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MINOT — There are five open positions in the town’s 2022 Municipal Election, there are five available positions:
• 2 three-year Selectmen terms
• 2 three-year RSU 16 School Board terms
• 1 one-year RSU 16 School Board term
The municipal election will take place from 4-8 p.m. Friday, March 4, at the Minot Town Office, 329 Woodman Hill Road. Absentee ballots are available by request by contacting the town clerk during business hours by 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, and must be returned by 8 p.m. on the date of the election. There is a secure drop box at the Town Office for after-hours ballot returns.
Town Meeting will return to its original date of the first Saturday in March, which is March 5. The warrant will be published in the Town Report, which will be available in late February and include the location and start time, as well as the articles for consideration. The current plan is to hold Town Meeting in the Minot Consolidated Gym, 23 Shaw Hill Road, but is dependent on guidelines and restrictions for those facilities. There will be masking and social distancing requirements, but more information will be available one week before Town Meeting. Please see the town website, minotme.org, Facebook or posting places for the most up to date information.
CANDIDATE PROFILES
RSU 16 SCHOOL BOARD, 1-year term
Elizabeth Martin
Q. Is this your first elected term for the town of Minot/ RSU 16? If not, what are your previous terms?
A. This is my first elected term for RSU 16
Q. What other roles have you been involved in within the community?
A. I have volunteered at Minot Consolidated School, for Minot Community Club events, and I have helped coach basketball and baseball with my husband for MHAA (Minot Hebron Athletic Association).
Q. What motivates you to become a board member?
A. My two boys are my number one motivation for becoming a board member. I want them to have a better future and a positive school experience.
Q. If elected, what is one of your goals for the school/community?
A. My goal for the school is to give parents/caregivers a voice when it comes to their children’s education.
Q. What do you see as one of the challenges facing our school/ community that needs to be addressed?
A. I think the number one challenge that needs to be addressed in our schools is the effects our COVID policies are having on our children’s education and mental health. We need to have open conversations and listen to parents/ caregivers.
Q. What is something that you want the Minot voters to know about you?
A. I am going to listen to parents, caregivers, and community members and be an advocate for our children.
RSU 16 SCHOOL BOARD, 3-year term
Stephen Holbrook
Q. Is this your first elected term for the Town of Minot/ RSU 16? If not, what are your previous terms?
A. I have been on the RSU 16 School Board since 1996
Q. What other roles have you been involved in within the community?
A. Minot’s Bicentennial
Q. What motivates you to become a board member?
A. I serve on the RSU 16 School Board to do my civic duty and to be a good citizen.
Q. If elected, what is one of your goals for the school/ community?
A. My main goal is to make sure the students and the community are safe when they are at the school and at school functions. Keeping taxes low is also important to me.
Q. What do you see as one of the challenges facing our school/ community that needs to be addressed?
A. COVID-19 is one of the biggest challenges for the school and community. There are guidelines that must be followed to keep everyone healthy.
Q. What is something that you want the Minot voters to know about you?
A. I am a levelheaded guy that has experience with the RSU 16 School Board and life in general.
Whitney King-Buker
Q. Is this your first elected term for the Town of Minot/ RSU 16? If not, what are your previous terms?
A. This is my first official (election) run for this position. I submitted prior for a recent appointed vacant school board position in 2021.
Q. What other roles have you been involved in within the community?
A. I have helped with community building activities over the years. Some previous volunteering, fundraising and events I have been involved in are coordinating and running Minot Historical Society (Civil War Encampment, Hemond’s Offroad Bash), Minot Community Day. I genuinely like helping folks and our community is one big family.
Q. What motivates you to become a board member?
A. Our community’s children are our future. And as they say, it takes a village to ensure they are given support along their path in life. This position is a critical tool in this process.
Q. If elected, what is one of your goals for the school/community?
A. To broaden community input abilities. Our elders many not only were once parents of school-aged children, but they are also taxpayers impacted by the school district budget. We work FOR our community members.
Q. What do you see as one of the challenges facing our school/ community that needs to be addressed?
A. Our students are losing their educational growth opportunities. It is OUR responsibility as a community to ensure they are reaching their potential. That we are providing critical guidance as a board.
