Wiscasset has two incumbents on the ballot for the board of selectman and three declared write-in candidates. The top three vote getters get elected.

The town election is June 14. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Wiscasset Community Center on Gardiner Road. New voters can register in advance during business hours at the town office or at the polls.

Incumbents Benjamin Rines Jr. and Judith Colby are both on the ballot. Incumbent Jefferson Slack is seeking re-election but is not on the ballot. Slack announced in March he wouldn’t seek another term but has since started a write-in campaign. Bryan Buck and Lonnie Kennedy-Patterson have written letters to the newspaper announcing they, too, are seeking a selectman seat as write-in candidates. 

No one is running for the seven vacant seats on the budget committee.

Town Clerk Linda Perry said for a write-in vote to count, voters must spell a candidate’s name correctly or their intent must be clear. Both a first and last name are required. They also need to fill in the oval beside the name.

If a winning write-in candidate declines the position, there will be a special election she added.

Five selectmen candidates

Bryan Buck has called Wiscasset home since 1972. He resides on West Alna Road where he operates a custom welding and fabrication shop. Examples of his handiwork can be found all over town. He’s raised two daughters, Maryellen, a pediatric nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Foxfire, a second-year law student at the University of Maine. Both are graduates of Wiscasset High School.

Buck is a U.S. Coast guard veteran. He served in Vietnam in 1970-71 and was decorated for valor and combat action. He entered the service at age 17 and served aboard the USCG cutter Cook Inlet. His deployment included training Vietnamese sailors, assisting with medical evacuations and U.S. Naval support.

He presently serves on the town’s airport committee and previously on the waterfront committee. Buck said he enjoys living in Wiscasset.

“My girls got a really good education here because we have very good schools. We also have excellent police, fire and emergency services. Wiscasset is a good place to live, raise a family or retire. I want it to stay that way.”

Buck mentioned the issue of firemen washing their personal vehicles at the firehouse. “It shouldn’t even have come up. It wasn’t something that was being abused. If you think about it having them down there at the firehouse is really a benefit to the town — not in any way a liability,” he said.

Buck also doesn’t see a problem of allowing non-residents to serve on the waterfront or airport committees in a non-voting capacity. “Both are advisory and don’t create budgets. Non-residents keep their planes at the airport and moor their boats at the waterfront. It’s beneficial to have their input.”

On the subject of the waterfront, Buck said the harbormaster needs a working boat ready to go into action if needed in an emergency.

“I’d like to see the present boat made seaworthy again and also better utilized allowing the fire department to use it for training so it could be used for water rescues.”

If elected Buck said he’ll continue the board’s efforts to collect unpaid property taxes and sewer bills. “They’ve (selectmen) taken a moderate course that I’d like to see continue.”

He supports the police department budget but not funding sought for the school resource officer. “Maybe the position is needed in a large school district but not in a small system like ours. There are certain expectations for behavior of students that’s the responsibility of parents. Teachers and school administrators share some of that responsibility,” he commented.

Buck said he’ll vote for Option 2 of the Maine Department of Transportation downtown proposals but will support whichever way the town goes on the non-binding referendum.

Judy Colby is seeking her third term on the board. She and her husband Carroll have lived in Wiscasset since 1968. She works part-time as a substitute teacher and bus driver for the Wiscasset School Department.

“Being on the board of selectman is a big responsibility and I take my position very seriously. It requires a great deal of time and you really need to do your homework on the budgets and everything else before you attend a meeting.”

“I enjoy it but there are times when I think some of the business on our agendas could have just as easily been handled by the town manager,” she added.

Colby would like to see more economic development in Wiscasset. She’d prefer that the town planner spend more time working towards that goal.

“We have good schools, excellent emergency services, a really nice community center, a beautiful harbor and airport. These are all assets that make Wiscasset a very attractive place to start a business, raise a family or retire to.”

With that said Colby believes very strongly the town needs to keep up with the maintenance of its buildings, including the schools as well as the waterfront, airport and roads.

