CARIBOU, Maine — On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Caribou voters will elect four city councilors to serve on the seven-person council. Three candidates are running for two one-year terms, and three other candidates are running for two three-year terms.
Shane Michael McDougall, Norma Milton and Carol Pierson are all vying to serve their city for one year. Voters will select two of them to serve on City Council.
Running for three-year terms on the City Council are James Cerrato, David Martin and Joan Theriault. Voters will select two of them to serve on Council for the next three years.
Candidates vying for each seat have been given a list of identical questions; their responses are as follows.
Shane Michael McDougall is running for a one-year term to represent Caribou on the City Council.
Please tell us about yourself: I’ve lived in Caribou for nine years and I have a wife and three kids; we’ve had two houses in Caribou since we’ve moved up here from Bangor. I grew up in the Bangor area and moved up here for work and have stayed up here since then. I love to be up here.
Why are you running for council?
I’m running for council because I want to see some changes and some interesting dynamics, and I want to be involved with the community. I think this is a good way to be involved in the community, and voice my opinion, as well as the opinions of my neighbors and friends.
What would you most like the city to accomplish during your term?
I think I would most like for the city to accomplish finding a balance between keeping the taxes low — or holding the taxes at the same level — and providing a place for businesses to come in; Caribou is a great place to raise a family.
What do you consider to be Caribou’s biggest challenges currently?
I think Caribou’s biggest challenge is the fiscal constraints the city has — most of those are dealt by federal and state legislation and I think it’s a challenge for the local economy. It’s a balance to keep them all in sync and not have taxes go up, and also keep all of the nice amenities that we have in Caribou.
How will your experiences help you serve on the Caribou City Council?
I’ve been on the board of Tri-Community Landfill almost two years now, so I have a good taste of board [procedures] and what it takes to gather a group of people to make decisions and see a non-profit business do well. I’ve also worked with the city on quite a few projects in my professional career — working around the city of Caribou and dealing with a lot of the staff.
Do you have any initial thoughts on the upcoming year’s budget?
Like I said before, it’s just trying to balance those fiscal demands and trying not to raise taxes — keeping those taxes as low as we can while maintaining the services that city residents require.
What do you think of Caribou’s recent efforts to share services with Presque Isle? I think it’s a good thing; it’s thinking outside the box a little. I think that as long as the services we’re sharing aren’t undermined and the residents still get what they’re paying for, it’s a good opportunity as long as there’s a benefit to the city.
Norma Milton is running for a one-year term to represent Caribou on the City Council.
Please tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in Caribou, I’ve always had a desire to be a volunteer, to work with children, with animals, with community, and I think my life has exhibited that. Basically, I felt an obligation to run for city government simply because if you stand back and complain, then you’re really quite a wimp. So I don’t want to be considered a wimp. I’m ready to get up there and try to work with everybody. I am an Aroostook County farm girl. As young girls my sisters and I worked the farm as hard as any man. We learned to work hard to get a job done; we didn’t worry about the pay because there simply wasn’t any.
Why are you running for council?
I would say my grandchildren more than anyone else. I feel we had a good life growing and even though the world has changed so much, I don’t think that Caribou has changed so much that we can’t still be the beautiful, lively, happy community that we were 50 or 60 years ago. I do feel my grandchildren have a right to have the same community feeling that I have.
I have always believed you must give to your community. I currently give about 50 to 60 hours a week of volunteer time to the pet rescue. If there is problem, don’t sit and complain — offer to help. Yes, you might feel you are too busy with your business to pitch in – well then, don’t complain because it is your business that is hurting. You get what you give. Our grandchildren will inherit the good and the bad we leave to them, let’s try for more of the good.
What would you most like the city to accomplish during your term?
I would like to see some of the issues of special interests be dissolved, and I would like to see that sign that says “Business Friendly” be absolutely true. I think there’s a lot Caribou needs to do to make that happen and I think there’s a lot the consumers need to do to make that happen. I would like to see Caribou pull together and have the citizens know that this budget situation will get worse instead of better for several years. The sooner we face it, the sooner we will have control back.
