City Council on Monday night, becoming Saco’s third Ward 3 councilor in eight months.
The former Ward 3 councilor, William “Bill” Doyle, resigned from his seat in July after accepting a role as town manager in New Gloucester in February.
Doyle, who served as the Ward 3 City Councilor from 2015-19 and also as Saco mayor from 2019-23, had been reelected to the council in a January special election. That election was held to find a successor for previous Councilor Joseph Gunn, who had resigned after moving out of the ward.
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Guay and longtime Saco resident and public servant John Shannon were both in the running for the seat.
Guay will serve in the role until Dec. 7. Ward 3 residents will elect a councilor to serve the rest of Doyle’s term — which runs until December 2027 — in the Nov. 3 election.
Guay has a long history of serving Saco in various roles. A land use attorney, she is on Saco’s Long Range Planning Committee and also serves on the board of directors at the Dyer Library.
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On Monday night, Guay said she would advocate for mixed-use development in Saco, increase access to the Eastern Trail for cyclists and walkers, and advocate for farmland, conservation land and a working waterfront. Guay also said she would focus on housing costs in Saco.
“Housing costs have become unaffordable to many young people starting out, and underprivileged people,” she told the City Council on Monday.
As a councilor, Guay said she would work to compromise with other city leaders and use her experience on the Saco Planning Board to help influence her new role.
“People come from very different backgrounds, and the black and white is never really black and white,” Guay said. “It’s gray.”
Saco residents spoke in support for Guay on Monday night, leading to councilors noting the difficulty choosing between Guay and Shannon.
After receiving a unanimous positive vote, Guay expressed her gratitude for the Saco community.
“I’ve worked in many communities. Saco is exceptional, and I really have to say that,” she said. “Everybody is exceptional, and I am really proud to say I live in Saco.”
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Sydney is a community reporter for Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel and previously reporter for the Courier and Post. Sydney grew up in Kennebunk and is a graduate. More by Sydney Richelieu
