Voters in Windham will have a large field of candidates to choose from on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in races for two RSU 14 Board of Directors positions and three different Windham Town Council seats.
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| The field of candidates for the Nov. 4 election has been set in Windham. Three non-partisan town council seats and two non-partisan RSU 14 Board of Directors positions will be filled following the election. FILE PHOTO |
For RSU 14 Board of Directors, the top two candidates receiving the most votes will be elected for three-year terms representing Windham on the board. The positions are non-partisan.
Candidates include Matthew S. Irving, Destiny J. Johnson, Megan N. Potter, incumbent Christina R. Small, Bradley M. Youngs and Adam G. Zajac. Small currently serves as RSU 14 Board Chair and Caitlyn Downs is not seeking re-election to the board.
The RSU 14 Board of Directors concerns itself primarily with broad questions of policy rather than with administrative details. The application of policies is an administrative task to be performed by the Superintendent of Schools and his/her staff, who shall be held responsible for the effective administration and supervision of the entire school system.
Members of the RSU 14 board have authority only when acting as a board legally in session. Board members are involved in policy making, choosing the schools superintendent, planning, setting goals and appraising results, approving and adopting financial resources, negotiating and approving collective bargaining agreements.
RSU 14 Board members also set clear expectations/standards and adopt policies regarding instructional programs; determine school building needs; communicate with various constituencies; advocate for the needs of the students; establish procedures for the operation of the board; review and evaluate board operations and performance; choose board officers; approve the annual school calendar; establish and maintain effective board-superintendent relations; and work along with authorizing school administration to work with town, county, and other government and non-government officials and agencies.
For Windham Town Council, three positions, including the North District, South District and At-Large, will be elected for three-year terms.
Town Council North District candidates are Deborah L. DeVou and Margaret A. Terry. Incumbent Jarrod Maxfield is not seeking re-election.
Town Council South District candidates are Douglas R. Fortier and Michael R. Russin. Incumbent Nicholas Kaleogerakis is not seeking re-election.
Town Council At-Large candidates are Joseph A. Campbell, Katie P. Cook and Clayton W. Haskell. Incumbent John Henry is not seeking re-election.
As outlined in the Windham Town Charter, all town council positions are non-partisan.
The Windham Town Council has seven members, three are elected at-large and four are elected from the four defined geographic areas of the town (north, south, east, and west). Voters throughout the town elect all members of the Town Council, both At-Large and by district.
A town councilor’s responsibilities are varied and include:
Members of the RSU 14 board have authority only when acting as a board legally in session. Board members are involved in policy making, choosing the schools superintendent, planning, setting goals and appraising results, approving and adopting financial resources, negotiating and approving collective bargaining agreements.
RSU 14 Board members also set clear expectations/standards and adopt policies regarding instructional programs; determine school building needs; communicate with various constituencies; advocate for the needs of the students; establish procedures for the operation of the board; review and evaluate board operations and performance; choose board officers; approve the annual school calendar; establish and maintain effective board-superintendent relations; and work along with authorizing school administration to work with town, county, and other government and non-government officials and agencies.
For Windham Town Council, three positions, including the North District, South District and At-Large, will be elected for three-year terms.
Town Council North District candidates are Deborah L. DeVou and Margaret A. Terry. Incumbent Jarrod Maxfield is not seeking re-election.
Town Council South District candidates are Douglas R. Fortier and Michael R. Russin. Incumbent Nicholas Kaleogerakis is not seeking re-election.
Town Council At-Large candidates are Joseph A. Campbell, Katie P. Cook and Clayton W. Haskell. Incumbent John Henry is not seeking re-election.
As outlined in the Windham Town Charter, all town council positions are non-partisan.
The Windham Town Council has seven members, three are elected at-large and four are elected from the four defined geographic areas of the town (north, south, east, and west). Voters throughout the town elect all members of the Town Council, both At-Large and by district.
A town councilor’s responsibilities are varied and include:
* Legislative and policy making in setting town policies.
* Budget and Finance in approving the annual budget and setting the town's tax rates.
* Planning and development by approving, rejecting, or modifying plans proposed by the Windham Planning Board.
* Directing the Town Manager by providing oversight for the Windham Town Manager and town staff.
* Making appointments by choosing members and residents to serve on various town committees and boards.
* Conducting investigations into the affairs of the town and its departments.
* Exercising statutory powers concerning legislative, financial, borrowing, and other powers given by state statutes to town officers.
To be fair to everyone concerned, here are the rules that The Windham Eagle newspaper is setting forth for election coverage this fall.
Letters to the Editor supporting candidates will be accepted up to seven days prior to Election Day on Tuesday, Oct. 28. The letters should be sent to editor@thewindhameagle.com and be no more than 300 words in length. The deadline for submitting letters is noon on Tuesdays for that week’s newspaper edition.
The newspaper will print no more than two letters supporting a candidate per edition. Readers may only submit one letter supporting a candidate during an election cycle. The letters will be published in the order they are received by the newspaper.
Candidate endorsement letters must focus on reasons why the writer supports the candidate and are not used as an attack against an opposing candidate. Organized letter-writing campaigns are not allowed by the newspaper and letters deemed to be part of an organized campaign will not be published.
Because of space limitations in the print edition of the newspaper, letters will only be published from Windham residents.
The Windham Eagle newspaper does not endorse candidates. All Letters to the Editor are reviewed for factual information and edited accordingly for spelling and grammar issues before publication.
A questionnaire will be sent to election candidates by email and candidates are asked to complete it in a timely manner and send it back to the newspaper editor to compile into a candidate preview for publication. The candidate preview will appear in the Oct. 10 edition of The Windham Eagle. Should a candidate not return the questionnaire, their space in the candidate preview will indicate that they did not respond to questions posed by the newspaper.
Issues and statewide referendum items will be profiled for readers in an upcoming edition of The Windham Eagle newspaper prior to the election on Nov. 4. <
