The Town of Windham has appointed Kathy Tombarelli as its new town planner, bringing with her decades of academic training, municipal experience, and a deep familiarity with the region she now serves.
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| Kathy Tombarelli brings decades of academic training, municipal experience and a deep familiarity with the Lakes region to her new job as a planner for the Town of Windham. COURTESY PHOTO |
“My path to becoming a town planner can be credited directly to my time at the Muskie School of Public Service at USM,” she said. Over nearly a decade at the school, she worked in multiple capacities, ultimately serving as a research analyst while completing an impressive trio of degrees: a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, a master’s degree in public policy and management, and a master’s degree in American and New England studies.
Her final degree, said Tombarelli, a Washington state native, was driven by her fascination with New England culture – an interest that has since become central to her personal and professional life. She has lived in Maine for 33 years and after leaving the University of Southern Maine, she transitioned her project management skills into municipal planning, where she has spent years guiding residential and commercial developments, drafting ordinance revisions, and contributing to two Comprehensive Plan updates.
Prior to arriving in Windham, Tombarelli’s experience includes working as municipal planner in Naples from 2024 until coming to Windham, as town planner in New Gloucester from 2023 and part of 2024, and as Gray’s town planner from 2015 through part of 2021.
“The Town of Windham was the next logical step at this time in my career,” she said. “It is a larger municipality with more development, but a town I am very familiar with it as I have lived in an adjacent community (Gray) for over 30 years.”
For Tombarelli, the heart of the job is not the paperwork or the policy – it’s the people.
“The primary role of the town planner is to assist applicants as they navigate their projects through the Planning Board process,” she said. “Town planning is about timing, project coordination, and finding creative solutions to complicated land use issues.”
One of the most complicated issues facing the town of Windham is the cost of housing, Tombarelli said. Windham, like many communities in Southern Maine, faces mounting pressure around housing availability and affordability. She said she recognizes the challenge but also sees the work already underway by town officials.
“It is evident that the town has been working hard with developers to increase the supply and types of housing options available for residents,” she said.
Though she is still settling into her new role, Tombarelli said that she is eager to contribute.
“It is too soon for me to identify what my primary focus or contribution will be, but I am looking forward to being part of an experienced team,” Tombarelli said. Windham, she says, felt like a natural next step – it is larger, more complex, yet familiar.
She says that during her initial time on the job, she will be working closely with Windham’s Planning Director Stephen Puleo.
“My first six months will be spent working closely with the Planning Director to align with Windham’s goals while learning the nuances of Windham’s land use challenges and opportunities,” she said.
The Windham Planning Department is responsible for conducting long-range studies and producing reports on various issues related to land use and transportation. The department also assists the Planning Board with the review of development proposals. <
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