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I encourage every eligible Hampden resident to participate in selecting the individual to fill the vacant at-large town council seat on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The candidates are: Perry Antone, Sr., Eric Jarvi, Hugh Porter, and David Swihart. A video of the Jan. 13 League of Women Voters candidate forum is available on the town website.
All four candidates expressed concern about escalating property taxes, but their approach to addressing that issue was articulated differently. This problem is faced by all Maine communities, and while increasing property taxes have the greatest impact on retirees with fixed incomes and single wage-earner families, this is only the “tip of the iceberg.”
Hampden faces several foundational issues that ultimately impact our property taxes. Principal influencers are the ever-increasing RSU 22 and Penobscot County budgets. But other, less obvious factors impact our town budget: the Coldbrook Road stormwater build-out, the impact of the potential county jail relocation, the strategic plan for developing the Western Avenue athletic fields, and attracting small businesses. This necessitates increasing public communication and participation in Hampden’s well-structured budget process, effectively communicating existing procedures to lower individual property taxes, and polling residents on potential solutions, a process effectively utilized in developing Hampden’s last comprehensive plan.
I endorse a nonpartisan approach to addressing the challenges facing our community through communication, compromise, and consensus, and urge all Hampden voters to participate in the selection of the candidate they want to represent their interests on the Hampden Town Council.
Eric Jarvi
Hampden