phyllisbailey4bath.com

Experience, Integrity &
Team Work

As your Ward 1 City Councilor, my goal remains to promote the livability and quality of life in
Bath for all residents across the lifespan, ranging from young families to older adults.
I believe in a team approach to our city’s issues; and collaborate with other councilors, residents and city staff to find practical solutions.

What I Have Been Doing During the Pandemic:

I’ve worked to lessen the pandemic’s impact on Bath’s people by:

Extra City Council and Committee meetings, and votes to support experiments like“parklets” downtown for outside dining and safe sidewalks as well as other pandemic safety measures.
Support for city bridge loans to local businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Participating in collaborative Good Food For Bath weekly zoom calls to problem-solve getting information and food resources to residents at risk of hunger here.
Creating a Food Resource List for Older Adults for the Age Friendly Communities of the Lower Kennebec at start of the pandemic, to get vital information into the hands of food insecure older adults via local newspapers, the senior center, the city, etc.
Stepping in when the Bath Area Senior Center lost its newsletter editor as the pandemic hit, leaving local older adults without an important information resource. As guest editor, published June issue focused on resources available during the pandemic and August issue focused on keeping safe when you are out in our community. Here are links.
- For June 2020 Newsletter on Pandemic Resources, go to
  https://container.parishesonline.com/bulletins/06/5214/20200630N.pdf
  For August 2020 Newsletter focused on safety in the pandemic, go to https://container.parishesonline.com/bulletins/06/5214/2020081N.pdf
On Bath’s Kindness Day, ran socially distanced booth with Councilor Ambrosino distributing information and veggie bags courtesy of Merrymeeting Gleaners.

Like many others, I have enjoyed making masks for friends.

I will continue to work on moving Bath forward through the pandemic and into the future.

What else I have been working on

On the Community Development Committee, worked to promote the exploration and development of “missing middle” housing – for people of the middle class looking for options, especially older adults aging out of single family homes they are struggling to maintain. A developer has successfully brought the “Uptown Project” proposal through multiple committees and reviews and is heading towards financing and construction. Also reviewed drafts and gave input on ordinances re vacant properties and short-term rentals to help sustain housing stock and options in our community.

Appointment Review Committee – I worked hard as vacancies occurred on boards and committees to make the committees reflect more of the people of Bath. We gained some diversity by age, gender, experience, neighborhood, etc. After Bernie Wyman’s death, became the chairperson, worked with City Clerk’s office to make forms and process more efficient and streamlined.

Age Friendly Group of the Lower Kennebec – Helped design community survey, disseminate it and analyse results. Gives a much needed current regional view of older adult residents and their challenges. Final report coming out on 1,000 responses over 6 towns.

Transportation Committee – Brought a neighborhood voice to the South End Traffic Study so it was expanded from original focus on streets around the shipyard, all the way down to Webber Street. Worked with committee to increase attention to parking and speeding issues in South End, with the result that police surveillance has increased along with deployment of speed measurement signs. The Pandemic interrupted some efforts taken with shipyard to reduce traffic and parking issues adjacent to BIW through increased use of satellite parking and shuttles. We will need to revisit these measures and continue re-shaping them as we move through the pandemic and into the “new normal” of things like bus shuttles with greatly reduced capacity, etc.

Sagadahoc County Budget Advisory Committee – kept conservative fiscal eye on county budgeting and expenditures.

Contact Me

On e-mail at pbailey@cityofbath.com or phyllisbailey4bath@gmail.com

On Facebook –Phyllis Bailey for Bath City Council, Ward 1

Website: phyllisbailey4bath.com

My Background:

Bath resident for 14 years after coming as summer visitor 39 years ago. Married 34 years to my husband, Kevin.
Graduate of Leadership Maine Program, Pi Class, of the Maine Development Foundation. M.S.W from Catholic University, with Management major. Courses on Community Economic Development at SNHU.
Worked in for-profit companies on business problems – including how to help older adults age how & where they choose; and how to help employees balance work and care-giving to a loved one.
Retired Director of a national aging in place program for policyholders of a long term care insurance company. Built team that serves the U.S. from a satellite office in Southern ME, creating professional livable wage jobs.

