ALFRED — York County Commissioner Mike Cote said he isn’t sure if the event will draw a crowd, but he’s organized a forum for folks in his district Monday to hear what’s on their minds.

Cote represents County Commissioner District 4, which includes Alfred, Lyman, Sanford, Shapleigh and Waterboro.

“One of the one the biggest problems in county government is we’ve kind of lost our way a bit of how we represent people,” said Cote in a recent interview. So he’s decided to try to get together with constituents, to find out what they’re thinking and what concerns they have – in his words, what it is people are really looking for from their county government.

The open house-forum approach hasn’t been tried here in recent memory. Commissioners typically try and keep up with their constituents by attending boards of selectmen meetings and appearances at other venues.

Commissioner Gary Sinden, who represents District 5, the southern York County towns of Eliot, Kittery, Ogunquit, Wells and York, said he has visited selectmen and council meetings and found attentive audiences.

“The citizens present are interested and questioning,” he said in an email. “All towns now stream video, thereby greatly increasing the reach of information.”

As well, Sinden said, he visits other groups when its possible, like local Democratic committee meetings and more – he plans to attend an event next month called Celebrate Solar: Plug In at York Beach. He said he that event will be informative, and that the county can do more with solar power.

Commissioner Marston Lovell, who represents Buxton, Dayton, Hollis, Old Orchard Beach and Saco in County Commission District 3, is a former Saco city councilor. He has attended selectmen’s meetings, council meetings and meets with managers in the municipalities that have them. A “local government guy,” as he described himself, Lovell enjoys the exchange of ideas. Sometimes, he said he’ll make a presentation at other local venues, like at a historical society meeting and then take questions about various aspects of county government.

Rosemary Kulow, executive director of the Maine County Commissioners Association, said commissioners from across Maine’s 16 counties take part in local events and some are members of their municipal planning boards or budget committees.

Kulow, who put out a email to county commissioners in response to a query from the Journal Tribune, sent along a response from Commissioner Bill Blodgett of Lincoln County, who told her he goes to all activities in his district, attends selectmen’s meetings, and serves on the budget committee for his hometown of Waldoboro.

In Washington County, County Manager Betsy Fitzgerald said commissioners in Maine’s easternmost county have been in the public arena for many years. Besides local meetings and activities, one commissioner has created a Facebook page, though the county itself does not maintain one, she said.

Cote said he keeps in contact with selectmen’s boards and the Sanford- Springvale Chamber of Commerce and talks to folks he meets to try and gauge their priorities when it comes to county business.

He said he hopes to have representation from all of the committees he represents at the forum, which is set for 6 p.m. Monday in the commissioners meeting room, at the County Government Building, 149 Jordan Springs Road (state Route 4) in Alfred.

“I want to make people feel they have a voice in the district,” he said.

As for the public who enjoys keeping up with county business via the Internet, York County Commission meetings can be viewed on their website by clicking on the Vimeo icon. Videos are typically uploaded within a few days of commissioner meetings.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].