“These are the things people look at when they think about moving to a community,” she said.

If reelected Colby hopes selectmen can work closer with the school committee during the budget process. “Maybe we could have one or two meetings together or have one selectman attend their meetings. “We need better communication between the two boards. The school budget has such a very large impact on our tax commitment.”

Colby is passionate in her support of the school resource officer. “It’s a vital position and an asset to our school system. If it prevents one child from being bullied or falling prey to drugs, alcohol, or of committing suicide then it’s worth every penny. I hope the townspeople agree and approve the funding for the position.”

Colby supports the town office’s effort at collecting unpaid taxes and sewer bills. “If people are unable to pay because they are ill or infirm, or have another honest reason, then they need to make us aware of this and we’ll find a way to help them. We are the overseers of the poor, that’s part of our responsibility, too.” she said.

As far as non-residents serving on committees, Colby said she is not opposed but feels strongly that they should not have voting power. “When we lived in Massachusetts we owned property here in Wiscasset and paid property taxes but we weren’t allowed to vote. I’m not against non-residents serving on the airport or waterfront committees but only in an advisory capacity. They shouldn’t vote.”

The Colbys reside off Lowelltown Road.

Lonnie Kennedy-Patterson grew up on a 50-acre farm in Freeport. After graduating with a business administration degree from Casco Bay College in Portland, he later continued his education at the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), a not-for-profit organization that provides practitioners and organizations with assessments, business support services and credentialing located in Greensboro, NC.

Kennedy-Patterson has been a Wiscasset resident since 2004 and currently resides on Water Street.

He’s a retired workforce development professional with over 30 years’ experience working with employers and job seekers. He’s advised, consulted and coordinated small business start-up and training programs within the Maine Department of Labor. 

Kennedy-Patterson would like to see the town do more to encourage more business and economic growth. He believes his professional experience could help.

“Now that we no longer have the tax benefits from Maine Yankee, I think the town needs to concentrate more on attracting new year-round businesses and employers to the town.”

Kennedy-Patterson would like to see the town put forth a serious effort to attract a pharmacy, maybe not downtown necessarily but within the borders of Wiscasset.

“Wiscasset has done a fair job of promoting itself but we need to do more. We need to make ourselves more business-friendly. I think I have the expertise to provide that,” he said.

He said he’s encouraged by the board of selectman’s attempts at marketing the former Point East property on Birch Point. “As a taxpayer, I’m glad there’s finally some movement on the Point East property. It was good to see they’ve sold the two houses there.”

As for the former Mason Station building, Kennedy-Patterson said there’s great potential there as well as great liability. “I personally think the town would be better off selling it,” he commented.

Kennedy-Patterson attended both of the MDOT presentations for improving downtown traffic flow. His home is next door to the former CEI building Haggett’s Garage that may be razed to build a parking lot.

“That would impact me directly but I’m watching to see what happens. If the benefits of removing the building are better for the town, I’m good with it.” He added he would support whatever MDOT option voters choose.

On hiring a school resource officer he commented, “Our state is currently in the midst of a drug crisis. For this reason alone, the Resource Officer's role is critical in the fight to combat drug use in the schools. However, I think future funding for this position should be based on need and documented results for the prior year.”

On the matter of non-residents serving on committees, he commented, “I believe most non-residents who own property and pay real estate taxes would have the town's best interest in mind while serving on committees.

“I also think allowing non-residents to serve on certain committees has the potential to create legal and ethical issues for the town in the future.  For this reason, I would vote to leave the resident rule as is.”

Benjamin Rines Jr. is finishing his eighteenth non-consecutive year on the board. A Wiscasset native, he was first elected in 1976. He served two terms in the state legislature from 1996 to 2000. Before retiring, Rines worked for 33 years as a welder at Bath Iron Works. He resides on Old Bath Road.

“I’ve always enjoyed serving on the board. I think over the years I’ve worked with 22 different selectmen. It continues to be challenging because you never quite know what to expect.”