Caribou needs a total attitude change. People will have to stop complaining about not getting a raise and simply be grateful that they still have a job. This is not just for Caribou, but also all across the country. We will all have to go without many of the perks we have become used to.
What do you consider to be Caribou’s biggest challenges currently?
Jobs, and that means we need new private business. No more special interest groups and they DO exist in Caribou. We also need to do two things: (1) create new jobs with new private businesses which would actually mean becoming a “Business Friendly” community. (2) Realize that we cannot afford to run the city with larger departments than needed. We will need to create job-sharing opportunities and cross training in all departments of the city. We no longer have 12,000 to 14,000 population and we need to lower our city management size to what a “town” of approximately 7,000 to 8,000 needs for municipal employees in all departments.
How will your experiences help you serve on the Caribou City Council?
I will never win a Miss Personality title, but you will always know exactly where I stand. I would like to see city departments, local clubs, organizations help create a positive environment much like the Thursday’s on Sweden St. created. There is much that can be done. So with many new ideas to try — let’s divide it up and fly with it.
Do you have any initial thoughts on the upcoming year’s budget?
Only that I wish money grew on trees, and unfortunately it doesn’t, and I don’t know that there’s a pot of gold buried anywhere in Caribou. We do have some of the history buried, but not the gold and I think there’s an awful lot of work ahead. I don’t think it’s going to happen in one year, I don’t think it’s going to happen in two years, but I think council has a lot of work and I think everyone’s working hard toward that. We still have a very long ways to go and the road will be very, very rough for years to come.
What do you think of Caribou’s recent efforts to share services with Presque Isle?
The popular answer would be to say it’s great; I would say, I would love to see it in my lifetime but I don’t expect to see it in my lifetime. I think there’s still another generation of learning to work together and I think the younger people are going to show more ambition in that area, more willingness to compromise because it is their community. What we need to do is say we want to make the community the best it can be, then have the faith that our children and grandchildren are going to bring it together. I think there are too many prejudices right now, but I think it’s a good starting point.
Carol Pierson is running for a one-year term to represent Caribou on the City Council.
Please tell us about yourself:
I have been involved in education for over 40 years — first as a high school math teacher and then as a mentor for new teachers seeking certification. I have also taught at UMPI and the adult education program in Caribou. I was a foster mother for about 14 years for teens with challenging issues. This was a life-changing experience for me and taught me the gentle art of compromise. Fortunately for me, I continue to work with teens as a math tutor at Caribou High School.
Some of the awards and recognition I have received are: in 2012: Lifetime Achievement Award from the city of Caribou; in 2008, recognition from the Association of American University Women (AAUW) for raising the bar on lifelong learning; in 1995, the Presidential Award for Excellence in teaching science and mathematics. I am the secretary for our local branch of AAUW and the treasurer and volunteer pianist at my church. Halfway Home Pet Rescue, the Ecumenical Food Pantry and the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen are places I have volunteered. I have been a spokesperson and ardent supporter of the Healthy Hearts program at Cary. In my spare time, I still take piano lessons. I have been widowed for eight years and I have two children and three stepchildren.
Why are you running for council?
I love living in Caribou and I would like to be part of a group that is looking for ways to make our city a more economically healthy community.
What would you most like the city to accomplish during your term?
During my term I would like to brainstorm ideas for attracting more families and businesses to our community and hope to see improvements in these areas.
What do you consider to be Caribou’s biggest challenges currently?
Our shrinking population and our barren downtown are areas of great concern to me. We need to continue to look for creative ways to encourage new business.
How will your experiences help you serve on the Caribou City Council?
As an educator, I am well aware of how important it is to thoroughly research a subject that is up for discussion or debate, to listen to any opposing factions, to weigh pros and cons and to be willing to compromise. With a background in mathematics, I understand numbers and how that this expertise will help with the city budgeting process.
Do you have any initial thoughts on the upcoming year’s budget?
