WOOLWICH — With two seats on the Woolwich Board of Selectmen up for grabs, political newcomer Nathaniel Harvey is challenging Allison Hepler and Jason Shaw for their spots on the board.
Both Hepler and Shaw, who have served as selectmen since 2012, said they pride themselves on keeping the town’s property tax rate low, but said that could present issues in coming years.
“With COVID-19, we’re dealing with an unprecedented year and we’re learning how to adapt,” said Shaw. “It’s going to affect our town and state revenue and we need to figure out how to balance that. The main goal for me is balancing warrants and trying to maintain Woolwich as an affordable place to live for everyone.”
Allison Hepler, elected to the Woolwich Board of Selectmen in 2012, is running for re-election. File photo
“Revenues are declining and we’re facing a revaluation in Woolwich next year, and that’s going to be expensive,” said Hepler. “We need to figure out what we need, what we want, and what we can afford.”
The town’s property tax rate is $15.40 per $1,000 of valuation, up 25 cents from 2019. That means a house in Woolwich valued at $200,000 has a $3,080 tax bill.
Other than keeping the tax rate low, Hepler said she’s proud of the work she did to help form the town’s communications committee because it created “a two page card of resources for food housing, volunteer opportunities, unemployment questions, and that was sent to every person in Woolwich.”
“Having that communications committee in place made it easier for us to get this important information out to people who may need it, especially now,” she said.
Hepler is also running for re-election to the Maine House Legislature representing District 53 against Republican Jeffrey Pierce.
Shaw said he’s vying to keep his seat on the select board, because he wants to continue working with the Maine Department of Transportation to replace the 86-year-old Route 1 bridge that stretches between the Taste of Maine restaurant and George Wright Road. That project is still in the planning phases, but construction is expected to begin next year, according to the Maine DOT.
“Working with the DOT regularly is another part of a selectman’s job,” said Shaw. “I want to continue working to help the traffic problems and make the intersections on Route 1 as safe as possible.”
Harvey commended the selectmen for keeping the tax rate low, among their other accomplishments, but said he’s running with the town’s future generations in mind.
Jason Shaw is running for his fourth term on the Woolwich Board of Selectmen. Contributed photo
“There used to be more of a community feel in Woolwich and I want to bring that back,” he said. “Our kids should feel like they’re a part of something. In the 1970s the younger generation had a baseball field and a swimming hole in town that they don’t have today.”
Harvey said he wants new businesses to open in Woolwich to ease the tax burden on residents, but said the town should “invite new businesses and be on top of what we’re inviting in.”
All three candidates agreed they’re running for the select board because they enjoy working with people and want Woolwich residents to know their concerns are heard.
“I love finding answers for my constituents and hearing what’s on peoples’ minds,” said Hepler. “You never know what someone’s going to call you about.”
“With politics nowadays, people think the people in office have the power, but they shouldn’t,” said Harvey. “The people have the power. Our government was built by the people, for the people.”
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