WILTON – Voters have some important choices to make Tuesday.
From 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 13, residents can cast their votes at the town office for two positions: Keith Swett’s selectman seat is up for grabs, with he and two other candidates vying for the spot. Also, SAD 9 director Janis Stinson is stepping down. Voters will be able to choose from three people to fill the empty school board seat.
Swett is defending his seat against Norm Gould and Michael Lilley.
Swett, who is self-employed, has served one term as a selectman. He has been a part of several other boards, including the Franklin County Budget Committee and the NorthStar Ambulance Advisory Board. He is especially proud of work done by the ambulance board, which took steps to make the ambulance service more efficient. His and the board’s efforts have saved the town nearly $50,000, according to Swett.
Future issues that concern him include the purchase of a new fire engine. While not against replacing old and possibly dangerous pieces of equipment if necessary, he is concerned about buying additional fire engines without first consulting professionals.
“Somebody needs to look at what equipment we have,” Swett said, “and find out if we need something.”
Gould, retired from International Paper, has long experience as a selectman. Before being narrowly beaten by Paul Gooch last year, he had served on the board for 37 years. Now he says he wants to “get back on.”
Gould has kept up to date with board activities, continuing to go to meetings. Gould says one of his top priorities is getting a new firetruck. He also is concerned that Wilton may be plowing and maintaining roads that it shouldn’t, and says that the town needs to look at the road maintenance system.
Gould also said that he was interested in completing several projects that were begun back when he served as a selectman.
Lilley, who works construction at Cianbro, was born and has lived in Wilton all of his life and serves as the town’s deputy fire chief.
Lilley says his top priority is “attracting more business into town. We’ve done some, but much more needs to be done.”
He says that if elected, his “phone and door will always be there for the people of Wilton. Selectmen are here to serve the town.”
Lilley is encouraging as many people to come out and vote as possible.
Kristie Backus, Randy Hall and Lillian Lake are running for the school board seat emptied when Stinson stepped down.
Kristie Backus, who recently worked as a special education tech until taking a break to focus on her three children, ages 13, 10 and 8, says she is running because she “wanted to still be part of the district.”
While Backus says that it’s important that all students’ needs are met, she is especially concerned about the welfare of special-education students. She worries that cutbacks into certain programs will not “adequately serve” students who have special needs.
Backus is working on her special education degree and says her work with special education students has given her special insight into their needs. Other than seeing that all students get the support they require, Backus says she has “no political agenda.”
Randy Hall, a farmer, also has a child in the school system, his 11-year-old daughter. He says that running for the school board is “something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Hall is most concerned with the canceling of after-school programs and cuts made at the expense of the music department. He would like to make the school system more efficient, saving money that could be used to reinstate some of these programs.
Hall says he is no stranger to making things run better at lower costs. “I’ve been a farmer my whole life,” he said. “I’ve had to learn how to become more efficient.”
Hall is president of the Franklin County Firemen Association and the Franklin County Agricultural Society.
Lillian Lake, a homemaker, served two terms on the school board several years ago. Her children in college, Lake feels that she can devote an appropriate amount of time to the school board.
Lake said she’s “passionate about education,” and if elected, intends to be “a hands-on director, not just show up for meetings.”
She said more needs to be done to support children. Lake said that she believes SATs should be given at an earlier age, and students should be supported by an advisor program to help better connect the educational community with the Wilton community.
“The board should seek the support of the teachers and other staff,” Lake said, “and in turn support them.”
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