PERU – Eight residents turned in nomination papers Friday for the four empty seats on the Board of Selectmen.
The election will be from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. Among the openings to be filled are the following:
* One selectman for two months
* One selectman for 14 months
* Two selectman for 26 months
Selectmen Edward Ferland, Dickie Powell, Tim Holland and Kathy Hussey were removed from office March 4 by a recall vote of the town. The effort to remove them began after Hussey refused to leave her board position or town secretarial position, after voters passed an ordinance in November 2012. That ordinance said town employees could not simultaneously hold positions on the Board of Selectmen or Finance Committee.
The Maine Municipal Association advised selectmen last year that Hussey could finish her current term, because there was no effective date listed in the ordinance.
Selectman Laurieann Milligan was the only selectman who was not recalled.
Powell and Ferland said Friday afternoon that they are not planning to run again. Hussey and Holland could not be reached for comment Friday.
Town Clerk Vera Parent said that as of Friday afternoon, four names had been submitted for the two 26-month terms, two names for the 14-month term and two names for the two-month term.
The four nominees for the two 26-month terms are John Witherell, Danny Wing, Wayne Moore and Larry Snowmen.
Wing, who previously served on the RSU 10 board, the Finance Committee and as a selectmen several years ago, said he decided to run for selectman because of “a lot of people calling my home phone and telling me they want me to run.
“People have been saying I have a lot of common sense,” Wing said. “Maybe I can do something to help fix the way things have been lately.”
He said the first thing he would do, if elected, is “ask for a meeting between the selectmen to set ground rules and look at the charter.
“We need to fix the mess that the previous board left us with,” Wing said. “I want to get back the power of the town to the people. We need to try and be there for the people, and even if I can’t do it, at least I can make a dent in it.”
Snowmen said he hopes to “make a difference” if he’s elected.
“With the problems going on in this town, with selectmen arguing and fighting, the townspeople don’t like what’s going on,” he said. “If I’m elected, I’m hoping to help give the people what they want and make a difference somehow.”
Witherell, who tied with Powell in the last election and conceded to him, simply said, “If I’m elected, I’ll let my work do the talking. Actions speak louder than words.”
Moore could not be reached for comment as of Friday night.
The two nominees for the 14-month term are Lee Merrill, a Peru resident for 42 years, and Kevin Taylor, a resident for eight years.
“The town of Peru needs to get stuff done,” Merrill said. “It’s been like the (World Wrestling Entertainment) down there, with everyone arguing, fighting and complaining all the time. I want to do what’s best for the town. I have no personal agenda.”
Merrill later admitted, “I’m stepping out of my box a little bit here by running. I thought it was time to change my life a little bit. I may not make everybody happy, but if I’m elected, I hope that me and the other selectmen can work together, set aside personal agendas and do some work so the town can grow.”
Taylor could not be reached for comment as of Friday night.
The two nominees for the two-month term are Tammy Ferland, wife of Ed Ferland, and James Pulsifer.
Pulsifer, chairman of the Industrial Wind Ordinance committee, cited “the situation in town” and the lack of experience of other nominees as his primary reasons for running.
“I’ve served the town for 30 years and I’ve tried to retire,” Pulsifer said. “I put my name in to help out. There’s a group in town that wants change, but they don’t know what they want. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I figure I can try to help. It’s entirely up to the citizens now.”
Tammy Ferland said that with the vote on the town budget coming up in June, it’s important for someone to “step up and do their part.
“I worked at the Peru Town Office for 10 years, and I understand the budget process and how it’s presented,” Ferland said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, so I’m hoping we can all work together and finish the budget.”
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