Testimonials

“Councilor Bailey leads with compassion and listens to the needs of everyone at the table. Working with her on the Community Development Committee I’ve learned a great deal about Bath’s “aging in place” needs. I am consistently impressed with Phyllis’ expertise and commitment to supporting an inclusive and thriving community. Phyllis is a dedicated and thoughtful advocate for the residents of Bath and I’m grateful for her service!” ~ Gretchen Jaeger, Owner, Halcyon Yarn, Bath, Maine

“Vote Bailey — As a Ward 1 resident and voter, I am casting my vote for Phyllis Bailey for Ward 1 Councilor. Phyllis’s work as a dedicated city councilor for Ward 1 has been well-documented during her term.

I have had the chance to get to know Phyllis this year and watch her work supporting so many different groups here in Bath. She truly cares about people and looks for solutions that will work for all concerns, not just a single group. This type of team effort is so needed when working with this kind of government body structure, Phyllis understands this. In the middle of a pandemic, it is so important to have someone like Phyllis who has the experience needed to help with the day to day struggles of all residents and the understanding of what kind of recovery effort will be needed after.

Phyllis understands that this is not a part-time job as some have suggested. Her tireless efforts are greatly appreciated, as are the goals she has articulated for the city of Bath. Phyllis’s dedication to all residents and being a positive voice for Ward 1 won my support.

I believe she will be a true advocate for ALL residents of Ward 1. I wish her the very best on Nov. 3 and urge my Ward 1 neighbors to cast their vote for Phyllis Bailey for their Ward 1 Councilor. ~ Vince Bayard, Bath, Letter to the Editor, Times Record

“Vote Bailey — Three years ago I chose to support and vote for Phyllis Bailey for her first term on the Bath City Council. That was a very good decision. In her time as a councilor, she has served Ward 1 and the City of Bath well. Phyllis has been readily accessible to her constituents as an empathetic and discerning listener. Always, with the welfare of the Bath community in mind, she has addressed the city’s problems and acted creatively together with other people toward solutions. I appreciate having had Phyllis Bailey as an advocate for Ward 1, and will be happy to vote for her again!” ~ Mrs. Sally Gray, Letter to the Editor, Times Record

“Vote Bailey — If you want a representative (Ward 1 Bath City Council) that is honest, sincere, and hard working Phyllis Bailey is the one. I have known Phyllis from the Senior Center and from working with her on Good Food For Bath. Phyllis is a problem solver. She listens to your problems and then formulates a way to fix them. She is an advocate for every one in the community and is not afraid to stand up and present your concerns. Our town needs this type of leadership in these trying times. Vote for Phyllis Bailey and get the representation you need.” Diane Nicol, Bath, Letter to the Editor, Times Record

“After selling Phyllis her home many years ago, I had the chance to see her work on some issues in our community. She impressed me with her diligence, her openness to hearing both sides and her focus on getting the facts. Her sense of balance and fairness is a real asset.” ~ Diane Moyer

“We support Phyllis Bailey for City Council because of her dedication to helping work for a safe and affordable quality of life for our local community.” ~ Rebecca Farnham Porter & Dave Porter

“I have known Phyllis for several years now, and am impressed at her intellect and clarity of thought. I am excited about her work for Bath. She has my vote.” ~ Carl S. Graffam

“Phyllis Bailey is a great addition to Bath City Council because she is open to ideas, willing to work on collaborative solutions, and has a long history of experience working on initiatives to give older adults’ choices about how they want to age.” ~ Debora Keller

Articles I have written

Article recently published in “The Cryer” newspaper – “A Conversation with Dr. Shah” on a conversation between Maine AARP and the CDC Director on the Pandemic and older adults.

“Food Resource List for Older Adults” I created in the spring and updated in August 2020 for the Age Friendly Communities of the Lower Kennebec in collaboration with Good Food For Bath.

Summary articles on the Age Friendly Community survey findings – prepared for the Bath Senior Center Newsletter on the findings about “Our Homes” and “Our Mobility“. Also an article on “Navigating the ElderCare Maze“.

“Honored Citizens: Talking About the Concept of Age”. This is an article about re-considering how we think and talk about age that I wrote for a corporate newsletter.

These public servants from Maine inspire me and shape my thinking:

“Most of the problems upon this planet,…have been met and solved either partially or as whole by experiment based on common sense and carried out with courage.” — Ms. Frances Perkins, primary architect of Social Security, and U.S. Secretary of Labor 1933-1945.