Freeport is approaching its fall election season with many candidates to consider on the ballot.

This year, 11 municipal candidates are running for three-year terms, many of whom are local business owners or have a long-running history with the coastal town. Three candidates are running for council positions and an unusually stacked pool of eight candidates are vying for three openings on the Freeport Sewer District board.

For council, District 4 Councilor Henry Lawrence is seeking reelection to his seat and is running unopposed. The other two candidates, William “Steve” Brown and Jacqueline Soley, are facing off for the at-large seat. Current At-Large Councilor Darrel Fournier’s term expires this year.

The unusual interest in the Sewer District race stems in part from the utility’s pending multi-million dollar wastewater system upgrade to its 50-year-old infrastructure. Many have also cited concerns and a need to protect the Harraseeket River and other water resources as a reason for running.

Also seeking reelection unopposed for Regional School Unit 5 are board members Colin W. Cheney and Kara L. Kaikini. A seat in the Water District is also open this year, though no candidates have stepped to the plate to take it. Residents will be able to write in a name for the seat.

The below are profiles on candidates in contested races. Candidates answered questions related to their experience, why they were running for office, their most pressing concerns and how they would handle them. Profile lengths may vary due to length of candidates’ responses, and responses have been lightly edited for grammar, spelling and clarity. 

For Town Council

William “Steve” Stephen Brown for at-large seat

Brown and his wife have long lived in Freeport, with two adult children who graduated Freeport schools and additional grandchildren in Freeport Public Schools.

He has over 50 years of experience founding and running a small business, and has served many years on the Freeport Traffic and Parking Committee and other committees at the South Freeport Church. His time on the Freeport Traffic and Parking Committee came at what he described as a “time of great change.” He said they were effective in modifying traffic patterns to improve safety and efficiency.

“I am running for councilor-at-large in Freeport to give back to a town I love deeply,” he said. 

Brown said the most pressing issues facing the town are housing — especially for young people — taxes, workforce shortages and the unpredictability of climate change, which he said demand new levels of resilience. He said he plans to address these challenges through listening, collaborating and innovating.

Jacqueline A. Soley for at-large seat

Soley has been in Freeport for over 32 years, during which she put three children through school in the area, volunteered in schools and owned and operated businesses. She has also volunteered at the schools, she said.

Soley said she is someone who has experienced the town’s “highs and lows” and is not afraid of hard work. She added that as a mother and grandmother, she wants to see Freeport “return to its glory.”

“Our small businesses are suffering,” she said. “I’d like to find a way to support them and promote our economy.”

She noted in the past few years, she has seen increased vacancies downtown, which she claims caused a drop in tourism. She also said she observed a drop in Freeport’s education rankings, which she would like to see improve. She said all of these issues are “near and dear to her heart.”

Jacqueline did not provide a headshot for this story.

For the Sewer District

Garth R. Adams

Adams, a toolmaker for a local manufacturing plant, said that he has two grown children, plays in numerous rock bands and believes in taking care of the environment in the face of climate change, especially as it concerns the Harraseeket River and Freeport Sewer District. 

“I want to see a successful upgrade project that is a win for all stakeholders involved: the environment, the utility and staff, the town, and the Harraseeket District as a whole,” he said.

He said he is running to learn about the inner workings of the utility and to see where more oversight and new ideas are needed. He said the most pressing concerns that face the district is how projected population growth is factored into an infrastructure upgrade, how affordable it will be for Freeporters and how it will impact the Harraseeket. He hopes to provide answers to concerns raised in the community. 

Adams also said he aims to advocate for transparency and to keep an open mind. He noted he is running on a slate with two other candidates — Molly Lincoln and Thomas Wright. He said that working together, all three candidates can get more done.

Joseph Ashby

Life-long Freeporter Joe Ashby works at Lee Toyota in Topsham, has had two family members serve on the board and hopes to bring a “youthful perspective” to the Sewer District. He has an environmental business degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and said he is running because he cares about clean water.

“My biggest concerns are the growing population in Freeport and that we have a 50-year-old facility that cannot keep up with the population growth,” he said. 

He said a multi-million dollar grant from the government to update the facilities will address these challenges. 

Michael “Mike” Ashby

Mike Ashby, who has been a member of the board for many years, said he has lived and been advocating for clean water his entire life as a shellfish harvester in Freeport. He said he started the government grant–funded multi-million dollar upgrade for the district to have clean water for generations to come.

