Chesterville has four selectman seats to fill

CHESTERVILLE — Four seats on the Board of Selectmen will be decided Friday, March 20, ahead of the March 23 Town Meeting.

Given the coronavirus concerns, a decision on the format of the Town Meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, will be made during the March 19 Board meeting. More information will be available on the Town of Chesterville website or its Facebook page.

Voting will be held 2-8 p.m., March 20, at the Chesterville Town Office.

Former Selectman Guy Iverson is looking to fill the three-year position currently held by Edward Hastings IV, who is not running.

Current Selectman John Archer is seeking to fill the two years remaining of Matthew Welch’s three-year position. On Nov. 21 Welch resigned, effective after the annual March elections. Archer was elected for a one-year term last year.

Linda Bauer is looking to fill the year remaining of Allan Mackey’s three-year term. On Dec. 5 Mackey resigned, effective after the annual March elections.

Former Selectman Scott Gray is seeking to fill the one-year position currently held by Archer.

All four are running unopposed.

The candidates were asked the following questions.

What made you decide to run for a seat on the Chesterville Board of Selectmen?

Iverson said his concern is future property taxes.

“The talk of spending everything in your department budget is wrong,” he said. “I recently saw where we were selling tools because we replaced the old ones. If they are good enough to sell, they were probably good enough to continue to use. The town fathers have a responsibility to control spending to live within our means.”

Iverson is also concerned about truck requests that will add nearly $80,000 to the budget before it is even written.

“We cannot tie our taxes up in debt; that will only lead to higher taxes,” he said.

Archer replied the Select board has made some great strides this past year and his goal would be to keep it moving in the right direction.

Bauer said she has always been interested and involved in her home community.

“I believe that participation is essential,” she said.

Gray would like to help keep taxes in check.

“I have watched the balance of the general fund shrink while previously it was increasing,” he said. “Taxes are increasing while our roads are at a standstill. As a community, we need to focus on our roads. I am hoping that we can work together as a board and address some of these problems.”

What qualifications would/do you bring to the position?

Iverson previously served on the Selectboard for four and a half years.

“While Chairman of the Board, we came in under budget two years in a row; one year by $84,000 and $135,000 the next,” he said. “We looked at wants and needs. I strongly supported citizen involvement in the Selectboard meetings and still do.”

Archer has been around town government his whole life.

“My dad was a selectman for 40 plus years and I was on the budget committee for 22 years,” he said.

Bauer considers herself a consensus builder, an organizer, a prudent spender and thoughtful decision-maker.

“I have been involved in many aspects of building and maintaining a community,” she said. “My community background is municipal services advisory board, revision of city ordinances, city comprehensive plan creation committee, coordinated various community events, clubs and programs. My work background is in real estate, taxes and the power industry.”

Gray is currently on the board of appeals.

“I have served on the planning board and select board in the past. I have attended MMA workshops that taught me a lot about municipal law,” he said.

What do you consider the most pressing issue(s) facing the town and how would you address it(them)?

Iverson said one concern is roads and he recommends moving one time expenditures to paving the following year.

“By doing that, we increased paving year over year, without increasing the budget. We need to look for grants,” he said.

Another concern for Iverson is budget expenditures.

“Spending needs to be controlled; it’s not magic,” he said. “Many of our citizens are on a fixed income and cannot afford an increase in their property taxes.”

Archer said, “In my opinion, the most important issues facing the Town of Chesterville are getting the roads fixed and keeping the taxes down as much as possible.”

Bauer replied, “Chesterville is a great place to live, a quiet community with a lot of very nice residents. The issue that I would make a point of is communication as it is essential for our type of government, our type of community.”

Gray listed roads, sustainability of taxes and transparency of the select board as concerns.

“As a town, we need to focus on fixing the roads,” he said. “We could look into grants to help with that. All town departments need to be looked at closely to find savings. I would like to see all board business done openly at board meetings where residents would feel welcome to attend and be given a chance to express their concerns. We have a lot of good people in this town with good ideas. They need to be heard.”

Iverson grew up on Gordon Hill Road and now lives across the street. He enjoys working outdoors and has been rescuing apple trees he played on as a kid. He and his wife feed wildlife through the plants they choose while harvesting some for themselves.

Archer grew up on a dairy farm in Chesterville and is very dedicated to the town. Married for 37 years, they have three children and three grandsons.

“I enjoy bowling, hunting, working in my garden,” he said.

Bauer and her husband, Bruce, have been married 40 years. They moved with their “fur baby” SaySay to Chesterville from Florida in 2017, to property once owned by her grandparents and great grandparents that she played on as a child.

Gray has lived in Chesterville his entire life. Self-employed in the excavation business, he is married, has two daughters and one grandson.

File photographs of Iverson and Archer were available. Requested photographs from Bauer and Gray were not received.