Cumberland voters elected a new At-large member of the Town Council Tuesday, selecting Baily Douglass over Scott Jordan, 967-609.
Douglass received 61% of the vote on Election Day with a local voter turnout of about 22%.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to serve the community,” Douglass told The Forecaster Wednesday. “I think this is the first time it’s felt like home to me, so I’m excited to jump in and be more and more a part of it.”
Douglass
Douglass and her family have lived in Cumberland since 2018. She has a professional background in operations, including finance and forecasting.
Campaigning was challenging, she said, but she encourages more residents to make runs for elected office.
“Between the media and social networks, I think it’s really intimidating and it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there,” she said. “I would encourage more people to do it. I think it’s an incredible opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of where tax dollars go and how we can move things forward for the future.”
Douglass said that opportunity goes hand in hand” with one of her main focuses as a new town councilor: ensuring information is communicated to residents so they can understand town decisions and provide useful input.
“I think improving communication is a huge part of it,” she said. “I think the council does a great job, but I think there’s still an opportunity to push that forward.”
Addressing climate change at the local level is also a priority, she said, and the council should “really just focus on our environmental action plan.”
“We’ve done a really impressive job on the things that we proposed in 2021, and I just want to continue to forge that path forward to make sure we meet the goals, especially with climate change.”
Douglass said she is grateful for the support of the community and is looking forward to her three-year term.
“I’m excited to get to work and get to know some more of my neighbors and community members.”
Jordan declined to comment for this article.
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