Mayor David Morse

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Michael Shaughnessy on being named the 2026 William F. King, Jr. Downtown Champion Award recipient by the Maine Development Foundation and Maine Downtown Center!

This is a well-deserved statewide recognition of someone whose work has had a lasting impact on Westbrook. For decades, Michael has been a tireless advocate for the Presumpscot River, for our downtown, for the arts, and for the idea that strong communities are built by bringing people together around the places they share.

His leadership with Friends of the Presumpscot River and Discover Downtown Westbrook has helped reconnect our community with the river that runs through the heart of our city and has contributed in meaningful ways to the revitalization of downtown Westbrook. He has also brought that same commitment to public service through his work as a member of the Westbrook City Council.

Michael has given an extraordinary amount of his time, energy, creativity, and persistence to this community, and I am very pleased to see that work recognized at the state level.

Congratulations, Michael, and thank you for everything you continue to do for Westbrook.

Congratulations to the Maine Downtown Center 2026 William F. King, Jr., Downtown Champion Award Winner, Shaughnessy, of Westbrook Maine and longtime partner/supporter/volunteer with Discover Downtown Westbrook and Friends of the Presumpscot River.

Help us celebrate all the ways Michael is making community-wide impact and improving lives by joining us Friday, September 25th for MDF’s 48th Annual Meeting & Champion Awards and Maine Downtown Center Annual Awards. More info on the event and to register: https://www.mdf.org/event/mdfs-48th-annual-meeting-champion-awards-celebration/?&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=2026annualmeeting&utm_content=2026_annual_meeting&utm_term=openings

Thank you to Sappi North America for sponsoring this award.

And to our Event sponsors: Bangor Savings Bank and Maine Community Foundation.






Main Street Maine Heart of Biddeford Augusta Downtown Alliance Main Street America Main Street Skowhegan Heart of Ellsworth S**o Main Street Main Street Bath Gardiner Main Street Our Town Belfast @

Anne Ball Yellow Light Breen Rosie Vanadestine Ethos Vont Bath Savings M&T Bank

08/05/2026

🚍 A New Opportunity for Westbrook High School Students Begins This School Year!

I am excited to share that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, Westbrook High School students are eligible to receive free, unlimited access to Greater P̶o̶r̶t̶l̶a̶n̶d̶(Westbrook!) METRO buses through a new partnership between the City of Westbrook and METRO.

This program is about much more than getting students to and from school. It is about expanding opportunity.

For many students, transportation can be the difference between participating in an after-school activity or not, accepting a part-time job or turning it down, volunteering in the community, attending an appointment, or simply getting where they need to go independently.

The Westbrook School Department identified transportation as a real barrier for some students. After studying whether expanding the traditional yellow school bus system was feasible, they concluded that it was not financially or logistically practical. This partnership with METRO offers another solution.

The City Council has approved this pilot program, allowing us to evaluate actual ridership, costs, operational performance, and community feedback before making any long-term decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓Who is eligible?

All Westbrook High School students will, if they wish, receive a METRO transit pass through the school.

❓Can students use the pass only for school?

No. The pass provides unlimited access to the entire METRO system, allowing students to travel to school, work, extracurricular activities, volunteer opportunities, appointments, libraries, shopping, and other destinations throughout the region.

❓Does this replace yellow school buses?

No. The School Department will continue operating its existing school bus system. This program supplements, but does not replace, traditional school transportation.

❓Why is the City doing this?

Because transportation creates opportunity. Not every family has reliable access to a vehicle, and the School Department identified transportation as a barrier for some students. This program helps remove that barrier.

❓How much does it cost taxpayers?

The City pays only for rides that are actually taken by eligible students.

The cost is $1.13 per ride, with an annual cap of 30,000 rides, meaning the City's maximum annual cost is approximately $34,000. If students take fewer rides, the City's cost is proportionately lower.

❓Why not just expand the school bus system?

The School Department studied that option through an ad hoc committee of School Committee members, school staff, and parents. While they found that additional transportation was needed, they concluded that expanding the traditional school bus system was not financially or logistically feasible.

❓How do we know students will actually use it?

That is exactly why this is a pilot.

We can estimate demand, but we cannot know with certainty until the opportunity exists. During this school year we will collect actual ridership data and evaluate the program based on evidence rather than assumptions.

❓What if a student gives their pass to someone else to use?

The transit passes are issued to individual students and are intended for their personal use only.

Before receiving a pass, students will review the program rules and sign an agreement outlining their responsibilities. If METRO identifies misuse or fraudulent use of a pass, the account can be suspended while the matter is reviewed with school administration. Misuse can result in the loss of riding privileges.

METRO already uses this process successfully with Portland Public Schools, and a similar system will be implemented in Westbrook.

❓Will students receive instruction on how to use the system?

Yes. METRO will work with Westbrook High School to provide orientation sessions for students and/or school staff before the program begins. Students will learn how to use their transit pass, understand the rules of the program, and become familiar with riding the METRO system safely and confidently.

❓What happens after the pilot year?

At the conclusion of the school year, the City, METRO, and the School Department will review ridership, costs, operational performance, and community feedback before determining whether the program should continue, be modified, or conclude.

❓Why is introducing students to public transportation important?

