Harpswell voters will elect four town officials in March, and the time has come for candidates to file their paperwork.
Nomination papers are available at the town clerk’s office, Deputy Town Administrator Terri-Lynn Sawyer said during a Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Dec. 2. To appear on the ballot, a candidate must take out nomination papers, collect signatures from at least 25 and no more than 100 registered voters, then return the papers to the town office by Jan. 11.
Voters will elect a selectman, a representative to the Maine School Administrative District 75 Board of Directors, a tax collector and a town clerk, all for three-year terms.
The incumbents are Selectman Jane G. Covey, school board member Linda Hall, Tax Collector Jill M. Caldwell and interim Town Clerk Catherine J. Doughty.
Covey, who is finishing her first term, plans to seek reelection. She called it a pleasure and an honor to serve and said that she enjoys working alongside her fellow board members, as well as the town administration.
Hall said that she does not currently plan to run for reelection. The second-longest-serving member of the current board, she will have logged 12 years when her term expires at the end of June.
Two newcomers will seek the position: Ryan Larsen and Margaret “Greta” Warren.
Larsen, of Harpswell Neck, has taken out nomination papers for Hall’s seat. He said that he has gathered signatures and will run if Hall does not.
Larsen has three daughters in MSAD 75 schools — one each at Harpswell Community School, Mount Ararat Middle School and Mount Ararat High School. The family has had a “fantastic” experience with the schools, he said.
Larsen works in merchandising and product development for L.L. Bean. His wife, Dustan, owns a shop in downtown Brunswick, Hatch.
“I am very pro-public education, very supportive of the role it plays in our communities,” Larsen said. He wants the schools to foster a welcoming environment for all, where “kids can come as they are,” he added.
Warren, who lives off Mountain Road, has two children not yet in school — one will start kindergarten at Harpswell Community School in 2022, the other in 2023. She works as operations director for the Maine Conservation Alliance and Maine Conservation Voters.
“I care deeply about the health, safety and educational opportunities of the kids in our community, regardless of background, ability or circumstance,” Warren said in an email. “I also believe that a key component of a quality education is creating an environment that prioritizes its faculty and staff, which is a principle that I would carry to the school board.”
She said she would seek to meet the needs of the community with compassion and empathy.
Caldwell and Doughty confirmed that they will seek reelection. Caldwell has 17 years of experience in the town office — eight as deputy tax collector and nine as tax collector.
Doughty will run for town clerk for the first time, although she has 18 years of experience in the clerk’s office. She served as deputy town clerk from 2003 until her appointment as interim town clerk in August, after the previous town clerk’s retirement.
A grant from the Maine Humanities Council supports the Harpswell Anchor’s reporting on town government.
