Lebanon
Five seats on the Council are up for grabs this year, with three being sought by a mix of candidates who are either new to city politics or hoping to make a second mark on the council.
In Ward 1, three people are vying for a one-year seat to succeed outgoing Mayor Georgia Tuttle, who isn’t running again after a more than 8 years in the role.
Residents Jim Winny, Devin Wilkie and Dan Nash are listed on the ballot, but Wilkie recently announced his intention to cease campaigning and instead throw his support behind Winny.
“… I am confident that our voices are similar and that we can better serve our community in a unified front campaigning for this office than we could separately, especially in such a contentious election as this one, which has attracted three candidates,” Wilkie, 27, wrote in an email last week.
Winny is a 15-year city resident and social worker at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital.
While he’s been interested in city politics for some time, he said Tuttle’s decision to not seek re-election finally provided the impetus for him to make a run for office.
“When I saw that the mayor was stepping down, it kind of got a little more of the juices flowing, so to speak,” Winny said, adding he spoke with several current councilors before deciding to run.
If elected, Winny hopes to carefully examine development within the city, saying new projects should be looked at in a “thoughtful way” so they don’t financially burden taxpayers.
“Development in general can be really good for the city and can really help the economy and tax base,” he said. “But I think you have to be really careful to be sure it’s done the right way.”
Winny also said hiring Lebanon’s next city manager played heavily into his decision to run, calling it “one of the most important jobs the council has.” He’s also intends to work on solving the region’s housing shortage and promote healthcare.
Meanwhile, Nash is hoping to win a second go on the City Council after having served in the early 2000s.
“I just feel an obligation to serve,” Nash said. “I know Georgia’s going to be really, realy hard to replace.”
Nash, 62, was the city engineer and public works director between 1982 and 1988. He also served on the Zoning Board in the 1990s, before winning a seat on the City Council in 2005.
After his time on the council, he went back to the Zoning Board, where he currently sits as a member. Nash said there’s no specific initiatives he’s focusing on ahead of the election other than providing an experienced voice.
The City Council’s open at-large seat also has a three-way race this year as incumbent Karen Liot Hill is challenged by Catherine Patch and Michael Balog for a 2-year seat.
“I’ve been very happy to be part of a movement over the past decade or two to move in the direction of more strategic planning and improving communication between the government and people it serves,” said Liot Hill, who is finishing her sixth term.
She said she’s spent that time working hard to wisely spend city tax dollars to serve as many people as possible, a challenge considering Lebanon’s population doubles in size during the work day.
Liot Hill, 38, said she’s helped to establish reserve accounts to help fund city services over time, along with finding new ways to generate revenue, such as helping to bring about the landfill gas project.
“The fact that we are forced to use the property tax to pay for government services provides a real burden for people in Lebanon, and that’s why I have been always looking for ways for our government to work harder and smarter,” Liot Hill said.
She also said the upcoming city manager search is a major undertaking for the council in the coming year, and said the city should continue to implement the Master Plan and proposed infrastructure improvements in the “transition into the next phase of Lebanon development.”
Contesting the seat is Patch, a lifelong city resident who grew up on Walhowdon Farm and now teaches physical education at the Frances C. Richmond Middle School in Hanover.
With her career established and no children, Patch, 31, said now is a good time to serve Lebanon on the council.
“I felt and want to give back to this community that I love,” she said.
Patch said she is running to help protect the natural environment and character of Lebanon’s neighborhoods
She said the city’s Master Plan details a desire for sustainability and vitality.
“I want the vision laid out in our Master Plan laid out in our ordinances and regulations,” Patch said.
That means she’s not opposed to development in city limits, but wants any projects to be “responsible to our current residents.” She wants to be sure the Council is fiscally responsible, and takes a hard look at possible capital improvement projects and their impact on taxpayers.
Balog, 66, the other challenger for the at-large seat, is a retired Connecticut police officer who said he hopes to provide more representation to people who might not feel like they’re being heard.
“People feel that testimony is only taken on a general basis and is basically abandoned afterward.” he said.
So, he hopes to use the council seat to act as an ombudsman in some ways, helping to connect residents with needed services and acting as a go between for constituents and city government.
Balog said also he wants to see the city using its manpower in more efficient ways, paving more roads and addressing infrastructure needs that often take a backseat.
“Some of the residents feel that even though their taxes have been paid for years, they aren’t having the works necessary to keep the streets up,” he said.
Balog also intends to encourage job growth in Lebanon, if elected. He said the city needs those jobs to attract young families and continue to build communities.
Two people are running for a two-year seat in Ward 2, where Dean Sorenson, former city councilor, will take on Shane Smith.
“I think the election is about our future. Is it going to be the one we want or is it going to be the one that’s forced upon us?” said Sorenson, who is running on a platform to fully implement the city’s Master Plan.
Sorenson, 58, has served on city boards since 1999, when he was appointed to the Planning Board. As chairman, he helped review proposals for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center and redevelopment of Sachem Village.
He then served on the City Council in the mid-2000s, running a write-in campaign on a “smart growth platform.” During his tenure, he served on a committee that drafted zoning regulations, and helped plan for airport improvements.
Sorenson said he’s running to make Lebanon more sustainable and livable. He said the city’s Master Plan has chapters on how the city can address its problems but is missing one on implementation.
“I want to help write that chapter so we can bring that future the Master Plan talks about to bear,” he said.
He’s being challenged by Shane Smith, a five-year city resident who works in finance at Hypertherm.
“I think Lebanon is really in a transition period,” Smith said, adding development has the possibility to change the city’s character.
“I think the city has done a great job in the development it has done so far,” said Smith, 32.
He hopes the city will use the Master Plan as a “guiding light” and closely examine the fiscal and environmental impacts of development. Smith also said he’s interested in helping the Council choose a new city manager, a project he said “we need to do well.”
Smith also wants to help complete the Mascoma River Greenway rail trail, promoting local events downtown and working to “facilitate a community that attracts more young professionals.”
Assistant Mayor Sue Prentiss is running unopposed for a two-year seat in Ward 1, and incumbent Clifton Below is running for another two-year term in Ward 3.
Prentiss is running for her fifth term on the council. She currently works for the National Association of State EMS Officials as an advocate for interstate EMS compacts, and previously spent 6 years as the manager of emergency services at Concord Hospital.
Below, who is running for a second term, spent more than 20 years in state government before joining the council, first as a state representative from 1992-98. He then was a state senator from 1998-2004. He served as one of three state Public Utilities Commissioners from 2005-2012, and now manages the 1 Court St. building downtown.
A candidates forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, in City Hall.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.