William David Cherry is running for select board on June 12.  A former selectman, he also served on the Wiscasset Public Advisory Downtown Committee and assisted in writing the historic section in the town’s comprehensive plan.

Cherry said it is normal and valuable for two or more “camps” of individuals to emerge during difficult or controversial issues. He said that in his experience, the town usually comes back together after a final decision has been made. “It will fall to the selectmen to smooth things over with Maine Department of Transportation to make it easier for the people who live or own businesses or property in the downtown area,” he said, stressing that the parking at the former Haggett building is essential, and he hopes the town will be able to partner with MDOT to make sure the lot is built. “We also have to do a lot of education and outreach, especially to business owners and residents downtown. Things are going to be rough during construction. But in the end, no matter how people initially felt about the project, I am betting that they’ll like the final product.”

Cherry said MDOT bent over backward to improve the downtown area, and took a lot of the town’s concerns into consideration. “For instance, once the trees are put in, there will be electricity run out to the trees, so the town can hang Christmas lights on them without running 100 foot extension cords,” he said. “The downtown area was a liability nightmare waiting to happen, with broken steps, non-ADA compliance, and more. It is something the town would have had to do sooner or later, but MDOT is doing it for free for us, and making sure that we are happy with the end product.” He didn’t dispute that parking would be a significant hurdle. “We need the Haggett space,” he said. “I think we’ll get it. And once we do, as someone put it to me, the distance between the parking lot and Marston House will be about the same as from one’s car to the front door of Walmart on a busy afternoon.”

Cherry said economic development is an important issue, and he would like to see a new position – an economic development officer – added to the town’s roster of employees. Essentially, the person would do what the planner did – helping businesses get started, writing grants, and more – but the title would be more understandable. The planner position was eliminated last summer, despite the amount of money brought in through grant funding by the planner. “I just think people didn’t understand what Ben Averill did, or how much money he brought in to the town. It was about tenfold what the town was paying in salary and office expenses.” He said the new title would be more descriptive and everyone could agree that the town needed such a person.

Cherry said development will be key to holding down taxes. He said he would go on record to support a tax increment financing agreement that would support Peregrine Technologies. “It will bring good jobs to the area. I’d be happy to work with them.”

“I heard, anecdotally, that three families are leaving Wiscasset because they didn’t feel that it offered a quality education for their children,” Cherry said. He is in favor of tuitioning out 9-12 students and making Wiscasset Middle High School a K-8 program. “There is more to the question than dollars and sense. A committee would need to be formed that would look at all aspects of the change in a series of town meetings. We’d have to review everything, think, and talk about it some more. I think the town, not the selectmen, not the school board, should make the final decision. I would expect that the school district and the select board would have major input in the issue.”

Cherry said he believes that the Community Center needs to be more self-supporting than it is. “I don’t think we’ll ever be totally self-supporting, nor should we be. It’s a community resource. How they do it is probably going to be a variety of methods – including increasing fees and cutting some programs, and adding others that don’t cost much but could bring in revenue.” He suggested an economic development specialist could help with grant funding.

Cherry said Wiscasset’s waterfront was one of the reasons he moved to Wiscasset. “It’s a diamond in the rough,” he said. There are several issues, including the lack of fueling and pump out stations, and the environmental issues that would go with a fueling station. “Private industry would probably want to get involved. We should be looking for someone in private industry to step up.” Cherry said a slip marina would be a good investment, and that the town needed Mason Station inhabited. “It would be a benefit to the town,” he said. He said that until a slip marina could be constructed, the town could at least be taking ownership of and renting out the abandoned moorings that litter the river near the downtown.

Cherry said the town has many assets, but the waterfront is the one that could potentially bring people into town, as long as the services they need are available.