A slate of nine candidates running for four Lisbon Town Council seats expressed their positions on several town-related issues Oct. 14 during Meet the Candidates Night.

The election comes amid a town budget shortfall due to a $1.3 million accounting error last year, which has driven property taxes up as much as 18.6%.

There are three, three-year seats up for election. Jo-Jean Keller is running for reelection to her three-year seat. Charles Turgeon, Gregory Garnett and former Councilors Roger Bickford and Eric Metivier are also vying for those seats.

Councilors Normand Albert and Mark Lunt are not running for reelection.

Diana Rolfe, Joseph Costa, Jean Elizabeth Burkhardt and former Republican legislator Dale Crafts are running for a two-year council seat held by Chris Hodgkins, who is not running for reelection. He was appointed by the council when Jeremy Barnard resigned in June.

Voting is Nov. 4 at Lisbon High School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents will also vote on three referendum questions: Question 1, whether a charter commission shall be established with the purpose of revisiting the municipal charter; Question 2, to approve the school budget; and Question 3, a nonbinding referendum on whether the budget proposal was too high, too low or appropriate.

Crafts was on the first council when it went from a town meeting governance to a town council governance — a shift he opposed then and opposes now. He has advocated to change the town charter and go back to a town meeting style of governance.

Running alongside him are Bickford, Metivier and Garnett, all taking similar stances and asking voters to elect them into the vacant three-year seats so they can help push this and other initiatives around cutting the town budget and spending forward.

“Yes, we’re running as a slate because we are pretty much like-minded people,” Metivier said. “We all have an idea how to fix this problem and that’s why we have four people trying to get the majority so we can fix it.”

Crafts endorsed all three men, stating he has known them a long time and knows them to be good, family-oriented people. He encouraged people to “vote with your conscience.”

Crafts owns businesses in town, spent four terms in the Maine Legislature and ran as the Republican nominee to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020. He lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Lewiston.

Asked by former Council Chair Harry Moore Jr. about their allegiance to Crafts, Metivier, Bickford and Garnett all maintained that they may not always vote the same way as Crafts, if elected.

Moderator Christine Landes asked several questions submitted by residents and took several questions from a large crowd gathered. Here are the most pertinent questions asked.

How would you handle a situation in which your personal beliefs differed from the will of the residents?

Bickford said councilors must listen to residents and then try to come up with whatever the best way is to solve a given issue.

To Garnett, it depends on the issue but he thinks the best way is to sit down and find a common-sense solution considering everyone’s opinion.

Keller said he thinks it is best to listen closely and carefully to what people are saying, find common ground to work from and work toward an understanding from there.

Metivier said it depends on the issue but he would need more information on specific topics before being able to answer the question.

Turgeon said he would listen to people and try to understand their stance.

Burkhardt said she has had to work with people who have different views, opinions and life experiences before and said she has learned to use common sense but hear every individual’s opinion. Both sides ultimately need to be heard, she said.

Crafts said the taxpayers are the bosses of the councilors and they should listen to them.

Costa said common ground needs to be found and from there a path forward can be charted but the public has to have a say in council decisions.

Rolfe said she approaches differing opinions with an open mind and an open heart. Every decision councilors make impacts the voters and councilors because they are residents, too.

If your goal is to prevent another steep tax hike, what line items or town services would you be willing to cut or reduce first?

Bickford did not get into what departments or services he would cut, but he said he would not make cuts to public works and make only modest cuts to the Police Department, stating that he does not lock his home or business doors in the morning or at night and “I haven’t had to shoot anybody,” he said.

Garnett said he thinks there is spending that can be cut in every town department, even if it is just a little.

Metivier said councilors need to cut wherever they can.

Keller said impacts from cutting town services and departments need to be weighed before that is done.

Turgeon said spending on some town services and departments can be reduced by using organizations, churches and nonprofits in the private sector to cut property taxes.

Burkhardt said councilors need to develop a plan and follow through on it.

Crafts said councilors need to “cut, cut, cut” spending until “it really hurts.”

Costa said councilors need to identify priorities and whatever does not have a sizable “return on investment” needs to be cut out or reduced.

Rolfe said figuring how to save money in the town budget is going to take time and there is no easy answer, but councilors need to look at what they can do differently across the board..

What is your first priority if you are elected to the council?

For Bickford it is “cut the budget.”

Garnett said he wants to find tax relief and reduce every department’s budget a little.

Keller said she wants to get to know the other councilors and learn how to work as a group and identify town priorities.

Metivier said he would would sell off town property, like the Worumbo Mill, to help offset the budgetary shortfall. He would also direct the Planning Board to get Route 9 opened up and find a way to attract big business in town.

Turgeon said he would want to set goals that reflect the community.

Burkhardt said he would prioritize whatever the public felt was most important, understanding that property tax increases are the biggest and most difficult thing to fix.

Crafts said he wants to cut the existing budget. 

Costa said he would want to first determine town priorities and start chipping away at those items.

Rolfe said she would want to get to know councilors and meet with department heads to go over their budgets. She would also want the council to determine long-term and short-term goals.

How do you propose getting the town back to a town meeting-style government?

Bickford and Garnett both agreed that the charter needs to be changed and that requires a public vote.

Metivier said he will push for a return to town meeting-style government and hopes that those elected to the town charter commission will support that.

Crafts said he believes voters should decide on town spending.

Keller said she is not sure the town can go back to the “old ways.” But perhaps aspects of town meeting style governing can be incorporated.

Burkhardt agreed but thinks that if that is the will of residents then they need to vote for that.

Turgeon said the charter commission is the first step to doing that.

Costa encouraged voters to approve that change at the polls and to appoint people they trust to the charter commission.

Rolfe said people need to get more involved in town affairs.

Yes or no, do you support the current school budget?

Bickford, Garnett, Turgeon, Keller, Rolfe and Costa all support the current school budget. Crafts and Metivier do not. Burkhardt said she could not answer.