One-term incumbents Randall Bates and Andrew Kittredge face political newcomers Tamson Bickford Hamrock and Robert Waeldner in the race for three seats on the Yarmouth Town Council in the June 10 election.

Councilor Leslie Hyde chose not to seek a second term on the seven-member council. The top three vote-getters will win seats.

Bates, 46, is a lawyer who hopes the council continues moving in the same direction, with relatively stable property taxes, well-managed municipal improvements and a quality school system.

“I’m running because I think the Town Council has done a lot of good work,” Bates said. “I think we have to prepare for a future without Wyman Station (the power plant) and the tax revenue it provides.”

Bates said he supports hiring an economic development director.

Hamrock, 56, is an arts and development entrepreneur who would like to follow in the footsteps of her father, the late Erv Bickford, who served on the council for decades.

“My dad was an incredibly civic-minded person and he instilled that in me,” Hamrock said. “The big issue that I’m finding is that families who have been here for generations are being forced out because of the tax burden.”

A member of the Yarmouth Economic Development Study Committee, Hamrock said she would promote multi-use development that would provide affordable housing for elders and young people and attract new business in keeping with the town’s character.

Kittredge, 35, is a construction manager who believes he provides a younger, homegrown perspective on the council.

“Our tax rate has been climbing and it’s becoming unaffordable for first-time homebuyers to come back to Yarmouth,” Kittredge said. “Yarmouth has always had everything from skilled craftsmen to lawyers and doctors, but we’re . . . becoming an exclusive community.”

Kittredge said he would continue to work on economic development issues in an effort to make Yarmouth more business-friendly.

Waeldner, 49, is a lawyer who said he doesn’t have a “big agenda,” but he has been active in civic affairs since moving to town 16 years ago and would like to make a greater contribution.

“I believe in a strong community, strong families, strong schools and strong businesses,” Waeldner said. “I want to approach them with a balance.”

Asked about the possibility of removing the Bridge Street dam, all four candidates said the issue requires more study of potential impacts on the harbor and marine resources.

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