Candidates set for town election

  HOULTON, Maine — The stage has been set for the Nov. 8 elections as six individuals have expressed interest in filling four seats on the Houlton Town Council, while three others are looking to fill three seats on the SAD 29 school board.
The deadline to submit nomination papers expired Sept. 16. The Houlton Pioneer Times will do profiles on many of the candidates in an upcoming issue.
    In addition, The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Houlton Town Council candidates’ forum on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council chambers at the Houlton Town Office on 21 Water St.
The locally televised forum allows Houlton residents the opportunity to ask questions and address local issues with the candidates seeking election. The forum provides an avenue for voters to examine the position that the candidates take on important local issues.
Chamber board members will answer incoming telephone calls at the Town Office on the evening of the forum. The format will allow each candidate three minutes for opening remarks. Each question will be asked of all the candidates. Candidates will have two minutes to respond to each question. Each candidate will be allowed two minutes for a closing statement at the end of the forum.
Houlton voters are encouraged to send written questions to the chamber office prior to Oct. 19, by either mailing them to: 109 Main St., Houlton, ME 04730 or by e-mail to chamber@greaterhoulton.com.
On the evening of the forum, voters may call the town office at 532-7111 to submit questions as well.  The public is welcome to attend the event.
Four individuals — Sue Tortello, Paul Cleary, Carl Lord and Robert Hannigan — are seeking three 3-year terms on the Houlton Town Council. The seats currently belong to Walter Goodrich, Tortello and Brian Donnelly. Goodrich was unable to run for re-election due to term limits, while Donnelly chose not to seek another term.
Two candidates are looking to fill a one-year term on the council. That seat is presently held by Michael Jenkins, who was appointed Nov. 22, 2010, to the council to fill a vacancy created when Fred Grant resigned from the board. Jenkins was selected to fill that seat until the November, 2011 election. Jenkins will be challenged for the remaining one-year seat by former town councilor Phil Bernaiche.
Three individuals are looking to fill three 3-year terms on the SAD 29 school board. Chairman Elizabeth Anderson, Cynthia Hillman-Forbush and Cleary currently hold those seats. Anderson and Hillman-Forbush are seeking re-election, while Cleary has decided to run for town council instead. John Tribou is the third individual seeking election to the school board.
Two candidates — Richard Goodwin and Galen Hogan — are seeking re-election to two open seats on the Houlton Water Company’s board of directors.
Three seats are open on the town’s Board of Budget Review, but there are just two candidates for the positions. They are Gerard Berthelette and Goodrich.
Two individuals — Priscilla Monroe and Gary Hagan — are seeking one five-year seat on the Cary Library board of trustees.