Marc Travis is challenging incumbent Madelyn Hennessey for her position on the West Bath Board of Selectmen in the Nov. 2 election.
Hennessey first joined the board six years ago and is running for her third three-year term.
She said she’d like to remain on the board because she enjoys being a public servant and “being part of the discussion and helping make decisions on what the future of the town might look like.”
Among the developments that have happened in the town in the past six years, Hennessey said she’s glad to have been involved in the selling of the town’s portion of the Wing Farm.
“When I first came on the board, we had an assessment that said the town’s portion of the Wing Farm was valueless,” she said, but the town now collects about $15,000 in tax revenue on the property.
Looking toward the future, Hennessey said she wants to remain involved in local government when the town undergoes a town-wide property revaluation, which voters approved at the annual town meeting earlier this year. The revaluation is scheduled to happen between July 2022 and June 2023.
Municipalities assess properties to determine their tax rate and distribute the tax burden among property owners. But values change over time, so municipalities periodically have to conduct re-evaluations, adjusting currently assessed values to the market rate.
Hennessey said she’d also like to remain on the select board to help continue some road projects such as the replacement of a culvert system on Sabino Road. She said it’s important to her to have “plans in place for the continuing climate change that will impact our infrastructure.”
“We’re now working on Birch Point Road to shore it up,” she said. “That’s something I would love to see to completion.”
Travis did not return requests for comment about why he is running for the board or what his goals are if elected.
A candidates night will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21 at the West Bath Fire Hall.
West Bath School board election
Incumbents Keith Hinds and Joanne Powers are running unopposed for re-election to their positions on the West Bath school board. Hinds is chair of the board and Powers serves as vice chair.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