He said he aims to represent all of Freeport — not only those who have property near the facility. He also said that the most pressing concern for Freeport is to get the plant upgrade complete due to the growing population and demand for clean water. He is also concerned that delays will waste money.

“I plan to take a 50-year-old plant and transform it into a higher performing facility,” he said. “[I] want to make sure that we have the facilities here in Freeport to keep up with growing population so we aren’t playing catch up in years to come. This plant will include multiple eco-friendly devices, such as thermal heating and solar electricity.”

Marissa Elliott

Elliott, a local business owner with accounting and financial management experience, she said can be used to keep rates lower for customers. She is a fourth-generation Freeporter and lives with her husband and children. She said she is running to fulfil her civic duty and has been closely following the upgrade process for the last few years.

“I feel I have a unique breadth of knowledge and interest in the project,” she said. “I also have a deep love and admiration for Freeport and preserving our natural resources like the Harraseeket River through responsible, thoughtful and innovative stewardship. This is a race that, in my opinion, is high stakes, as we must use this funding to set all of Freeport up for future success in the years to come.”

Elliott said she has four objectives: to create a dedicated website for the district to increase transparency and deliver information, facilitate upgrades and continue maintenance on the aging wastewater system to keep up with town growth objectives on time and within budget, continue commitments to clean water and preservation of water resources, and guarantee that the district benefits all Freeporters. 

With plant upgrades, she said goals can be met, such as phasing out the use of chlorine treatment and instead using UV light for water disinfection, which she said is better for the environment and more efficient. She also noted that her business experience will bring “frugal spending habits, forward thinking and anticipatory budgeting” to the table.

Christopher B. Grimm

Grimm, who has experience as a test engineer, software engineer and 20 years running a real estate firm, said his experience and education give him the skills to handle what he described as a “number of fiscal and technical discussions coming before the board soon.”

“The board has some consequential decisions to make in the near future, which will significantly effect the rate payers, the immediate neighborhood and those that use, live and work on the nearby waterways,” he said. “I think my previous experience will allow me to be a fair, balanced and thoughtful new addition to the board.”

Grimm has also served on the Shellfish Commission, Conservation Commission and Tax Advisory Board for Freeport. This experience, he said, has taught him much about the workings of local government and the environment and how the two intersect. 

Molly M. Lincoln

Lincoln, a senior localization project manager who grew up in Freeport and recently returned from living out West in 2022, said she wants to continue the work of preserving and improving the Harraseeket estuary while also increasing transparency at the wastewater facility and how it is governed.

“Reconnecting with Freeport’s beautiful coastline and woodland trails has only deepened my desire to see that future generations can grow up with the environmental riches that I did,” she said. 

If elected, Lincoln said she aims to ensure that the utility is ready for growth, including pursuing innovative water testing and conservation efforts and completing a facility upgrade without negatively affecting the surrounding environment, district finances or relationship with ratepayers.

She said that her professional experience gives her the skillset to troubleshoot in high-pressure situations, learn and improve high-volume operations and mediate between diverse groups of people. She noted that she is running on a “slate” with Adams and Wright, and that she would do her part to ask questions and look for solutions as a district trustee.

Thomas B. Wright

Wright moved to Freeport in 1985 and has long had a passion for restoring and building boats, travel, and community service. He has a degree in manufacturing and construction, is the co-founder of one of Maine’s largest construction companies and co-founded a nonprofit for youth and multiple development groups. He said he brings over 40 years of strategic planning, construction scheduling and management to the table.

Wright said that the Harraseeket estuary is his “paddling home,” and that the most pressing concern he has is understanding the utility’s mission and vision and how it aligns with proposed upgrades, the expected town growth and a changing climate.

“I am running for this opening because of the collaborative skills that the three of us bring to the trustees — technology, strategic and construction management, and mechanical engineering,” he said. “I believe these skill sets, combined with the experience of the present team, can support the growth to becoming a leader in the wastewater utility industry.”

Wright said he would address challenges by supporting a website dedicated to utility and would support the publication of the mission, vision and initiatives for public access, including a schedule of construction progress. Wright is the third of the slated campaign with Adams and Lincoln.

Robert L. Myrick is running for a seat in the Sewer District but declined to respond to the questionnaire, citing that he did not see much value in filling it out.