Town-by-town voting guide
By Tricia Thomas and Jenna Lookner
When area voters head to the polls on November 4, they’ll decide on two statewide referendums as well as a host of issues and candidates closer to home. here’s a look at specific local issues voters will be asked on election day.
Blue Hill
Blue Hill voters will decide on two warrant articles and two referendums at an early-morning special town meeting on November 4. The first warrant article, added to the warrant on October 27, asks voters to approve a moratorium on recreational cannabis shops in the town–a previously posted referendum issue that also is up for a vote that day.
The second article, also added on October 27, asks if the town should appropriate $485,650 from reserved and unassigned funds to pay off a new fire truck, buy a second snow plow, and cover property tax abatements.
The first referendum question asks voters to weigh the establishment and participation in the Toddy Pond Watershed Management District and to fund a total of $780 for first-year start-up costs. If approved, the quasi-governmental watershed management will take ownership of the Toddy Pond dam, which its current owner, AIM/Bucksport Mill LLC, wants to abandon. Abandonment of the dam could trigger draining of the 2,400-acre lake.
The second referendum asks voters to decide whether the town should permit the operation of a licensed adult-use marijuana dispensary and draft an ordinance regarding regulation of the store. Vetting the new ordinance will require a separate town meeting. Brian Sherwell, a Sedgwick resident who wants to open a recreational marijuana dispensary in Blue Hill, submitted a petition earlier this year to have the matter placed on the ballot. A public hearing on the matter was held on October 22.
Information on the warrant articles and referendums is available here.
Bucksport
Four candidates are running for two open seats on Bucksport’s seven-member town council on November 4, including Edward Rankin, Jr., Ralph Chapman, Teri Doty and Steven St. Peter Jr.
In addition, two residents—incumbent Keith Kneeland, Jr. and newcomer Emily Fitzgerald—are vying for one open seat on the RSU 25 school board.
Although a sample ballot for the election has not yet been posted, information on Bucksport’s municipal elections is available here.
Castine
Two candidates, Roberta I. Boczkiewicz and Brockett Muir, are running for one open seat on Castine’s select board. In addition, Jason M. Carter is running unopposed for one seat on the Castine school committee, and Lawrence Rosen is running unopposed for trustee at the Witherle Memorial Library. A sample ballot is available here.
Ellsworth
Seven candidates—all newcomers—are running for three open seats on the Ellsworth City Council on November 4. The candidates include Earl Await III, Timothy Carter, John Linnehan, Eric Marichal, Carol Patterson-Martineau, Patrick Shea and Marinna Smith. The three open seats are being vacated by council members Michelle Beal, Tammy Mote and Jon Stein, each of whom will not be seeking reelection. A sample ballot is available here.
Orland
Orland voters will decide on November 4 whether to establish and participate in the Toddy Pond and Alamoosook Watershed Management districts, including the allocation of start-up funding for both districts. If approved, Orland will be one of four towns that collectively will take over the Toddy Pond Dam, which its owner, AIM/Bucksport Mill LLC, wants to abandon. The referendum also includes the takeover of Alamoosook Lake, which is located entirely in Orland. A sample ballot is available here, and information on the dam vote is here.
Penobscot
Voters in Penobscot will head to the polls on November 4 to decide whether to establish and participate in the Toddy Pond Watershed Management District, including the allocation of start-up funding for the district. If approved, Penobscot will join four other towns—Blue Hill, Orland and Surry—in a collective takeover of the Toddy Pond dam from a private owner that wants to abandon it. Additional information is available here.
Surry
Surry voters will weigh two questions on November 4. The first referendum seeks to control overnight mooring and anchorage on Lower Patten Pond. The second asks voters if the town should establish and participate in the Toddy Pond Watershed Management District and pay a total of $3,510 for Surry’s share of district first-year start-up costs. Surry is one of four towns that border Toddy Pond. Additional information is available here.
Other towns
Aside from state referendums, there are no municipal candidates or issues on the ballot in Deer Isle, Stonington, Sedgwick, Brooksville or Brooklin.
Additional information on voting in Maine, including voter registration, absentee ballots and voter rights, is available through the Maine Secretary of State.
