Voters in Greater Bangor may have just a few choices, or even none at all, when they cast their ballots for local officials this November.
Five residents have taken out nomination papers for four council seats in Hampden, four have taken out papers for two Orono council seats and zero residents have come forward to run for a School Committee seat in Hermon. The deadline to turn in nomination papers hasn’t passed in any of those communities.
Just as the Bangor City Council has its most crowded candidate field in decades, some Greater Bangor communities are seeing barely enough come forward to give residents competitive options. Less public engagement, an influx of social media backlash and a lack of time to commit to the positions are some of the reasons why fewer candidates are vying for open seats, according to local officials.
There’s been an overall decline in public participation for multiple reasons, Hampden Councilor Eric Jarvi said. People have been less willing to volunteer for positions on town boards or local groups since the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly due to a change in the philosophy behind volunteering and parents having less time to commit to positions, he said.
Social media has also affected how residents view running for council seats, Jarvi and Hampden Town Manager Paula Scott said. It makes people less likely to run for office because of what their neighbors may post about them.
“It’s not easy to make hard decisions that affect your neighbors. Oftentimes, there is an awful lot of vitriol spewed on social media by people who don’t understand the process and nobody wants to put themselves through that,” Scott said.
Social media can be “hard on local officials” and some people who post in local groups think that “everybody’s a bad actor,” which some prospective candidates may be worried about, Orono Town Council Chair Dan Demeritt said.
“I hear from people saying they don’t want to put themselves out there,” Demeritt said.
Demeritt said he reached out to a parent group in an attempt to encourage people to run during a time when public participation is low. Despite the outreach, Demeritt is one of just four prospective candidates to take out papers for the November election.
If all four people qualify for the ballot, Demeritt would face off against Danile LaPointe, who has run for the council before, and two newcomers, Erin Lanigan and Devon Biggie, for two open seats.
While it isn’t a large selection, it’s a bigger pool than what Hampden and Hermon voters may be deciding from.
No one has taken out nomination papers for a seat on the Hermon School Committee. Papers are due back to the town office by 4 p.m. Thursday.
The four Hampden council seats up for election are split into four districts. At least one resident has taken out papers for each district. Two candidates have taken out papers in district two, making it the only contested district thus far. Papers are due to the town office Thursday.
Hampden residents may see serving on the council as a daunting task, Scott said. Although it may seem like a system that is hard to grasp or get involved with, local government is made up of neighbors who can learn and make changes, she said.
“Communities never build themselves. Communities are always built by those who choose to get involved and help shape them,” Scott said.