I have noticed that in the past some departments have taken a much more substantial percentage cut than other departments. It seems fairer to me, when budget cuts have to be made, that the same percentages of cuts take place across the board. I also think that the department heads of each area should be the only ones to decide where those cuts should be made.
What do you think of Caribou’s recent efforts to share services with Presque Isle?
I think Caribou and Presque Isle should continue to explore ways that they may share services without detracting from the quality of services each community provides. I see this type of sharing resources happening now in the vocational areas of our high schools where students are shuttled to and from area schools that offer a vocational program of their choice. Sharing when it is beneficial to both communities is a win-win situation.
James Cerrato is running for a three-year term to represent Caribou on the City Council.
Please tell us about yourself.
I’m a resident of Caribou for 13 years, a farther, husband, grandfather and great-grandfather. I decided a few years ago to become a little more involved with the way Caribou exists as the city, so I talked to the former city manager and was appointed to the planning board and am now the chair of the planning board — so I feel that those experiences have helped me understand a little more about the city of Caribou. I’m also a reserve police officer for 24 years, and prior to that as a therapist and youth councilor for drugs and alcohol prevention. I also served 20 years in the Air Force, and I keep bees for a hobby.
I’m a high school drop out. I got my GED in the Air Force, got my first bachelor’s degree in California at the University of La Verne, and I have two master’s, one in education, and one in technology and counseling. And when I was in the military, I was an electronics technician on the space and missile program, but when I got my degrees I went into social services as a drug counselor, so I think those things can help me bring things to the city council that some people may not have to offer.
Why are you running for council?
[To express] certain issues that are on my mind, especially with the budget and trying to draw new business into town. This town has a lot to offer small businesses, but the attitude has to change to make it more agreeable for small business people to come into town.
What would you most like the city to accomplish during your term?
My first thought was to reduce the mil rate, but basically what we need to do is change the bottom line how the city operates. We need to lower our expenses, share our services; the program we have with Presque Isle is a good step forward.
What do you consider to be Caribou’s biggest challenges currently?
Right now, it’s the unbelievable increase in home invasion. We’re the last bus stop in Caribou, and we have a lot of transients coming off the bus. They go into the surrounding communities, walk around three or four days, scope out the houses, do robberies and leave. And I believe that we have a Neighborhood Watch program; the sign doesn’t keep bad guys away just like blessing yourself doesn’t keep the devil away. We need to be more proactive in this town to reduce the crime rate, we need to help the police identify people who are transient and walking around our houses and our neighbors’ houses when they’re not home, that’s what I want to do.
How will your experiences help you serve on the Caribou City Council?
There’s about 50 years’ experience back there, everything from being a hospital administrator to being a Scoutmaster, my time on the planning board has helped a lot and given me some experiences. I feel that I have some ideas and experiences can be beneficial to the community
Do you have any initial thoughts on the upcoming year’s budget?
Only that we have to reduce it. It might mean kicking the unions out and having teachers work on merit only, not guaranteed pay raises every year.
What do you think of Caribou’s recent efforts to share services with Presque Isle?
I think it’s a great idea. I think that type of futuristic management is going to help us bring our budget down.
David Martin is running for a three-year term to represent Caribou on the City Council.
Please tell us about yourself.
I’m a retired math teacher, I taught 38 years in Caribou, I’ve been married for 43 years to my wife Joanne, (we got married young). I have two kids and five grandkids, and I’ve been living in Caribou since 1970.
Why are you running for council?
I guess to give back to the community, I know it sounds kind of corny, but I think everyone should do some public service, and I think I have ability to do that.
What would you most like the city to accomplish during your term?
I’d like to somehow see us grow a little bit so we could somehow share the burden of doing the cost of business, so somehow I’d like to encourage people to move in here.
What do you consider to be Caribou’s biggest challenges currently?
The budget. Revenues are going down, the population is going down. So it’s hard to keep the right balance of the right taxation and how much services you can give. Hopefully we can stop raising the mil rate.
