Incumbents, newcomer seek planning and school board seats
Meet the forester, architect, homemaker, real estate agent and investment manager who will govern schools and town development
March 11, 2026
By Tricia Thomas
BLUE HILL—Candidates on the April 3 ballot for the Blue Hill planning board and school committee include a handful of incumbents and one newcomer. All are running unopposed and, if elected, will serve for three years.
Each of the five candidates recently fielded questions from The Rising Tide about their candidacy, and what each would bring to the role if elected or re-elected.
Marcia McKeague. Courtesy photo.
Marcia McKeague
Incumbent candidate for Blue Hill Planning Board
What is your occupation?
Retired. Former forester and forest manager working in northern Maine for Great Northern Paper and its successor companies.
How long have you been on the planning board?
Approximately four years.
What prompted you to run for re-election?
My current term is up and I think it’s an important thing to do. I want to contribute to my community and I believe that I have some experience and knowledge that is helpful and relevant to the Planning Board’s work.
Do you hold, or have you held, any paid, appointed or volunteer positions in the town or on the peninsula?
Besides serving on the Planning Board, I was part of the Comprehensive Plan Committee that recently completed its work. I also am a member of the Blue Hill Heritage Trust Board of Directors, and I am currently the chairperson of the board for The Forest Society of Maine. I assist the Tree Warden working to protect our outstanding American Elms (and other trees) in town. All of these are volunteer positions.
How has your paid or volunteer work prepared you for this role?
Prior to retirement, my work as a forest manager included directing our forest management organization to comply with a range of environmental laws governing our operations. Some of those are relevant to the town’s ordinances. This experience has also provided me with a sensitivity to landowner issues.
What, from your perspective, are the most pressing issues facing the town of Blue Hill?
I think the most pressing issues facing the town include balancing development, which is necessary for creating affordable housing, with protection or conservation of our environment and sense of place, which so many of us treasure. I also believe that Blue Hill, like many communities, is struggling to keep taxes at a reasonable level while trying to do everything required of the town and everything that residents would like.
Can you, as a planning board member, help address any of the above issues?
As a planning board member, it is possible to work around the edges on the issues of housing and conservation, but our actions are governed by the ordinances the town has in place. In addition, our meeting time is primarily dedicated to reviewing applications submitted to us. I am hopeful that over the next couple of years that we will be able to be more proactive, doing some clean up and making improvements to a couple of ordinances. We diligently try to make the permit application process straightforward and move it along without shortchanging the review. Public participation and attendance are encouraged at all planning board meetings—please join us!
Gavin Rigall. Courtesy photo.
Gavin Riggall
Incumbent candidate for Blue Hill Planning Board
What is your occupation?
Architect.
How long have you been on the planning board?
Five and a half years, since the fall of 2020.
What prompted you to run for re-election?
I enjoy volunteering my time and helping the town of Blue Hill. It’s a great place to live.
Do you hold, or have you held, any paid, appointed or volunteer positions in the town or on the peninsula?
I’ve only volunteered on the Blue Hill planning board.
How has your paid or volunteer work prepared you for this role?
As an architect, I bring knowledge and experience related to building construction and land use to [the] planning board, which has now filled out with members who represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
What, from your perspective, are the most pressing issues facing the town of Blue Hill?
In the context of the work the planning board does, we are seeing more proposed land use applications that are facing opposition from neighboring abutters and others in the community. This is most likely caused by changing demographics, increased real estate values, and land development pressure which results in a conflict between commercial interests and residential property owners.
Can you, as a planning board member, help address any of the above issues?
The primary role of the planning board is to review land use applications. We have only our local ordinances and state statutes to guide us when making decisions. However, the planning board can make recommendations to the select board regarding the revision, update, and proposal of new ordinances. With the support of the community, we could address the land use issues I described in a “planned” manner that meets the goals set forth in the town’s Comprehensive Plan.
Hannah Bates. Courtesy photo.
Hannah Bates
New candidate for Blue Hill School Committee
What is your occupation?
Real estate agent at Compass Point Real Estate and treasurer/office manager at D. W. Bates Custom Builder, Inc.
What prompted you to run for the school board?
I have three kids in Blue Consolidated School and have a vested interest in the school.
Do you hold, or have you held, any paid, appointed or volunteer positions in the town or on the peninsula?
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to be able to volunteer coach T-ball and coach pitch baseball. Being “Coach Hannah” has been one of my favorite titles.
What, from your perspective, are the most pressing issues facing Blue Hill schools?
As far as issues, there are always going to be issues old and new that come up and I hope that through my involvement I can help work toward solutions that benefit everyone, above all the students.
Elaine Lawrence. Courtesy photo.
Elaine Lawrence
Incumbent candidate for Blue Hill School Committee
What is your occupation?
Homemaker.
How long have you been on the school board?
Since June of 2025.
What prompted you to run for re-election?
I love being part of the Blue Hill school committee. I am deeply interested in, fond of, and committed to the schools of Blue Hill, and I feel honored to contribute to local education however I can. We have three sons, and we will be parents of students at Blue Hill Consolidated School for the next 10 years.
Do you hold, or have you held, any paid, appointed or volunteer positions in the town or on the peninsula?
My family delivers soup and food boxes for Healthy Peninsula, and I am on the BHCS Boosters board of directors.
How has your paid or volunteer work prepared you for this role?
I have worked in real estate sales and management, magazine publishing, and restaurant management, and I have been home with children for eight years. I am energetic, curious, and competent, and I am happy to be in the weeds!
What, from your perspective, are the most pressing issues facing Blue Hill schools?
Blue Hill provides amazing education opportunities to a relatively small student population. We are very fortunate to have the resources we do and always will need to manage these resources carefully. As everywhere, schools here are facing and handling, in real time, evolving technologies, physical campus demands, staffing needs, and curriculum choices.
Can you, as a school board member, help address any of the above issues?
I can give my best attention and best effort to any issue or occasion Blue Hill schools face. Our school leaders and faculties work so hard to help students access all that they can, and I am dedicated to supporting them however I may.
Ben Wooten. Courtesy photo.
Ben Wootten
Incumbent candidate for Blue Hill School Committee
What is your occupation?
Retired investment manager.
How long have you been on the school board?
Most of the last 25 years, [maybe] 22?
What prompted you to run for re-election?
Institutional memory can help avoid repeating mistakes and point out potential areas of potential improvement.
Do you hold, or have you held, any paid, appointed or volunteer positions in the town or on the peninsula?
Treasurer of Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County, Friends of Friendship Cottage, Co-chair of Union 93 School Board, Treasurer of Blue Hill Democrats [and] member of the Blue Hill School Board.
How has your paid or volunteer work prepared you for this role?
Understanding the way boards work allows one to facilitate change.
What, from your perspective, are the most pressing issues facing Blue Hill schools?
Continuing to provide excellence at the pre-K through-8 level while controlling costs is our first job. Secondarily, encouraging GSA to return to its roots as a town academy.
Can you, as a school board member, help address any of the above issues?
Having been involved in the upgrading of our math, science and language arts curricula, I have an understanding of what is required to stay current. Having served on the GSA Board for 23 years when it was a town academy, I can point out ways they can work with towns and boards to return to that status.
Polls in Blue Hill will be open on Friday, April 3 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting will take place in the Gordon Emerson auditorium in town hall. A moderator will be elected at 9:30 a.m. on April 3 for a town meeting the following day. The April 4 town meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Gordon Emerson auditorium. Warrant articles to be considered will be made available prior to the election and town meeting.
