HOULTON, Maine — Interest in providing public service appears to be waning in Houlton as evidenced by this year’s collection of candidates for Houlton Town Council and RSU 29 school board.
According to Cathy O’Leary, assistant town manager/clerk, there will be no contested races for either the council or school board on the municipal ballot Nov. 6. It marks the second time in three years that interest in serving has been slim.
Two, three-year seats are available on the Houlton Town Council, with candidates Christian Robinson and Terry Joseph McKenna looking to fill those seats. Both incumbents, Rosa McNally and Sue Waite-York, opted not to seek re-election.
For RSU 29, there are five available seats on the board. Three, three-year seats are up for grabs, as well as a two-year term and a one-year term. Incumbents Lori Holmes and Tammy Goetsch are seeking re-election and are candidates for the three-year seats. The third seat was held by Bruce Clark, who decided not to run this year.
Ellen Askren is looking to fill the one-year term on the school board, while Jessica Milligan has declared herself as a write-in candidate for the additional three-year seat, while Erica Fitzpatrick-Peabody has declared herself a write-in candidate for the two-year seat.
For Houlton, individuals who wish to be write-in candidates must declare that fact prior to the election in order to have their votes counted, O’Leary said. Any ballot featuring a name that was not a declared write-in is not counted.
