ROCKLAND, Maine — Within hours of nomination papers being made available, two candidates stepped forward for the single open city council seat.
Incumbent Mayor Brian Harden announced Wednesday he would seek an unprecedented fifth consecutive three-year term on the Rockland City Council. Hours earlier, another local businessman took out papers for the council seat held by Harden.
Frank Isganitis, co-owner and operator of the Limerock Inn, took out papers Wednesday morning. Isganitis ran for a council seat in 2010 and the initial count on election night had him winning a seat by a few votes. A recount, however, reversed the outcome and Isganitis fell three votes short of Larry Pritchett, who was declared the winner.
Harden has served on the council since 2000 and has been elected mayor by councilors four times, in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011.
He is business manager at the Reading Corner bookstore in downtown Rockland.
The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers with the city clerk’s office to get on the Nov. 6 ballot is Sept. 24.
There also are two open seats to represent Rockland on the RSU 13 board. Both incumbents — Board Chairwoman Esther Kilgour and member Brian Messing — have said they will take out papers. Messing said he will decide whether to file and seek another term once he has gathered the sufficient 100 signatures of registered Rockland voters needed to run.
Please Mr Mayor, It time for a change on the council.Give it up you are not doing the city of Rockland any good. I am not sure Frank will do any better for the City of Rockland. I am sure he has agender.
can’t tell if trolling…..
or product of a lazy gen.
Time would be well-invested to urge people you might know from the community who have a greater investment than downtown, and a greater sense of the needs of all Rockland residents and businesses, to run for this office. Those people would need to have a keen mind, a strong constitution, and a demonstrated interest in serving the greater good with a good spirit. Surely out of the large population of Rockland, it is possible to break the cycle.