NEW GLOUCESTER — Four candidates are seeking election to fill two three-year terms on the New Gloucester Board of Selectmen. 

Voting will take place at the New Gloucester Fire Station at 611 Lewiston Road from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 14.

Steven Libby

Incumbent Steven Libby is seeking his sixth term on the board. 

“My strongest qualification is that I have an in-depth understanding of New Gloucester’s finances,” said Libby, 52, a lifelong resident of New Gloucester. “I have helped write and implement many of the policies that have kept us financially sound during a tough economy.” 

The major challenges ahead for the town include dealing with the Public Works effort to build a complex at 166 Lewiston Road, where the town’s fire and rescue station are located.

Libby said that proper compensation of Fire Department personnel needs to be addressed. Currently, rescue and fire responders receive $15 per call for the entire duration of the event being covered.

In the future, voters need to decide if the town is ready to develop a police department locally, Libby said. New Gloucester relies on rural patrol provided by Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and Maine State Police for law enforcement.

“New Gloucester is the largest town in Cumberland County without a department and doesn’t have a contract or police department,” he said. “If we’re ready, this will be determined by the voters.”

Libby and his wife are the parents of two children. He currently serves as a coach for the Gray-New Gloucester Little League softball program, and is an assistant den leader for Pack 135 New Gloucester Cub Scouts.

Lynn Conger

Lynn Conger, a former New Gloucester selectman who has served on the board for 11 years, is seeking re-election. She currently serves on the Veterans Monument Committee, the New Gloucester Budget Committee and the Public Works Design Committee.

Conger said she is seeking office to facilitate her efforts to bring more adult day care into the community, as well as services for children with disabilities.  

“It’s time that we, as selectmen, help facilitate what it takes to provide support for our residents,” she said. “I want to make sure our people are being taken care of, no matter where they are in life.”

She supports efforts to develop an Upper Village Master Plan and is concerned about structural safety at the New Gloucester Transfer Station building. 

When the Upper Village plan is in place, she said, police coverage for protection and traffic control may be necessary in addition to townwide coverage.     

Conger, 65, is the owner and chief executive officer of Pine Tree Home Health Care in New Gloucester. She is a member of the Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine and the Maine Council on Aging. She is also a registered nurse who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War era.

Conger is married and has two adult children and grandchildren.

Kathleen Potter

Kathleen Potter, 63, is seeking to serve on the board to give back to the community.

 She currently serves on the Capital Improvement Planning Committee, the Board of Appeals, the Gazebo Committee and Friends of the Library, and formerly served on the SAD 15 school board and the Community Fair Committee.

“Small communities don’t have budgets to hire everyone and they need volunteers,” she said. “In many ways, you are what you want the community to be.”

She supports the development of the Upper Village Master Plan.  

“The biggest thing is to go forward and find a developer, otherwise it will still sit there,” she said. “We get a lot for our money (in New Gloucester). We have the sixth-lowest tax rate in Cumberland County. If we want to lower taxes, we need to look to Augusta and the Legislature to hold them to the statutes.”

Potter believes that the town is severely neglecting Capital Improvement Plan reserve accounts and would be proactive to add more funds to reserves to purchase costly items, such as firetrucks, highway trucks and ambulances.

She supports the town having a Public Safety Department, which includes Fire, Rescue and Police departments. 

“We have had murders in town and burgeoning drug problems and vandalism,” she said.

She has worked as a bank manager and in education in the past. She and her husband moved to New Gloucester 14 years ago. 

Nichole Stevens

Nichole Stevens, 36, was raised in Alton and is a graduate of Husson College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies.

She currently works as a contract compliance manager for Pierce Promotions in Portland. She formerly worked as a paralegal for the Pierce Atwood law firm in Portland.

“I am looking forward to providing an open, honest and thoughtful representation to the board,” she said. “I don’t take decisions lightly, and do my due diligence.” 

She currently serves as chairwoman of the New Gloucester Economic Development Committee.

Stevens said she wants to see a collaborative and cohesive board with a chairman who works with the entire board and serves as a leader for all citizens.

Stevens supports the Public Works salt shed complex being built at 166 Lewiston Road on shared land with the New Gloucester Fire and Rescue Station. She also supports energy-saving options on town buildings, such as solar roof panels, and writing grants for funding. She also backs the Upper Village Master Plan and the development of the New Gloucester Fairgrounds that could include a farmers market, for example.

She and her husband, Mark, a former selectman, own Maine Beer Tours in Portland. They are raising two children.

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