Election 2007 News
Three candidates seeking to fill remaining term of Selectman Torbert Macdonald, Jr.
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - James Adams, Michael Ehrenborg and Ted Little would all bring different experiences to their service on the Board of Selectmen, but all three hope to serve the one two-year term to be decided at the polls on May 19.
James Adams
James Adams said it has been many years since he was active in the political arena, but he feels that now is the time to get involved in his home town.
"The last time I was active in anything political was in college," he said, while pursuing a degree in photography and information technology at Rochester Institute of Technology.
At that time, he served as president of his fraternity and as a residence assistant.
"This is my town, but I don't like to see the things that are happening so far," he said of the current board. "The one that pushed me over the edge was the surfing ordinance. They should have listened to Doug Bracy and Mike Sullivan, who are in charge of the whole thing. They don't listen to the experts."
Considering other issues, Adams said a new Town Hall and Police Department are both key needs for the community.
"We need both. As far as the Town Hall goes, it's so compact and it's not ADA compliant," he said, adding that the longer the town waits, the fewer the opportunities and the higher the costs will be. "We have the land. We have a design going. ... We have to get that done."
As for the Police Department, Adams said there is no question that the time has come to build a new public safety facility.
"That's an old schoolhouse," he said. "From firsthand knowledge, they really do need one."
He said the town should look at federal and state funds to assist in that project.
"It makes sense to do that and build it right," he said.
Adams spoke openly of his recent arrest for possession of marijuana, and said he knows from his experience at the York Police Department how strained the quarters are there. He also reiterated that he has never denied using marijuana, and hopes his case will help forward his cause of seeing marijuana use legalized.
"I've been in town. I'm local. I work around town. More people than you can imagine know who I am," he said. "I just ask them not to judge by the situation, but go by what you think of me as a person."
At this point, he said, he is in the process of reviewing all the information associated with serving as a selectman.
"The job as a selectmen, there's no power involved," he said, adding his bedroom is loaded with budget information and copies of municipal officers' manuals, Roberts Rules and other information, and he has been speaking with longtime local residents as resources on town government.
Adams, who now works in the trades as a plumber and painter, said he agrees with the town's growth cap, but believes it should be amended to allow longtime residents to be able to get a building permit.
"If you've been a local person paying your dues here for 10 years, why should you have to do it?" he said. "The growth ordinance is written in favor of big developers."
Adams said he needs to learn more about the state's school consolidation plan and will be researching that.
"I'm a local boy. I went to York High School and graduated in 1985," he said. "I just want to listen to both sides of an issue and get the middle point. From that middle point, I'll get perspective and go one way or the other, not to the extreme. I will try to do what's fair for the majority and what's best for town."
Michael Ehrenborg
Michael Ehrenborg was born and raised in Maine, and is running for the Board of Selectmen because he wants to make a difference in the community that he loves for current residents and future generations.
"I believe that a town's character is reflected in the people who serve, its buildings, schools and programs that it offers the young and old of the community," Ehrenborg said. "The town's character shines bright when citizens of this community are willing to stand up, take responsibility and work together for the common good of all of its citizens."
Ehrenborg is strongly opposed to the state's educational consolidation plan and is prepared to work with the selectmen and School Committee to fight against it.
"I never had agreed with what Baldacci was trying to do with the state of Maine," he said of the initial plan. "To me, it's a shell game by an administration that's failing to balance its budget."
Now, he said, the Legislature's Appropriations Committee is moving forward with a version of the plan that is also bad news for York and other towns.
"What right do they have to force this on the voters of Maine?" he said, adding the state has provided no clear information on how they arrived at the alleged tax savings in the plan. "We don't have time to wait. I am deplored by Baldacci and disappointed and disgusted with Augusta. ... I've always believed in home rule. We should be able to make the decisions for the future of our children."
Ehrenborg said the plan is an effort to make "donor towns" like York pay more for other towns.
"This is more important than any of the other issues we have," he said, echoing a sentiment voiced by the current Board of Selectmen and School Committee.
In addition to facing the school consolidation issue, Ehrenborg said he is committed to addressing the town's capital needs, pointing to the years the town has been waiting for a new Town Hall, Police Department and classroom space at York High School.
