Council candidates hold forum

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Six candidates vying for four spots on the Houlton Town Council were on the hot seat last Wednesday evening as the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce held its annual “Candidates Forum” event.
    Incumbent Sue Tortello and challengers Carl Lord Jr., Robert Hannigan and Paul Cleary are seeking one of three, 3-year seats on the council. Incumbent Mike Jenkins and challenger Phil Bernaiche are both seeking a one-year seat on the council.
    Held in the town council chambers and broadcast on public access television, the nearly two-hour question-and-answer session featured each candidate allotted three minutes for opening remarks. Moderator Wade Hanson then posed the same eight questions to each candidate, with two minutes given to answer the questions. Residents were also able to submit questions via telephone during the forum.
    A final two minutes were allotted for closing comments.
    Economic development, social networking, the town’s greatest assets, Town Manager Doug Hazlett and questions on spending by the SAD 29 school board were recurrent themes throughout the evening.
    Hanson started the forum with the question, “What role does the town council play regarding the school budget?”
    All of the candidates stated there was a need for both groups to work together in these trying economic times. Bernaiche and Lord both stated they felt the three candidates for the SAD 29 school board should have been included in the forum so they could answer questions too. Bernaiche added it was a worry to him as a taxpayer to see the district carry such a high surplus from year to year.
    “In all reality, we have no say in regards to what the school does” said Cleary, who has served the past eight months on the SAD 29 school board, filling an unexpired term created by a resignation. “But, as a council, we should work together to help each other out to come up with a budget that is workable.”
    The town’s greatest assets were discussed, with nearly every candidate agreeing that the people in the community were tops on the list. Tortello said she felt the downtown was ripe for development and added many communities would love to have the aesthetic beauty that Houlton’s downtown already has.
    The town’s hospital, Smith & Wesson factory and its international airport were other assets brought up by candidates.
    How each candidate would maintain the positive town image set forth by the existing council was another question. Most of the candidates attributed the town’s positive image to Hazlett, stating he has improved the lines of communication between the council and the town.
    “I’d just be myself,” Hannigan said. “I’m very proud to be from Houlton and I think that pride in the council and town would present itself.”
    Bernaiche said he felt councilors should spend more time discussing issues on the agenda at their meetings. Jenkins disagreed stating the reason why councilors do not appear to have any questions on agenda items was because the town manager has provided adequate information beforehand.
    One of the more interesting questions asked the candidates, “To what degree do you feel a sitting town councilor should be participating in social media, such as Twitter or Facebook?”
    “I don’t belong to either one of them, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a joke,” Bernaiche said. “This (the council) is the place if you have something to say. If I am going to say something, it will be here.”
    Lord said he felt there were some things that shouldn’t be discussed on social media websites.
    “I’m an elected official of the board of budget review, but do I discuss that on there? No,” he said. “I like to be able to see the person I am talking to.”
    “Whether we like it or not, social media is here,” said Jenkins. “We have to learn how to handle it responsibly. I don’t put anything on there that I don’t want people to know. I don’t discuss town business, but I will discuss (newspaper) articles. It’s not an issue as long as you are responsible.”
    Hannigan and Tortello both said they felt social networking was part of the modern day age and an excellent opportunity for people to ask questions of their elected officials and to get information out quickly.
    “How we conduct ourselves sets a precedent for how we are perceived,” Tortello said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s face to face, on the phone or electronically. (Councilors) need to be responsible and conduct yourself in a way that you will not regret later on. You need to think about what you are doing.”
    Cleary stated he had no problem with councilors making comments on Facebook.
    “Things have changed to a point where people don’t even answer cell phones — they only text,” Cleary said. “There are people you see on the street and they won’t say a word to you, but they will leave you a comment on Facebook. I have a lot of fun with Facebook. I joke around and make sarcastic statements. If someone is not going to vote for me because of a comment I make on Facebook, so be it.”
    The issue of the town’s franchise fee with Polaris Cable was another topic of discussion. Houlton receives about $30,000 in revenue from the franchise fee, which is a rate of 5 percent of Polaris’ revenue from subscribers as set by the council. The 10-year franchise agreement expires in 2012 and will be renegotiated in the near future between the council and the cable company.
    All of the candidates said the fee paid by subscribers represents revenue to the town and were hesitant to give up any source of revenue, but vowed to explore the matter fully.