LISBON

Seven Lisbon Town Council candidates said the town needs to move forward during a meet-the-candidates event Tuesday, which was marked by the contentious District 1 race.

Mark Lunt said he lost faith in the council after the Route 9 rezoning, which he implied was done on behalf of friends of the council, rather than the majority of citizens.

“I was motivated to run because I think we need a change in leadership in Lisbon, someone who will listen to the people; not fight against them,” he said.

Lunt later called out one of his District 1 opponents, incumbent Eric Metivier, over campaign signs that state Metivier is a citizen, not a politician.

“I’m sorry Eric, but you held elective office for three years now, you’re a politician whether you like it or not,” Lunt said. “I have to ask you, do you trust a man who lies to you through his signs? I may not always tell you what you want to hear, but I’ll never lie to you.”

“I am not a liar and I don’t appreciate being called a liar,” Metivier countered.

Lunt served for six years on the council before losing his bid for a third term last year. Lunt said he learned a lot during those six years, including the “ins and outs” of budgeting.

“I can hold government accountable to the people. I have the experience and the character to do this job,” Lunt said.

“Government in Lisbon needs to be more transparent, to explain its reasoning to its citizens and engage those citizens more in its involvement,” Lunt said.

One solution is a cable channel, funded with franchise fees, so residents can watch meetings and events, he said.

A third District 1 candidate, James “Jay” Harriman, said he found the discord between the town and school committee last year distasteful. Voters defeated the council’s school budgets four times, the majority of “no” voters indicating the budget was too low.

Harriman said there should be a focus on bringing the community back together.

“If you can’t compromise then you can’t make headway,” Harriman said.

Metivier said the council had nothing to do with the last school budget, which passed. He said the slogan “We are Lisbon” emerged during the controversy, and stressed that Lisbon is not just the school.

“We’re all Lisbon; we’re not one against the other,” he said. “It’s time that Lisbon unites. United we stand, divided we fall. I believe that Lisbon — the school department, the town office, the school board and the town council — can work together.”

Metivier said he has learned a lot in his three years on the council, had made mistakes, and said there is more to learn.

Metivier said the town needs to keep working on improving its infrastructure, as well as the school to attract people, and there are ways to do it.

“I think we need to be more business friendly and I think we can make this town prosperous,” Metivier said. “I just want to see Lisbon a better place.”

At-large seat

Don Fellows, who has served on several committees in Lisbon including the Planning Board and Budget Advisory Board, is running for the at-large seat on the council.

“I think we need to plan for the long view,” Fellows said, which hasn’t always happened, leaving the town embroiled in the budget process.

Fellows similarly said the town needs to increase communication with the public using television and other methods. He also spoke of his plan to change the charter so that residents can vote on a municipal budget that exceeds a 5 percent increase from the year before. Responsible government should be steadier, and he said he has a measure to do that. He also wants to see the recently commissioned police study fully implemented, the new development committee supported, and reduce the town’s bonding limits.

Fellows faces Christopher Brunelle, who is finishing his first term on the council. The position is much more complex than anyone knows unless they’ve served on the council, he said.

“And my qualifications are, I care,” Brunelle said.

District 2

Michael Hebert, running against Kris Crawford for the District 2 council seat, talked a lot about the importance of infrastructure.

Hebert, self-employed, said he understands how business works and understands the need for investment from within in order to prosper. He sees inertia as the biggest issue facing the Lisbon.

“Why is it that people in the community aren’t willing to invest in living in the community?” he said.

He’s heard overwhelmingly from people who say they’ll opposed any bond questions to keep their taxes from going up, “and that’s extremely unfortunate.”

The town can do a better job at communicating its needs, including needed water mains and water tower upgrades, he said.

“We see a degrading infrastructure and people question ‘Well, with my taxes as high as they are, what am I getting out of it?’” he said.

He also wants to bring vocational education back to Lisbon so students can get the jobs that are available and earn livable wages.

dmoore@timesrecord.com