"The Town Hall, built in 1864, is in deplorable structural condition. It is overcrowded, lacks storage space for the town's historical documents and doesn't meet some federal building codes," he said. "Now in 2007, we are facing a cost of $6.5 million for a new Town Hall. We still need a police station and classroom space at the High School for band and chorus. The road drainage and maintenance budget has been under-funded for many years. Building construction costs continue to rise every year due to local and international pressure. Putting off all our capital projects was poor planning and now will results in higher taxes as we are forced to replace worn out facilities."
Ehrenborg said his past experience working around the world, with people from many different cultures, will serve him well if elected to the board. Locally, he has served on the York Athletic Fields Committee and was one of the original members as it worked to secure the Bog Road parcel.
He said he hopes to use his skills to address the town's pressing needs while working to minimize the tax burden on York's residents.
"I am honest, respectful, concerned for the needs of the citizens of this town," he said. "I do not represent any special business groups and believe in the common good."
Ehrenborg has served in the Air Force as an electronics specialist and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He is currently a senior supervisor in field engineering and operations for a major utility. He lives in York with his wife, Kathy, and their two children, Jessica and Adam.
Ehrenborg supports the new Town Hall project as a "good faith" effort by the selectmen to meet a dire need. He also believes a new Police Department and York High School arts wing must also be addressed in the near future.
"Some aspects of these projects have been started. Others need to be planned, land obtained, buildings design, financing arranged and tax implications discussed with the voters," he said. "The challenge will be to find a funding mechanism that the citizens will be willing to find acceptable."
Ehrenborg said he supports efforts to provide workforce housing and would like to see York maintained as a community with people of all ages and generations.
"Without children and families, it becomes just a rich retirees resort," he said, adding that his decision to run was to show his own children "that they have to become involved if they want to change society. ... I'm hoping this will show my kids in particular that by stepping up to the plate, you can make a difference."
Ted Little
is no stranger to serving on York committees and decided it was time to step forward and seek a seat on the Board of Selectmen.
"I gave a lot of thought before I did run," Little said. "I just got excited about some of the issues that are going on and wanted to be a part of those issues."
Little said he was inspired to serve in the seat currently held by Selectman Torbert Macdonald, Jr., because he shares Macdonald's commitment to protecting the natural resources of York and a similar perspective on affordable housing.
"My feeling is that I can never even attempt to say I have the amount of knowledge Torbert has shared," he said, but he does share a similar perspective and believes in protecting the town's character through managed growth and guarding the "average person's ability to live in York."
Little holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of New Hampshire and is the majority owner in a small company that produces small mats for picture frames.
In the term ahead, he said, "The biggest issue I see is the state's infringement on our home rule," Little said of the state's school consolidation plan. "I think it's going to be disastrous for our schools."
Little said this is something that should be challenged.
"I don't think the state has a right to tell York what to do," Little said, pointing to York's ability to manage its own budget growth, with minimal aid from the state. "I'd love to challenge the state on home rule."
Capital needs are also a priority, Little said, and he supports the proposal for the new Town Hall project.
Little's wife, Sue Little, has served on the Municipal Building Committee, and he said he not only supports the proposed Town Hall but also the next item on the five-year capital plan: a new public safety complex.
"We've got a program, as long as people vote for it," he said of the capital plan.
"I want to make sure we get the police station. That is prime."
Little said he is also an advocate of a paid fire department for services and is concerned about seniors' needs.
"I want to hear them," he said. "I want to see more people speak."
Little said he is also committed to providing housing opportunities for average individuals and families, and would like to see the selectmen continue to work with the York Housing Authority on those needs.
"I feel there is a definite need," he said. "I really hope the York Housing Authority is put in charge of this. I know this is a need. I think it's just the mechanism for how you regulated it so it doesn't get abused."
In terms of the town's growth ordinance, Little hopes to see the current 25 annual building permit exemptions for affordable housing and accessory dwelling units continue, pointing to the ADUs as a possible way to help homeowners offset costs while providing a low-cost option for others.
He also described the way other communities are using cluster subdivisions to provide affordable housing while maximizing open space.
"I've seen some very attractive village-like settings," he said. "I think we have to give a little bit if we want people we respect - people who work for us - to be able to live here."
Little has four children and five grandchildren living within an hour of York. He served on the growth ordinance committee in 2002 and as a citizen-at-large on the search committee for a new town manager. He also went to Augusta as a citizen to speak out about the state-imposed growth law.
"I'd be honored to serve in that seat," he said of the Board of Selectmen.