Q. What is something that you want the Minot voters to know about you?
A. I was raised to have a solid work ethic. A bigpicture thinker, I take into consideration the vital needs and weigh them versus the wants in a critical and constructive fashion.
Sarah Robinson
Q. Is this your first elected term for the Town of Minot/ RSU 16? If not, what are your previous terms?
A. This is the first time I have run for any office in RSU 16.
Q. What other roles have you been involved in within the community?
A. I have assisted the town of Minot with the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, helping with boxing, wrapping and delivering to residents in need. I have donated time and food to many of the school and recreational departments.
Q. What motivates you to become a board member?
A. As a resident of Minot, and RSU 16, I feel as though our community has lost our voice. It is time we are all heard and acknowledged. I want to designate my time to listening to the school community, asking questions, and keeping our students in school, and extra-curricular activities.
Q. If elected, what is one of your goals for the school/ community?
A. If elected, I would vote to adopt full-time in-person learning, no restrictions, freedom of choice on masking, a clear description of the curriculum, and student/community over the current practice of seeking state and federal funding opportunities that are detrimental to development and mental health of our students.
Q. What do you see as one of the challenges facing our school/ community that needs to be addressed?
A. I see that the challenges facing our School Board and community are political, and the concerns of the community are completely ignored. There is no immediate transparency with the School Board’s adopted policies, (i.e. requests for funding) and reasoning for those policies This has only created more frustration and the withdrawal of currently enrolled students in our district. Our voices as a community need to be heard, and addressed.
Q. In a brief statement, what is something that you want the Minot voters to know about you?
A. I am a Minot resident, and have been since 2010. My children are growing up here, and are very involved in the school, sports, and chorus. I am a hardworking mom, and accountant, and I feel I need to be more involved in our community. I will always do my best to further the enrichment of our students, and our budget as I believe we all need to have someone that will listen and vote accordingly. I will not just side with the majority, as I will be listening to all concerns and take a rational approach to every vote the school board makes. I also believe our school district spending is out of control and needs to be reined in. In these times, financial responsibility with our budgeting needs improvement, and our students deserve normalcy, with no restrictions. We have all been divided long enough with the COVID-19 decisions, and it’s time for us to unite and work together. I would greatly appreciate your vote in March.
SELECT BOARD
Daniel W. Gilpatric
Q. Is this your first elected term for the Town of Minot/ RSU 16? If not, what are your previous terms?
A. Five terms as a selectman.
Q. What other roles have you been involved in within the community?
A. Planning Board, Recreation Committee
Q. What motivates you to become a board member?
A. Money, fame, and glamour (HAHA!). The town has a good crew, runs well, and no drama. Keeping taxes down.
Q. If elected, what is one of your goals for the school/ community?
A. Keep the town on an even keel as far as growth, and managing that.
Q. What do you see as one of the challenges facing our school/ community that needs to be addressed?
A. Lack of people stepping up to volunteer.
Q. What is something that you want the Minot voters to know about you?
A. I enjoy keeping the town going. It’s interesting to watch the growth and direction, which as a board, we try to represent all voters interests.
William “Bill” Perry
Q. Is this your first elected term for the town of Minot/ RSU 16? If not, what are your previous terms?
A. This will be the second time I have run for a selectman position in Minot.
Q. What other roles have you been involved in within the community?
A. In 2009 I served as secretary for the Cable Contract Review committee. Since 2014 I have served on the town’s budget committee.
Q. What motivates you to become a board member?
A. I’ve reached a point in my life where I want to serve my community in a different capacity. I feel the lessons learned throughout my professional career and my time on the Budget Committee can make a difference.
Q. If elected, what is one of your goals for the school/community?
A. The expansion of internet service to all corners of our community are of vital importance to attracting businesses and residents. If elected, this would be a top priority.
Q. What do you see as one of the challenges facing our school/ community that needs to be addressed?
A. Minot is a growing community to the surrounding Lewiston/Auburn area. Balancing the needs of a growing community while preserving the small town charm takes careful planning and consideration.
Q. What is something that you want the Minot voters to know about you?
In my professional career I’ve always followed a “work hard, play hard” philosophy. If the people of Minot vote for me to be one of their selectmen, I will work just as hard for them.
