OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Voters in Old Orchard Beach will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in two competitive races, one for two positions on the School Board, and another for two positions on the Town Council. In both races there are two incumbents running, as well as a challenger candidate. Voters will have the chance to vote for two of the three candidate options in both races.

The race for Town Council features two familiar faces. Current Councilors Larry Mead and V. Louise Reid are both running for re-election. A political newcomer, Connor Rague, is also running. The seat is a two-year term.

Larry Mead was elected to the Old Orchard Beach Town Council in 2021, but he’s been a mainstay of OOB government for many years, serving as the town manager between 2013 and 2020. He said that his greatest accomplishment as part of Town Council so far has been investing in community recreation.

“I’ve been an active proponent of bringing pickle ball to town and we have done that behind Loranger School with more improvements on tap for 2024,” said Mead. “(The) council funded the expansion of the skateboard park on the Ballpark entrance road which gets tremendous use,” he added.

If re-elected, he plans to support older residents by pushing for greater transportation alternatives, advocate for repairs to residential sidewalks, vie for state funding for a new K-8 school, and more.

Councilor V. Louise Reid, who has also been on the Town Council since 2021, did not respond to the Biddeford Courier’s inquiries for this article. Reid was OOB’s assistant town manager for 17 years prior to being elected to Town Council.

Connor Rague, a 31-year-old OOB resident who works for an insurance brokerage firm, is pitching himself as a political maverick.

“When it comes to leadership, there always comes a time where a new generation of leaders must step up and introduce their ideas into the current status quo,” he said.

Specifically, he’s calling for striking “a balance between being business friendly, and community driven. New voices must be heard and taken seriously. We cannot stay the same,” though he didn’t give more details about what a break from the status quo would look like to him.

The race for two RSU 23 School Board seats is similar to the Town Council race in that two incumbetns are running against one challenger. Current School Board members Donna Moutsatsos and Peter Flaherty are both running for re-election, alongside 19-year-old Santino Perrone. The position is a three-year term.

Perrone, who graduated from Old Orchard Beach High School in 2022, pointed to his experience serving as class president for four years as a testament to his interest in school governance.

Similar to Rague, he emphasized the need for new, younger leadership in Old Orchard Beach. “If elected, I will rebuild the relationship between the School Board and the students and I believe youthful leadership is needed for this to happen. So often there is a huge disconnect between generations. A lot has changed for our youth in the past few years and continues to do so on a daily basis,” Perrone said.

Peter Flaherty, an Old Orchard Beach resident for 54 years, has been on the School Board since 2014. He is currently the vice chair of the board, as well as a former teacher and administrator in Saco schools. Reflecting on his time on the School Board, he said that when he started the RSU 23’s finances were “not in great shape,” but the administration and School Board have worked together to fix that.

Similar to Larry Mead, Flaherty hopes to work on securing state funding for a new elementary school in Old Orchard Beach.

Donna Moutsatsos, who was elected to the School Board since 2020, also did not respond to the Biddeford Courier’s requests for comment.

Voting takes place 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7, at Old Orchard Beach High School, E. Emerson Cummings Boulevard; absentee ballots are available at the Town Clerk’s Office.

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