Rines said the board’s had some success in meeting its goals this past year. “We’ve been somewhat aggressive in collecting what’s owed the town in unpaid property taxes and sewer payments but it’s an ongoing battle.

“I’m happy we were able to sell some of the tax-acquired properties including a large tract of land off the Ready Point Road, the two houses on the Point East and just recently a lot on Route 1.

“The lien process has started on some of the older sewer accounts in arrears,” he added.

Rines said he’s worked for greater transparency and accountability within the town budget. “When overdrafts occur within a departmental budget there needs to be accountability,” he said.

He’s encouraging the townspeople to vote “no” on Article 62 of the warrant. “If passed it will allow selectmen to takes monies to cover overdrafts out of the undesignated fund balance without having the approval of voters.

Selectmen removed this provision from the warrant last year only to return it to the 2016-17 warrant. Rines voted against its return.

“It’s a slap in the face to the taxpayers. Whenever selectmen need to takes monies to cover an overdraft they should first have the authorization of the townspeople at a special town meeting. Article 62 gives selectmen too much authority. It does away with accountability.”

Rines said he’ll support whichever MDOT option voters choose. For the record, he added, it was the board of selectmen who suggested having the non-binding question at the polls.

After the traffic lights are installed Wiscasset will have, “the ugliest downtown in Maine,” he commented.

For the present Rines said he’ll leave it to the townspeople to decide. “Either way it goes, I hope it’s a decisive vote that will make the next board of selectmen’s decision an easier one. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

If the townspeople decide they don’t want either Option 1 or 2, Rines hopes MDOT won’t simply give up helping solve Wiscasset’s summer traffic problems.

Rines said he’s in favor of funding the school resource officer position. “I admit I was initially against it but having heard the arguments in favor of it, I now think it’s needed. I’ll vote in favor of it.”

If re-elected Rines will motion for the board to meet once a week. “We’re simply missing too much business by not meeting every week.”

Jefferson Slack regrets not having taken out nomination papers for selectmen.

“I didn’t because Michelle my wife is planning to have knee replacement operations on both of her knees. I’ve thought about it since and decided I’d run as a write-in. If he’s re-elected this will be Slack’s third consecutive term on the board.

Slack has resided in Wiscasset since 1989. He and Michelle, an elementary school teacher in Warren, reside on Pine Road in the south end of town. The Slacks’ two children, Alex and Rebecca, graduated from Wiscasset High School. Both are teachers.

“I’ve enjoyed being on the board of selectmen and actually look forward to the meetings,” he said.

If re-elected he said one of his major goals would be to address the Mason Station property. “I’m really happy we’ve sold the two houses there but I’d really like to see us do something about the rest of the property.

“If we can get the funding to clean up the former power plant building it will make it more marketable. It would be great if we could get it back on the tax rolls.”

Slack also hopes the town can sell the former primary school. “We’ve listed it with a realtor this past year and hopefully someone will be interested in buying it.”

He said the board has come up with a good process for collecting unpaid property taxes and sewer revenues. “Excluding the Point East property, I think we’ve collected about half of what’s owed the town in unpaid property taxes and that’s a really good start. We’ve also begun addressing the problem of the unpaid sewer bills.”

Slack would prefer to have the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department provide the town with police services. “I’ve always laid my personal feeling aside and supported the will of the townspeople in its desire to maintain its own police department.”

He said he voted against the recent purchase of a police SUV using contingency funds. “The townspeople turned this same request down last year and I thought it was wrong of the board to go against the will of the townspeople.”

Slack also pushed to have funding for the school resource officer put on the warrant as a separate article. “I plan to vote against funding the position but again I will support the will of the majority.”

He hopes the next board will allow firemen to resume washing their personal vehicles at the fire house. On another subject he feels the town could get by with a smaller boat for the harbor master.

He said he’ll fully support the consensus on the MDOT question.

Slack works full-time as a case manager for the CarePartners program of Lincoln County.