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2013 Town Meetings

March 1

Norridgewock voters face vast slate of candidates on Monday

By Rachel Ohm rohm@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

NORRIDGEWOCK — Town voters will consider 16 candidates for 10 seats on the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board as well as settle other contested races when polls open Monday.

There are also contested races for seats on the Board of Tax Assessors and the School Administrative District 54 board.

Voting is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Mill Stream Elementary School. The business portion of the annual Town Meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the school.

All five selectmen are running for re-election, as are four other candidates. The incumbents are Charlotte Curtis, Matthew Everett, Chairman Ron Frederick, Vice Chairman Jim Hilton and Sara Wilder. The other candidates are Reginald Frederick, Laura Lorette, Bruce Obert and Roger Stinson.

They are vying for five seats for one-year terms.

The Planning Board candidates are Brian Scott Campbell, incumbent Charlotte Curtis, Kerri Everett, incumbent Amy Glidden, Christopher Kruse and Christopher Moody. They are competing for five seats for three-year terms.

The Board of Tax Assessors candidates are Jim Holt and incumbents Charlotte Curtis, Ron Frederick and Richard Holt. They are vying for three seats for one-year terms.

The School Administrative District 54 board candidates are incumbent Heidi Chartrand, incumbent Allan Laney and Roger Stinson. They are vying for two seats for three-year terms.

Board of Selectmen

Charlotte Curtis
Curtis, 67, is running for re-election after serving one year and said that if re-elected, her priority would be to save the town money in the coming year.

“The governor’s finances this year are going to drastically affect all towns. I want to work hard to keep costs and taxes down,” she said.

Curtis has been involved with the Town Office for the past 23 years, serving as town clerk and treasurer, registrar of voters and a municipal agent.

While serving as town treasurer in 2012, town officials questioned her about deliberately not recording a lien on some unpaid sewer accounts. She was also fired from her position as a clerk in the Town Office last year. She said the firing occurred because she had placed audio recording equipment at the Town Office front desk.

She is on the Board of Tax Assessors and is the Planning Board chairwoman.

“I’ve always tried to do what is best for the town. Whatever the job is, I want to do what is good for the town,” Curtis said.

Matthew Everett
Everett, 31, owns and manages 4 Seasons Home Repair & Camp Care. He has been on the board for one year and said that if re-elected, he wants improve properties that are not in compliance with town ordinances.

“I think this year we have already made progress by extending the number of hours our code enforcement officer works,” he said.

Everett is a member of the recreation board and last summer built a snack shack at the town fields, he said. He has two children. His wife, Kerri Everett, is running for town clerk and a seat on the Planning Board.

Reginald Frederick
Frederick, 39, is running for the board after losing in contested races the last two years. He works as a mechanic at Brownie’s Auto Service in Madison.

“I’ve seen people in this town struggle, and I think more can be done to bring income into the town and also to save money,” he said.

One way would be to better advertise the airport, which was recently underwent a $3.2 million renovation, Frederick said.

“I think it is an asset that could be publicized and used better,” he said. Frederick, who is a second cousin to the board’s current chairman, Ron Frederick, also said that if elected, he would like to keep the tax rate down.

Ron Frederick
Frederick, 45, has served as chairman of the Board of selectmen since 2007 and as a member since 2005. He is also on the Board of Tax Assessors. Frederick works as a machinist at General Electric in Bangor and said that since taking office, he is most proud of keeping the town’s property tax rate down.

(Continued on page 2)

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