Phil Di Vece

Wiscasset is a good place to call home. Something which concerns me and a big reason why I'm running for the board of selectmen is because many people tell me that they think Wiscasset is losing its sense of community. They want very much to get this sense of community back but want someone else to do it for them. They have this idea that government is what’s supposed to make a community work and solve all the problems. They’ve got the formula backwards; for a community to succeed people have to join together, lay personal biases aside and work together for the common good. This may sound like an over simplification but it’s not easy for people to make compromises on issues of importance that may mean paying higher taxes or doing with a few less public services.

My wife Marjorie and I have lived on Langdon Road since 1984.  All three of our children attended and graduated from the Wiscasset School System. From 1980 until 1995, I owned and published a weekly newspaper here, the Wiscasset Times.  Over the years I have served on a number of town committees. In June 2006, I was re-elected for a second 3-year term as a trustee of the Wiscasset Water District and have served the past two years as chairman.  As one of five trustees I am responsible for overseeing the operation of the Wiscasset Water District which provides drinking water to residential and commercial customers in the towns of Wiscasset, Woolwich and Edgecomb.  We're fortunate to enjoy the excellent drinking water provided to us through a contractual agreement with the Bath Water District.

Wiscasset is a community which, in spite of the loss of Maine Yankee,  its major taxpayer and employer, continues to offer outstanding police, fire and ambulance services. We also have a very good school system that includes many talented and caring teachers and administrators. We have an excellent Community Center which serves as a focal point for our community where all generations can gather to enjoy themselves. We also have a state-of-the-art Transfer Station which both promotes and encourages recycling. We're fortunate, too, to have a modern sewage treatment facility with its well-trained staff to safeguard the Sheepscot River from harmful pollution. We have good streets and roads which are well-maintained and kept safe to drive on by a small but dedicated highway department. We have a well-managed deep water harbor at our disposal providing access to one of Maine’s most scenic rivers for sport fishing and recreational boating. All of these things don’t come without a price tag.

Over the last week I have met with all of Wiscasset’s department heads and heard many of their concerns. After touring these facilities and seeing the equipment they use on a day-to-day basis it’s clear to me that if we are to continue to have the excellent public services we now have, we will have to stop putting off necessary capital expenditures. This means purchasing at least one highway department truck and replacing a good deal of our snow removal equipment. We’ll also need to make some substantial upgrades and capital improvements at our sewage treatment plant to ensure that it continues to operate both efficiently and safely. Our Transfer Station is still among one of the region’s finest but its need for a new truck must also be addressed. We’ll also face the challenge of continuing our 24/7 emergency services and the costs associated with these including maintenance of emergency vehicles and training.

Regardless whether you choose to cast your vote for me, I would encourage you to get involved yourself by attending a selectmen, budget committee or school committee meeting, or by becoming a community volunteer. Empower yourself by becoming a more pro-active citizen and remember to vote at the special election on Tuesday, January 15.


Robert Fairfield

I’ve been a selectman before in Wiscasset.  My term was up last June, and I did not seek reelection because my wife was gravely ill.  Since then, my wife passed away, and I am ready again to get involved on the board.  There are several reasons why I wish to run for the town select board again.

First, I know a lot of people in and out of town government, and many of them have encouraged me to run for office once again. 

Second, I have a passion for local issues.

Third, I feel I can help fellow selectmen when the going gets rough.

Fourth, I have stayed on the budget committee, so I have kept my hand in government all along.  I can work with the new town manager.

I was present on the board during the reevaluation process, so I won’t be learning from scratch about the process.  I understand requests for abatements, and I have the experience of owning both residences and businesses in the town of Wiscasset.

I am ready to go back ... I miss serving on the board.  And I believe that the board will benefit from my experience.
My interests have included the airport issue, the waterfront, the bypass, and the Clark’s Point Development.  I think the bypass is too close to the town center.  It should be further west, so as not to displace homes and businesses. 

I would like to see the Clark’s Point Development proceed without further interference.  New homes will be built there, and Wiscasset needs the tax dollars.

I am very concerned about the waterfront.  We need to keep it a working waterfront for future generations, while keeping it clean, too.

Wiscasset cut funds to the police department two years ago.  People were concerned about that, but it ended up working out very well.  The officers work together quite well, and it’s been cost effective for the town.

On the coal gasification plant, we need to make sure the state certifies it as safe and not hurt the environment, now or in the future.  If it is safe, it would greatly help the town.  But the company needs to represent it better than they have done so far.

I am experienced, I know the town very well, and I am ready to get back to work.  Please vote on January 15.

Prior Morrell

I am a 25-year resident of Wiscasset, and believe in Plato’s statement about politics ... one of the penalties for refusing to get involved in politics is that you are governed by your inferiors!

Wiscasset meets the criteria of a “poverty town”, according to Jay McIntyre at the schools.  A poverty town is based number of school meals that have to be subsidized.  42% of students in Wiscasset get free or reduced meals.  40%  or above qualifies a town as a poverty town. I would like to get us off that particular handle. 

I would like to see a reduction of property taxes from the new assessment , 30% right across the board.  This would be reflective of the decrease in property values right across the country.  Maine’s no different.

I would like to see something for seniors, such as freezing taxes on their home, comparable to what is done inRhode Island, New Jersey, and Florida.  Property tax should only go up when a property is sold.  That would help a lot of seniors, who are living on fixed incomes, and they can’t put up with these increases.  They don’t have one of the 700 kids in our schools, but they’re paying for it.

Speaking of education, I  am interested in the quality of education, not how much we can spend on a per-student basis. 

The town should have a purchase order system for accountability.  We should make sure all the things we buy are used for town purposes.

We have second best deep water harbor in the state.  I would like to see additions to the waterfront to accomodate larger ships ... cruise ships, perhaps.  We have to maintain our working waterfront, too.  People who come to visit from Indiana should get a chance to see lobster boats and kids should be able to hold a real lobster.  Camden can do both, so can Wiscasset.

I would like to see the town manager position revised to be a town administrator.  Wiscasset spends three times as much as Woolwich does, but Woolwich has only 25% fewer people than we do.  A town administrator works very well in Woolwich ... why not here in Wiscasset?

I rallied against the coal gasification plant.  I would rather have a nuclear plant here.  Nuclear is much cleaner than coal, and it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide.  We should consider replacing Maine Yankee with a new nuclear power plant, and selling the power where it’s needed - New York City in the summer, for instance.

When I was on the planning board, as chair, I implemented a protocol before requesting lawyers.  We were getting all kinds of legal bills, and we didn’t know where the bills were coming from.

I am also very strong on the public’s right to know.  I won a court decision on that.

We also had problems with where our reserve finances were going.  Paid $800,000 per year for a bond ladder that you can get for free on the internet.  We summoned bankers and investors, and they came. And we solved that problem.
I petitioned and won the secret ballot for Wiscasset, rather than an open town meeting. 

I am a doer ... don’t just sit there and spout words.  If I say I am going to do something, I do it.

I look forward to serving the people of Wiscasset.  Please vote on January 15.