Tom Poirier, has been with the Town of Gorham for the past 20 years, having started out as the compliance coordinator for Public Works (which he described as making sure everything was completed according to plan). Two years later he became the assistant coordinator and two years later the town planner. Poirier describes the role of planner as “advising boards, committees, developers, engineers, and other land use professionals on matters ranging from Town ordinances, Town studies, State, and Federal Land Use Regulations.”
Courtesy Town of GorhamBefore coming to Gorham, Poirier, whose undergraduate degree was in forestry and environmental science, did consulting work for a large-scale pipeline and other large-scale construction projects throughout the United States.
Poirier’s current role is director in the Town’s Community Development Department. The Community Development Department consists of three divisions: Economic Development, Planning, and Code. As part of planning duties his work requires advising the Conservation Committee, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Town Council, on regional, state and local land use matters and helps draft zoning regulations.
Additionally, Poirier works on long-range planning for the community such as the Village Master Revitalization and Comprehensive plan updates as well as other Town plans. As part of his economic development duties, he works closely with the Economic Development Director to attract businesses, getting them through the review process, assisting with the loan and grant programs, and making connections with other government agencies. As part of his code duties, he assists the code officers with reviewing building permits and addressing code issues and enforcement.