Both men have previously served on town government boards.
By Terry Karkos
Staff Writer

BETHEL – Two experienced municipal officers, Reggie Brown and Francis Dumont, are running for Brown’s three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen.

Polling will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at the Crescent Park School gym.

Brown, 57, a Bethel native who has a wife and three children, formerly owned and operated Brown’s Mobil service station in town for 10 years. Now he works for Brooks Bros. Inc. as the service manager.

“I’ve always done work for oil or gas companies, doing service work,” said Brown.

Six years ago he defeated Rick Whitney for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. “I’ve always been involved with people, either through delivering oil or the Bethel Citizen.”

Brown also served on the Planning Board for 10 years before being voted in as a selectman.

Dumont, 40, also has a wife and three children. He moved to Bethel from Salem, N.H., in 1984, buying, operating and developing the Pleasant River Motel and Campground. He sold it eight years ago and started up a new business, Maine Custom Builders.

Dumont, a Bethel firefighter for 10 years, also served on the Planning Board for five years. He also served on the Board of Appeals and several Bethel committees, including the Budget Committee, of which, he is currently a member.

“I’m no stranger to public office,” Dumont said.

Both men cited a desire to work for what’s in the best interests of Bethel as their motivation for running.

“There are still some interesting projects coming up in Bethel, and I’d like to be involved. There is a lot of sewer work, road work and continued growth at the airport,” Brown said.

Dumont said frustrations at how the town is being run was his main motivation for seeking a selectman’s seat.

“I’m fed up with the way this town is being run right now. They want to get rid of the water district, the local police department and the Assessors Board. People forget that a lot of these people are volunteers and we throw them off like they’re nothing, and that just ain’t right,” Dumont said.

He also wants to work toward giving residents a tax break.

“We have never seen a tax break, but you’ve got to feel for the people. They’re hurting. Our police officers can’t even afford to live here. I will look out for the people of Bethel. I hope that based on the times I’ve been in public office and the people who know me, realize that I don’t have a personal agenda,” he added.

When he and his wife moved to Bethel, business was done with a handshake and people were friendlier, he added.

“Now the town is so divided. We need to bring it back to the people and what’s in the best interests of the town, not in the best interests of personal agendas,” Dumont said.

Neither candidate has actively campaigned, other than writing a letter to the editor for the local paper, but both foresee jump-starting economic growth in Bethel as one of the bigger upcoming issues on which to work.

“Things are slowing down and I think the town can get to work with the community to get serious about bringing in economic growth,” Brown added.

Dumont said the other big issues are developing the fire station and ambulance garage, and “figuring out how we can offer businesses incentives to come to our town. The only tax money coming into the town is from developing.”

Candidates running unopposed for three-year seats are incumbent SAD 44 directors Robert Everett and Becky Cummings and Robert Everett for town assessor.

karkos@sunjournal.com

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