How will your experiences help you serve on the Caribou City Council?
Well, I think after 38 years in education, I’ve learned to be patient. Again, I have experience on the council, I try to be reasonable and I try to do the right thing.
Do you have any initial thoughts on the upcoming year’s budget?
My taxes are high enough, so somehow we’ve got to maintain. People would like to see [the tax rate] go down, but you have to stop the ball from rolling before you can make it go back up, I guess.
What do you think of Caribou’s recent efforts to share services with Presque Isle?
I think that will be a win-win. It’s not about taking identity away from anybody, it’s about sharing services and becoming more efficient. It should work – it’s working right now with the public works director. So I would think there are a lot of things we could do.
Joan Theriault is running for a three-year term to represent Caribou on the City Council.
Please tell us about yourself.
I’m 66 years old, born and raised in Caribou and I never left. I’ve been married to Paul for 47 years and we have one daughter, Denise, who lives in Presque Isle. I’m 95 percent retired from the insurance business and my husband and I own and operate River’s Bend Mobile Home Park on the River Road.
Why are you running for council?
Because I care very much about Caribou and its future. It’s no secret that I haven’t been happy with the direction in which the previous administration was taking the city. So, last year, when a vacancy occurred on the council, I decided it was time to put my money where my mouth was by applying for the job of filling in until next month’s election, got appointed (because I was the only one who applied) and found I really like serving on the council. It’s a lot of work, some of it difficult to understand, I will admit, but I have the time and the energy to do it. And most of the time it’s very rewarding, though I know we’ll never please everyone. The council is more transparent than it’s ever been, and I want to make sure it stays that way, to make sure we are honest and forthcoming with the citizens and to work for the good of everyone in the community.
What would you most like the city to accomplish during your term?
To bring a sense of community and a positive outlook for its future, and to get rid of the negativity that’s been a part of this community for too long. It’s hard, when you see businesses close or relocate and jobs being lost. But I think we are well on our way, especially with Thursdays on Sweden that took place this past summer. We need more of that.
Another thing I would like to see accomplished is a better way to deal with abandoned and tax acquired properties within our community. This is a big problem, and I think we need to work on a way to be better prepared to resolve the issues before they become a safety hazard and bring down the values of the neighborhoods in which they are located.
What do you consider to be Caribou’s biggest challenges currently?
Growth and sustainment. Growth is a hard one. Everyone wants the business that is looking to relocate or that new home that’s going to be built. The challenge will be to make them want to do it in Caribou. And sustainment of the people we have here already, especially the younger ones. A couple of weeks ago I counted 17 new listings in the real estate section of the Republican. That’s very worrisome to me, because I wonder how many people are planning to stay in Caribou once they do sell their property. And of course, taxes are always a challenge, and always will be.
How will your experiences help you serve on the Caribou City Council?
My father served 21 years on the council, so I grew up watching the “politics” of small town government. I’ve already got a year under my belt on the council, and even though I am still learning, I’ve been through a budget process along with other issues that the city has dealt with, so I know what to expect. I’ve been out in the workplace for close to 50 years. I’ve also attended most of the council meetings for the past 3 or 4 years, before my time on council, and have followed the meetings for years before that. And along with a group of concerned citizens literally tore the charter apart to look for ways to improve it for the benefit of everyone in Caribou.
Do you have any initial thoughts on the upcoming year’s budget? It’s a tough one! We have started the budget process and my initial thought is that it will be difficult to avoid an increase in taxes, but everyone is doing the best they can to hold the line on spending. And we still don’t have all the information on revenues yet, so that will impact the final figure as well.
What do you think of Caribou’s recent efforts to share services with Presque Isle?
It’s certainly worth a shot. If we don’t at least try, then we’ll never know. Right now our public works director is the acting public works director in PI also, and it appears to be working out well. I can see some services working, some maybe not so much. Probably one of the biggest obstacles may still be the “rivalry” between the two cities that has been going on for years. If we can all get past that and work together, who knows what good things could happen in the future.
