By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — The six candidates vying for two empty seats on the Houlton Town Council gathered Oct. 23 for a “Candidates Forum,” hosted by the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce.
All six candidates — Gerald “Jerry” Adams, Stan Ginish, Wade Hanson, Carl Lord Jr., Priscilla Monroe and incumbent John White Jr. — attended the debate, which lasted for about an hour and 30 minutes.
Each candidate was given three minutes for opening remarks; two minutes to answer questions; and two minutes for closing comments. Kent Good served as moderator for the meeting, while Susan McAfee and Josh McLaughlin served as timekeepers.
Residents were able to call-in questions for the candidates, but only six questions were posed to the individuals. Questions ranged from generalized queries such as “What personal strengths do you possess that will make you an asset should you be elected?” to “What are your thoughts on maintaining services while keeping the mill rate stable?”
Other questions were more direct, such as “Are we doing enough to combat the growing drug problem in the area?” and “How would you balance community consensus on a subject versus your own personal opinion?”
On the question of drugs in the community, Hanson said he did not agree with those that feel local law enforcement is over-staffed, considering the presence of the Houlton Police Department, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, Troop F of the Maine State Police and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Houlton. He pointed to the amount of cases of individuals being arrested for drugs as proof the area was being proactive.
Monroe said the drug problem was not unique to the town of Houlton, stating it is an issue in communities everywhere.
White said he personally knows a number of families that have been impacted by drug issues and felt that local law enforcement officials were doing their job when it came to making arrests.
Adams added that drug issues were something that will never likely disappear and local police were doing a “pretty good job” in terms of cracking down on the criminal activity.
Ginish stated the biggest problem is the public’s acceptance as too many people sit back and say nothing when they know someone is using drugs.
Lord said while he applauded the work being done to keep drug users/manufacturers off the streets of Houlton, more could and should be done because the town was “not getting ahead of the ball.”
All of the candidates stated a greater emphasis needs to be placed on keeping taxes down and curbing spending at the municipal level and pledged to do their best to prevent another increase in the town’s mil rate.
