York Town News
No comments and not enough candidates
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - What if the Board of Selectmen held a public hearing on the approximately $47 million in proposed funding requests for this year's budget, and nobody came?What if key posts were available on all of the town's elected boards, but not enough residents filed paperwork to have even one contested race?
Actually, that is exactly the way things were looking around town as of Tuesday afternoon.
Monday evening, March 26, the Board of Selectmen did host its public hearings on both the warrant for the proposed fiscal 2008 town, school and capital expenditure budgets, but no one spoke for or against any of the requests.
Earlier in the evening, the community meeting room at the York Public Library had been filled to capacity with residents who came in droves to voice their opinions on proposed changes to the town's surfing ordinance. However, when that hearing ended, the room emptied except for a handful of residents and town staff who attended to explain particular agenda items.
Items that did draw singular comments during the final public hearings on the board's agenda included changes to the Residential Growth Ordinance to bring it into compliance with state law, and a proposal for a Village Overlay District to allow for an expanded height for municipal buildings in the town's center. Local resident Cliff Estes cautioned against both of those requests.
However, as it was too late to change the substance of the ordinances, the board has agreed to move forward with the plans as presented.
When the public hearing on the budget and general referenda were opened, no one spoke.
"I don't think people understand the process and understand the meaning of having a public hearing on this," said Selectman Len Dorrian of the absence of residents voicing opinions on the budget.
Dorrian said it is clear many people do not have a proper appreciation of the significance of the hearing, which is held prior to the selectmen's preference votes on budget requests.
That hearing was the time to have discussions with the board on the budge items, Dorrian said, and "not at the 99th hour."
The board is scheduled to take its preference votes on the individual warrant articles at a special meeting to be held this coming Monday night, April 2, at the York Public Library. At that time, a public hearing will also be held on the proposed $6.5 million request for a new town hall in York Village.
Meanwhile, the town's need for candidates for the May ballot has not diminished. With just over one week remaining to file papers to be a candidate for such key governing boards as the Budget Committee, School Committee and Board of Selectmen, not one race was contested as of Tuesday afternoon - and in many cases, not enough potential candidates have come forward to even fill the vacancies on a given board.
As of Tuesday, Selectman Len Dorrian remained the only candidate to have filed paperwork for a three-year term on the board. Local residents Michael Ehrenborg and Frederick Boardman had taken out nomination papers for the two-year post to fill the unexpired term of Selectmen Torbert Macdonald, Jr. Neither had returned those papers as of late Tuesday, however.
Boardman has also taken out papers for a one-year post on the Budget Committee, but will only return papers for one position or the other, according to a Town Hall clerk. Three seats will be available on the Budget Committee in May: two three-year terms and the one-year term. As of Tuesday, Boardman was the only resident to express interest in any of those posts.
The School Committee, too, is in need of candidates. Incumbent Mary-Jane Merrill has taken out paperwork to seek one of two three-year terms on the board, but has not yet returned those papers. As of Tuesday, there was no candidate for the second term on the committee.
For more information on serving on the York School Committee, e-mail schoolboard@yorkschools.org. For more information on the town posts available, visit www.yorkmaine.org or call Town Hall at 363-1000.
Prospective candidates have until the close of business at the Town Clerk's Office on Thursday, April 5, to submit nomination papers for the May 19 election.
