PARIS — Community activist and semi-retired teacher William C. Hine II is running for Oxford County treasurer.

Hine, 60, of Green Woods Road, Peru, is making a first-time bid for the part-time position. He is not affiliated with either political party.

The county treasurer is responsible for helping to develop the county budget, for borrowing funds, and for supervising all bookkeeping and accounting functions. The treasurer oversees two full-time employees.

Although Hine voted in June to change the position from elected to appointed, he said he supports the decision by residents to retain the elective position.

“My candidacy is a direct result of the failed referendum in June,” he said.

He believes some expenses could be pared from the county budget by reconfiguring the office. He also believes that part-time employees, such as the county treasurer, should not be eligible for full benefits.

“I don’t believe elected public officials should have benefits that are not typically available to people in the private sector with similar duties,” he said.

If elected, he said he will not accept health benefits.

“Fifteen percent of the county budget goes toward health benefits,” he said.

When the county treasurer position was created in the 19th century, the treasurer did all the work, he said. Now, most of that work is done by a deputy treasurer and an assistant deputy treasurer.

“I believe the work could get done with fewer people and occasionally (the treasurer’s office) could help the county administrator’s office,” he said.

“My position is that this position exists to reward the party rank and file,” he said.

He also believes the county treasurer should be paid by the hour rather than the $12,000 annual stipend, which he believes would reduce that cost.

During the 33 years that he has lived in Oxford County, Hine has held numerous public positions, many with financial responsibilities such as serving as chairman of the Board of Selectmen from Peru, treasurer of the River Valley Growth Council, and town Budget Committee member.

He has also served on the Northern Oxford County Coalition whose goal was to examine the cancer risk in the River Valley and to identify factors that may impact health, the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, the Peru Planning Board and Board of Appeals, and the Community Advisory Panel.

He made an unsuccessful bid for the the District 93 seat in the Maine House of Representatives in 2008.

Hine graduated from Yale University, and met his wife, Peru native Cathy Hazelton, when they were both working at Camp Susan Curtis in Stoneham in the late 1970s. He was camp director in 1980 where he was responsible for building the budget.

Originally from Springfield, Mass., Hine said he fell in love with Maine’s landscape.

The couple are the parents of two adult children.

eadams@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link