BETHEL – A handful of people are expected to be nominated by selectmen on Monday, Jan. 5, to fill empty municipal seats.

Because Planning Board members Dennis Doyon and Suzi Harrington did not seek re-election when their three-year terms expired Wednesday, two openings were created, said Town Manager Scott Cole.

Alternate Rocky Freda is expected to fill one of the slots, leaving one voting position open. Selectmen will fill Freda’s alternate spot and a second alternate position.

Those seeking Planning Board seats, either voting or as an alternate, include Dave Nivus, Jodi Shimamora, Ray Cooley and Larry Engdahl.

Cole said selectmen typically conduct 10-minute interviews in executive session with each candidate before choosing board members in open session.

Other candidates for municipal seats include John Mason and John Head for two openings on the Airport Authority, Jim Merrill for one slot on the Recreation Committee, and Joe Drummond for the Bethel Water District Board of Trustees.

Drummond was initially appointed on Dec. 15, but there may be a revote taken on his appointment, Cole added.

Other Dec. 15 appointments were Lennie Shaw to the Board of Appeals; Emmie Merrill, Fred Nolte, Mike Jodrey and Mike Drapeau to the Budget Committee; Dean Walker to the Construction Committee; and Scott Brown and Terri Ann Guay to the Recreation Committee.

People like Web site

The town’s new Web site at www.bethelmaine.org/ has been well received by the public, Town Manager Scott Cole said.

“Without fanfare, Bethel launched its Web site several months ago,” Cole said. “This medium will provide an entirely new venue for doing business with the town in the years to come.”

A slow and deliberate process for Web site development is envisioned, he added.

“We haven’t done a lot with it, but we will have a mass e-mail list to distribute routine information like agendas, minutes, calendars, and municipal notices. It’s another way of staying in touch with the public,” Cole said.

Aside from posting notices about work by town crews, he said the site’s ultimate goal is to allow residents to register vehicles online and to make tax payments.

“That’s a ways off, but it’s not inconceivable. Currently, there are two ways to interact with the town – walk into the town office or call on the telephone. We envision the Web site as a third venue,” Cole said.

Several people have already accessed the town’s code book, which can be accessed off the site.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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