If we want to reduce traffic congestion, improve mobility, and build a stronger regional transit system, we need to help the next generation become comfortable using public transportation. This program can provide students with greater independence today while helping build lifelong transit riders for tomorrow.

I want to thank the Westbrook City Council, Greater Portland METRO, the Westbrook School Department, and everyone who participated in this discussion over the past several weeks. I also want to thank the many residents who shared both their support and their concerns. Those conversations strengthened the program and helped shape it into a pilot that will be carefully monitored and evaluated.

This program represents a relatively small investment with the potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our young people. I look forward to seeing the opportunities it creates for Westbrook students during the coming school year. 🚍🎓

Greater Portland Metro is partnering with Westbrook High School to offer students full access to the entire Metro.

07/23/2026

Thank you to the Westbrook City Council for their support of this proposal. It will have a positive impact on our city's teens and how our region approaches transportation as we move into the future.

Providing free METRO transit passes to eligible high school students is about much more than transportation. It's about expanding opportunity.

Reliable public transportation can help students get to school, participate in extracurricular activities, access jobs and internships, volunteer in the community, and connect with opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.

Looking beyond the immediate benefits, I also believe this initiative can help shape the future of transportation in our region. If we want to reduce traffic congestion, improve our environment, and build a stronger public transit system, we need to foster a new generation of transit riders. Making public transportation a familiar, accessible part of everyday life for young people is an important step toward achieving that vision.

If approved, free metro bus rides for 700 Westbrook High School students could transform access to school and activities.

07/07/2026

The City of Westbrook mourns the passing of Donald LaRouche, a man whose love for our community was evident in both extraordinary and ordinary ways. For years, Don was a steadfast advocate for improving safety at the Cumberland Mills intersection following the tragic loss of his beloved wife, Holly. His quiet persistence helped keep attention focused on a project that has made our city safer for countless residents, the redesign of the traffic triangle at Cumberland Mills. At the same time, Don became known to so many of us for his daily acts of kindness—picking up litter, returning trash barrels, and simply taking pride in caring for the city he loved. He never sought recognition, only a better Westbrook. Don reminded us that true citizenship is measured not by titles or accolades, but by a willingness to serve others and to leave a place better than you found it. On behalf of the City of Westbrook, I extend my deepest condolences to Don's family and friends. May we honor his memory by showing the same love for our community that he demonstrated every day.

View Donald Allan Larouche's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

06/30/2026

06/14/2026

Thank you Post 62 for conducting this event today in Riverbank Park.

On June 14, 1777, in the midst of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution establishing a flag for the new nation. Since then, generations of Americans have looked to the Stars and Stripes as a symbol of freedom, unity, and hope. More than a century later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day, and in 1949 Congress officially designated it as a day of national observance.

But Flag Day is about much more than history. It is an opportunity to reflect on what our flag represents and on the generations of Americans who have given meaning to those colors and those stars.

Our flag has flown over moments of triumph and moments of trial. It has been carried into battle and raised in victory. It has accompanied Americans who fought for independence, preserved the Union, liberated Europe, defended freedom in Asia and the Middle East, and answered the call whenever duty demanded.

For many, the flag is not simply a piece of cloth. It is a reminder of ideals. The belief that liberty is precious, that democracy is worth preserving, and that we are united not by ancestry or background, but by our shared commitment to the principles upon which this country was founded.

Here in Westbrook, those ideals have always found expression in the lives of ordinary citizens who answered an extraordinary call.

Generation after generation, men and women from our community have served the nation in times of war and peace. Some returned home to build families, businesses, and neighborhoods. Some carried with them memories and burdens that few could fully understand. And some never came home at all.

Today, we remember them with gratitude and humility.

We remember those who left behind familiar streets and neighborhoods here in Westbrook to serve in places far from home. We remember those who stood watch on ships, flew missions in distant skies, patrolled dangerous roads, and cared for wounded comrades. We remember those who sacrificed not for glory or recognition, but because they believed that service to something larger than themselves was both a duty and an honor.

Their examples remind us that the freedoms represented by our flag have never been free.

And perhaps that is one of the enduring lessons of Flag Day. Patriotism is not measured merely by words or ceremonies. It is measured by our willingness to serve our communities, to respect one another, and to preserve the institutions and ideals entrusted to us by those who came before.

The flag belongs to all Americans. It has flown over times when our nation was deeply divided and times when we stood together. Through it all, it has remained a symbol not of perfection, but of aspiration. A reminder that each generation is called upon to continue the work of building a more perfect Union.

As Mayor of Westbrook, I am proud of our community’s long tradition of service. I am proud of the veterans among us and grateful to the families who have shared in their sacrifices. And I am proud that the spirit of citizenship and devotion to country continues to live on here in our city.

So on this Flag Day, let us renew our appreciation for the blessings of liberty, remember those who defended them, and recommit ourselves to the ideals that our flag represents.

May we always be worthy of the sacrifices made beneath its colors.

06/13/2026

06/10/2026

It was a huge turnout for a June election in Westbrook today! It’s so great to see so many people participating in our democracy. Unofficial results show that voters approved the Westbrook school budget with almost 70% voting yes. The city will post numbers soon.