CUMBERLAND COUNTY – The Cumberland County ballot is a busy one this November.

In addition to the proposed renovations to the Cumberland County Civic Center, voters will also elect county commissioners in two newly created districts.

After operating with three commissioners for decades, the board of commissioners is increasing to five representatives starting in January. The expansion was approved by voters last November as part of the county’s adoption of its first-ever charter.

The two seats represent large swaths of the county, which boasts about 275,000 residents. The newly created District 1 comprises the county’s western and northern towns and extends from Scarborough to Bridgton and Harrison. Scarborough residents Neil Jamieson and Annalee Rosenblatt, as well as Lisa Villa of Harrison, are vying for the seat.

In the east, Steve Gorden of North Yarmouth and Mark Grover of Gray are vying for District 3, which extends from Gray and New Gloucester to Harpswell.

In a rarity for elections, voters won’t know how long the two new commissioners will serve. The five commissioners will decide on the exact lengths of the terms for the new districts at their first meeting Jan. 4.

The new districts were drawn by the Charter Commission according to population, which was not an easy proposition, County Assistant Manager Bill Whitten said.

“There’s only two or three ways you could split the county into these five districts,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of options.”

According to the charter, the five districts must have similar populations, deviating by a maximum of 5 percent. In addition, all towns within a district must be contiguous, and the configuration of districts can’t split a town with a population of less than 35,000.

The only city with such a large population is Portland, so voters in the northern section of Portland will break off to join District 4, consisting of Westbrook, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

The rest of Portland will be known as District 5. District 2 includes Naples, Casco, Raymond, Windham, Falmouth, Cumberland, Yarmouth, Chebeague Island and Long Island.

The winners of the Nov. 8 races will join commissioners Susan Witonis, Richard Feeney and James Cloutier.

District 1

(Scarborough, Gorham, Standish, Sebago, Baldwin, Bridgton and Harrison)

Neil Jamieson

Neil Jamieson, of 14 Kerryman Circle, Scarborough, served on the Charter Commission, which drafted the county’s first charter.

His experience in county affairs, Jamieson said, is an asset.

“I am committed to public service and making a contribution to the communities that we live and work in,” he said. “I became interested in running for Cumberland County Commissioner as a result of my service on the Charter Commission which educated me about county government and the tremendous opportunity that we have here in to work together in consolidating the services offered while increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of both county and municipal government.”

With borrowing rates and construction costs competitive, Jamieson supports renovating and upgrading the civic center.

“The planned improvements will result in an 84 percent increase in the concourse area, a 50 percent increase in the women’s bathroom area, a larger loading dock, increased and larger locker rooms and dressing rooms, 500 club seats, and a 62 percent increase in the concession area. This will allow us to attract better and more events to the civic center,” he said. “Second, the civic center generates between $12 million to $15 million in annual spin-off income to area businesses employing hundreds if not several thousand county residents.”

If elected, Jamieson said he aims to increase the consolidation of services.

“County government can be the key player and partner in achieving the streamlining of services that will result in savings to the towns,” he said. “One key example is the 911 and dispatch services. Already, Gorham has saved over $1 million by agreeing to use the county 911/dispatch center. The town of Standish has saved on law enforcement costs by contracting with the county to use the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, and Bridgton has recently agreed to do the same. There are many other opportunities to assist the towns in becoming more efficient while still providing the same services.”

He also wants to encourage and promote the consolidation of back-office services in school districts, such as IT and financial management.

“This would allow the school districts to share in these expenses and reduce some areas of their budgets,” he said.

Annalee Rosenblatt

Annalee Rosenblatt, of 18 Tall Pines Road, Scarborough, has served for about 20 years as a labor relations consultant to Cumberland County representing the board of commissioners in collective bargaining with its employee unions. She has also served on a visioning committee.

Rosenblatt said she is motivated to serve as a commissioner. “I wanted to bring my (consulting) experience to the policy-making side of the table,” she said. “This is something I had thought about for several years and the new district with an open seat just presented the right opportunity.”

Regarding to civic center proposal, Rosenblatt is against the renovations.

“The project is not fiscally responsible at this time, especially with no increase in seating capacity,” she said. “Too much of the anticipated increased revenue will not go toward paying off the bond, and, in addition, the tickets are being assessed a fee to pay for the bond. While this is projected to be an enhancement for Portland and the immediate area, all of the taxpayers are being asked to shoulder the cost at a time when increased costs for taxpayers is not appropriate.”

The county should continue to look at the consolidation of services, Rosenblatt said.

“County government is an opportunity, for especially the smaller towns, to form partnerships with the county to provide services that economy of scale can provide,” she said. “The county can also assist towns in forming partnerships to eliminate administrative overhead provided the size of county government does not grow. The towns need to be able to maintain policy control over those functions, however. Any consolidation needs to be fiscally responsible.”

In addition, Rosenblatt called effective public safety, “the No. 1 issue for the county.”

“Continued enhancements of training and readiness must be continued as public safety as provided by the county is a lifeline for our rural communities,” she said. “Delivering these services more efficiently at a lower cost would be an area I would want to explore as a representative of District 1.”

Lisa Villa

Lisa Villa, a Harrison selectwoman, has served on the Cumberland County Finance Committee since 2009 and is now chairwoman of the committee. She has also served on the Community Development Block Grant Municipal Oversight Committee and application review team, and she served on the Charter Commission from 2008-2010.

This work, she said, has provided insight into how the county operates that would be valuable from her first day as a commissioner.

“Having represented the district on the finance committee for many years, I know the budget and I know the many functions of county government,” Villa said. “There will be no learning curve for me, having been named chairwoman of the Finance Committee for two years. I know where and when to ask tough questions – I don’t hold back, and I get things done, always looking out for the people I represent.”

Villa is opposed to the civic center proposal.

“It is bad for taxpayers and for Cumberland County. It has been losing money for years – last year they received $920,000 from taxpayers at a time when local municipalities and other county departments were slashing their budgets. Now the board of trustees wants us to give $33 million to an entity that is not directly accountable to taxpayers,” Villa said. “The Civic Center Task Force that made the decision to go ahead with the renovation is largely from Portland (not elected) and not involved in economic development. If elected, I will work to end the civic center’s Recreation District. It is the only area of county government that is run with little or no accountability to voters. That needs to stop.”

Villa would pursue consolidation of services, as well.

“With the forward thinking of the county manager and the director of the (Cumberland County) Regional Communication Center, the county has been able to save municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars using county’s economy of scale,” she said. “A regional approach to assessing is another function that is worth exploring. It is done different ways by towns and cities throughout Cumberland County. If county government handled that function, it could save municipalities money and bring consistency and uniformity to the assessing process.”