Wiscasset residents on June 9 have two selectmen’s seats to fill and three people who want to fill them. William David Cherry, Ervin Deck and Judy Flanagan are each running for a two-year term.

The two board members currently serving in those seats, Tim Merry and Board Chairman Pam Dunning, did not seek reelection.

Willliam David Cherry

Cherry said his three years working at Wiscasset Public Library have allowed him to meet a broad cross-section of residents. That exposure would help inform his service as a selectman, he said. He wants to serve because he loves the town and its people, Cherry said.

“I’ve thought about (running) for a number of years. And this year it just struck me that I’m considered by many to be a reasonably intelligent human being, I am very well-educated,” he said.

Cherry holds a master’s degree in international relations, with a specialization in socio-economic and political development. “All of those combine to make me feel that I would do a good job. I have something to offer this town.”

The assistant librarian said he is probably best described as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal.

“I feel you have to pay your bills (and) balance your budget because you can’t move forward without fiscal responsibility. At the same time, we have to remember that we’re here on Earth to help people, we’re here to make a better world, and not everyone is as fortunate as the wealthy 1 percent and there are people who need help .... There are a lot of people who I see regularly coming into the library to use our computer systems to look for work, because they don’t have a computer, or don’t have the Internet,” he said.

“I bring an understanding of what’s involved in economic and political development, a concern and compassion for the average Joe or Jane, and a pretty hard-nosed financial, balance-the-books approach.”

In addition, owning and running his home-based business of nine years, Miss Kitty’s Cakes, gives him an understanding of local business people and what they confront, he said.

Wiscasset can be and should be more than a stop along the way to Boothbay, Camden or somewhere else, Cherry said.

“What I see here is a beautiful area, a number of historic buildings, and artists of various mediums. I think we have the nucleus to become a New England Carmel (California),” which is an internationally recognized artist colony and a place to visit, he said.

“I certainly want to include the clammers, and the wormers and the lobstermen, all the hard-working workers, fully in any economic development. But I do think there is an opportunity because of the artistry, the beauty and the historic nature, to make this a destination. And I would like to work toward that.”

Ervin Deck

Deck was the airport manager for eight years at Wiscasset Municipal Airport, following 30 years in the military. The retired Navy lieutenant commander moved to Wiscasset 19 years ago and decided he wanted to get involved in the community.

“I believe strongly that every citizen should get involved somehow, through volunteering or public service,” he said.

Deck served on the airport committee before taking the manager’s job, which had him attending a lot of selectmen’s meetings.

“It gave me an opportunity to see the inner workings of the town government, and the relationships between the selectmen and the budget committee and town manager,” he said. “I would really like to see if I can add something to the community as a selectman.”

Deck said he has observed a “great disconnect” between the selectmen and the public.

“My general perception is most people aren’t happy with the selectmen collectively, and I also don’t see enough people participating in our government. How many people actually bother to vote? So I think I could maybe bring some confidence back for the public .... But I have no set agenda, I don’t have any axes to grind. I just would like to do my part.”

His travels in the Navy may help him bring an outside perspective to the board, as would his experience working with other communities on projects as a senior aviation planner for the consulting firm Stantec, he said. He has worked for the firm for 15 years. 

“I think there’s always a solution to a problem and sometimes it may come from somebody looking at it from a different paradigm,” he said.

The town may need to take another hard look at its school system and the long-term forecast for enrollment, Deck said. “If the facts bear out as I think they may, maybe we just need one school .... The school system is a major part of our budget. We have to educate our kids and I’m all for it, and the people that do it have to be compensated fairly, but the infrastructure may need to be looked at.”

Deck said he believes the town needs to keep having a town planner, partly to help keep town code in order. Regarding economic development, he said, “I think the big thing is to make sure the world knows about Wiscasset, and when people pass through this town they need to see it as a gem and the opportunities that are here.”

Judy Flanagan

Flanagan served previously as a Wiscasset selectman in the 1980s and early 2000s.

“There are times when it’s not enjoyable, but most of the time, it is rewarding,” Flanagan said.

She was the town’s first woman selectman and the first woman to serve as chairman, she said.

“I’m a product of the ’60s and grew up feeling that if something’s wrong, you should work to try to make it better, and you should serve.”

Flanagan volunteers for Feed Our Scholars and the Help Yourself Shelf pantry.

If elected, she would approach issues by looking at the big picture and doing what’s best for the whole community, Flanagan said.

Growing up in Wiscasset and knowing its residents, including others who serve on town boards, and being able to talk with them are strengths she would bring to her service, she said. Other strengths would be her past work in education, including more than 20 years as an educational technician in Wiscasset; the four years she was children’s librarian at Wiscasset Public Library; and service on the town’s budget committee and Fourth of July and comprehensive plan committees.

Town budget proposals that selectmen put forth need to balance saving the taxpayers money on their tax bills with the need to both maintain what the town has and look ahead, Flanagan said. “This town has to look to what we want it to be ... I’ve really been bothered that we haven’t done maintenance on our roads. And that’s an example of something that’s going to cost us more money than had we taken care of them along the way.” A well-spent dollar generally comes back to the tax base, she said.

“I want this town to be a place people want to come to .... We have such potential, such talented, bright people in this community, and we have a lot of good institutions here.”

The town needs to have a strong school system and keep it in town, Flanagan said.

“It’s just part of who we are, and we want our kids to grow up to be part of this community and to care about it. And as you look around, there’s a lot of natives here still and we want that to (continue). Sometimes we can’t afford not to spend.”

It’s important for town boards to conduct business with transparency, and to improve their improve their communication with one another, Flanagan said.

Other elections

Also June 9, Wiscasset School Committee member Eugene Stover and Vice Chairman Glen Craig are unopposed in their bids for reelection. Kristin Draper is the lone candidate on the ballot for budget committee. And Phil Di Vece is unopposed in seeking three more years on a water district seat.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Wiscasset Community Center.